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	'Samurai Jack' Review: Adult Swim Resurrects the Best Samurai of the 21st Century, and It's Already an Action-Packed Masterpiece\|publisher=]\|accessdate=March 31, 2017\|date=March 1, 2017\|first=Eric\|last=Kohn}}</ref><br />]<br>]<ref name="dystopian">{{cite web\|url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/3/10/14881920/samurai-jack-season-five-genndy-tartakovsky-cartoon-network-adult-swim\|title=Genndy Tartakovsky on reviving Samurai Jack: 'I was out of shape for working this hard again'\|publisher=]\|accessdate=March 31, 2017\|date= March 10, 2017\|first=Tasha \|last=Robinson }}</ref>		'Samurai Jack' Review: Adult Swim Resurrects the Best Samurai of the 21st Century, and It's Already an Action-Packed Masterpiece\|publisher=]\|accessdate=March 31, 2017\|date=March 1, 2017\|first=Eric\|last=Kohn}}</ref><br />]<br>]<ref name="dystopian">]{{cite web\|url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/3/10/14881920/samurai-jack-season-five-genndy-tartakovsky-cartoon-network-adult-swim\|title=Genndy Tartakovsky on reviving Samurai Jack: 'I was out of shape for working this hard again'\|publisher=]\|accessdate=March 31, 2017\|date= March 10, 2017\|first=Tasha \|last=Robinson }}</ref>
	\| creator = ]		\| creator = ]
	\| writer = {{ubl\|Genndy Tartakovsky\|]\|Brian Larsen\|]\|Darrick Bachman\|]\|]\|]\|Chris Mitchell\|]}}		\| writer = {{ubl\|Genndy Tartakovsky\|]\|Brian Larsen\|]\|Darrick Bachman\|]\|]\|]\|Chris Mitchell\|]}}

Revision as of 03:30, 26 January 2019

2001 American TV series or program

Samurai Jack
File:SamuraiJack.png
Genre	Action-adventure Comedy-drama Dystopian Science fantasy
Created by	Genndy Tartakovsky
Written by	Genndy Tartakovsky Bryan Andrews Brian Larsen Chris Reccardi Darrick Bachman Charlie Bean Paul Rudish Aaron Springer Chris Mitchell Erik Wiese
Directed by	Genndy Tartakovsky Randy Myers Robert Alvarez Rob Renzetti Chris Savino
Voices of	Phil LaMarr Mako Iwamatsu (seasons 1–4) Greg Baldwin (season 5)
Theme music composer	Will Adams George Pajon, Jr. Tyler Bates (season 5)
Opening theme	"Samurai Jack" (seasons 1–4)
Ending theme	"Samurai Jack"
Composers	James L. Venable (seasons 1–4) Tyler Bates, Joanne Higginbottom, and Dieter Hartmann (season 5) Paul Dinletir (additional music, seasons 1–4)
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	5
No. of episodes	62 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Genndy Tartakovsky For Cartoon Network (seasons 1–4): Mike Lazzo Linda Simensky For Cartoon Network Studios (season 5): Brian A. Miller Jennifer Pelphrey Rob Sorcher For Williams Street (season 5): Keith Crofford Mike Lazzo
Producers	Genndy Tartakovsky Dana Ritchey (associate producer, seasons 1–4) Kelly Crews (supervising producer, season 5)
Running time	22 minutes
Production companies	Cartoon Network Studios Williams Street (season 5)
Original release
Network	Cartoon Network (2001–04) Adult Swim (2017)
Release	Seasons 1–4: August 10, 2001 – September 25, 2004 Season 5: March 11 – May 20, 2017

Samurai Jack is an American action-adventure animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network. It follows "Jack", an unnamed Japanese samurai who, after nearly defeating the ultimate evil being known as Aku, is sent forward in time by him to a dystopian future ruled by the tyrannical shape-shifting demon. Jack, who is brought to the future with only a sword, a robe, and sandals, quests to travel back in time and defeat Aku before he can take over the world. Jack's search for a way back to his own time period transcends Aku's control, but Jack's efforts are largely in vain due to the ways back to his home being just out of his reach.

Tartakovsky conceived Samurai Jack after finishing his work on his first Cartoon Network original series, Dexter's Laboratory, which premiered in 1996. Samurai Jack was inspired by Tartakovsky's enjoyment of the Kung Fu televised drama starring David Carradine as well as his fascination with samurai culture. On August 10, 2001, Samurai Jack premiered with a three-part made-for-TV movie called The Premiere Movie. It ran for four seasons consisting of thirteen episodes apiece until September 25, 2004, without concluding the story. A revival was produced twelve years later, resulting in a fifth season that provided a conclusion to the overarching story. The fifth season premiered on Adult Swim's Toonami block on March 11, 2017, and the final episode, which served as the series finale, aired on May 20, 2017. Samurai Jack episodes are directed by Tartakovsky, often in collaboration with others.

The series has garnered critical acclaim, and won eight Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Animated Program, as well as six Annie Awards and an OIAF Award.

Premise

Long ago in a distant land, I, Aku, the shape-shifting Master of Darkness, unleashed an unspeakable evil! But a foolish samurai warrior wielding a magic sword stepped forth to oppose me. Before the final blow was struck, I tore open a portal in time and flung him into the future, where my evil is law! Now the fool seeks to return to the past, and undo the future that is Aku!
— Aku, in the original opening title sequence, used in episodes II through LII

Samurai Jack tells the story of a young prince (voiced by Phil LaMarr) from feudal Japan, whose father (Sab Shimono and Keone Young) received a magic katana used to defeat and imprison the supernatural shape-shifting demon Aku (Mako Iwamatsu). Eight years later, Aku escapes, takes over the land and holds the Emperor hostage, but not before he sends away his son to travel the world and train so he can return and use the magic sword to defeat Aku. On his return, he faces and almost defeats Aku, but before he could land a finishing blow, Aku creates a time portal that sends the prince turned samurai into the distant future, with anticipation that he would be able to deal with the samurai by that time.

The samurai prince arrives in a dystopian retrofuturistic Earth ruled by Aku. The first people he encounters call him "Jack" as a form of slang, which he adopts as his name. His given name is never mentioned. Most episodes depict Jack overcoming various obstacles in his quest to travel back to his own time and defeat Aku, and his quest is prolonged occasionally by moments where either he nearly succeeds in returning to his own time, or conversely, Aku nearly succeeds in defeating Jack, only to be thwarted by the unexpected.

Setting

The retro-futuristic world is inhabited by robots, extraterrestrials, talking animals, monsters, magical creatures, and deities. Areas may have advanced technology like flying cars, while others resemble ancient times or industrial conditions. What's more, Aku has brought aliens from other planets to inhabit Earth, while destroying the habitability of the alien planets. Criminals and fugitives take refuge on Aku's Earth. Mythological and supernatural creatures make regular appearances, and coexist among the technologically-advanced inhabitants.

However, the planet has hardly been urbanized, and there are a number of episodes that take place in uninhabited areas of the world, such as forests, jungles and mountains, which have remained largely untouched even as Aku began his conquest and reign over every sentient being. There are even a few communities that have not been affected by Aku's dominance, such as the Shaolin monks, who managed to hide and maintain their numbers in a secret place that is beyond the reach of Aku's seemingly omniscient vision.

Episodes

Main article: List of Samurai Jack episodes

Season	Episodes	Originally released
Season	Episodes	First released	Last released	Network
1	13	August 10, 2001 (2001-08-10)	December 3, 2001 (2001-12-03)	Cartoon Network
2	13	March 1, 2002 (2002-03-01)	October 11, 2002 (2002-10-11)
3	13	October 18, 2002 (2002-10-18)	August 16, 2003 (2003-08-16)
4	13	June 14, 2003 (2003-06-14)	September 25, 2004 (2004-09-25)
5	10	March 11, 2017 (2017-03-11)	May 20, 2017 (2017-05-20)	Adult Swim

Production

Development

Samurai Jack was created by Genndy Tartakovsky as a follow-up to his successful series Dexter's Laboratory. Cartoon Network executive Mike Lazzo recalled Tartakovsky pitching him the series: "He said, 'Hey, remember David Carradine in Kung Fu? Wasn't that cool?' and I was like, 'Yeah, that's really cool.' That was literally the pitch." Cartoon Network billed it as a series "that is cinematic in scope and that incorporates action, humor, and intricate artistry."

Influences and design

The basic premise of Samurai Jack comes from Tartakovsky's childhood fascination with samurai culture and the bushido code, as well as a recurring dream where he'd wander a post-apocalyptic Earth with a samurai sword and travel the world fighting mutants with his crush. The show is meant to evoke 1970s cinematography, as well as classic Hollywood films such as Ben-Hur, Lawrence of Arabia and Spartacus. Thematic and visual inspirations come from Frank Miller's comic book series Rōnin, including the premise of a master-less samurai warrior thrown into a dystopic future in order to battle a shape-shifting demon. Similarly, the episode "Jack and the Spartans" was specifically inspired by Miller's graphic novel 300 that retold the Battle of Thermopylae. The Japanese comic Lone Wolf and Cub and films by Akira Kurosawa were also an inspiration.

Broadcast

The network announced the series' launch at a press conference on February 21, 2001. Weeks leading up to the series were accompanied by a sweepstakes giveaway sponsored by AOL in which the grand prize was a trip for four to Japan. The promotion also included sneak peeks of Samurai Jack, behind-the-scenes model sheets, as well as exclusive Cartoon Orbit cToons. Samurai Jack debuted on Cartoon Network on August 10, 2001, with the three-part special "The Beginning". The premiere received high praise and four award nominations, and was released as a standalone VHS and DVD on March 19, 2002. As production of the fourth season was ending, with four seasons of 13 episodes each or 52 episodes of Samurai Jack in total, Tartakovsky and the crew moved on to other projects. The show ended with the airing of the four final episodes as a marathon on September 25, 2004.

Conclusion and revival

Original ending

The original series was left open-ended after the conclusion of the fourth season. Tartakovsky said, "coming close to the fourth season, we're like, 'are we gonna finish it?' And I didn't know... The network didn't know, they were going through a lot of transitions also. So I decided, you know, I don't want to rush and finish the whole story, and so we just left it like there is no conclusion and then just like another episode". Art director Scott Wills added, "We didn't have time to think about it, because we went right into Clone Wars. They even overlapped, I think. There was no time to even think about it."

Planned film

A film intended to conclude the story of Samurai Jack had been in development at different times by four different studios. As early as 2002, Cartoon Network was producing a Samurai Jack live action feature film, in association with New Line Cinema. Tartakovsky said in a 2006 interview that the live action version of Samurai Jack was thankfully abandoned, and that "we will finish the story, and there will be an animated film." Fred Seibert announced in 2007 that the newly-formed Frederator Films is developing a Samurai Jack movie, which was planned to be in stereoscopic 2D with a budget of 20 million dollars. Seibert said in 2009 the film was being co-produced with J. J. Abrams' Bad Robot Productions. Sony Pictures Entertainment expressed interest in developing a Samurai Jack film in 2012. Genndy Tartakovsky said in an interview with IGN the Samurai Jack movie is in pre-production: "I've been trying so hard every year, and the one amazing thing about Jack is that I did it in 2001, you know, and it still survived. There's something about it that's connected with people. And I want it, it's number 1 on my list, and now Bob Osher, the president, is like 'Hey, let's talk about Jack. Let's see what we can do.' And I go, 'You're going to do a 2D feature animated movie?' and he's like, 'Yeah. Maybe. Let's do some research and let's see.' So it's not dead for sure by any means, and it's still on the top of my list, and I'm trying as hard as I can." Tartakovsky said the loss of Mako Iwamatsu (Aku's voice actor) would also need to be addressed. The feature film project never materialized, and eventually the series concluded with a fifth television season.

2017 revival

Main article: Samurai Jack (season 5)

Samurai Jack returned to television thirteen years after the fourth season concluded. It began airing on Adult Swim on March 18, 2017. This fifth and final season was produced at Cartoon Network Studios with Tartakovsky as executive producer. It has more mature elements and a cohesive story that concludes Jack's journey. The story takes place fifty years after Jack has been cast into the future, though he has not aged as a side effect of his time travel. Jack is in despair from the years of fighting Aku (Greg Baldwin) and from Aku's destruction of the remaining time portals; he is haunted by warped visions of himself, his family and an enigmatic warrior on horseback.

Reception

Critical reception

In 2004, British broadcaster Channel 4 ran a poll of the 100 greatest cartoons, in which Samurai Jack achieved the 42nd position. The show was ranked 11th by IGN for its Top 25 Primetime Animated Series of All Time list in 2006. IGN also ranked the show 43rd in its Top 100 Animated Series list in 2009.

Matt Zoller Seitz, a film critic for RogerEbert.com and television critic for Vulture, considers Samurai Jack, along with Tartakovsky's Star Wars: Clone Wars, to be a masterwork and one of the greatest American animated shows on television, mainly for its visual style:

lthough Tartakovsky is a good storyteller, in a silent-movie sort of way—expressing what’s happening moment-to-moment through picture and sound rather than in dialogue—I never watched either of these programs for their plots, and I don’t re-watch them for narrative, either. I re-watch them for the same reason that I visit art museums, attend live concerts, and pause during journeys from point A to point B in New York to watch dancers, acrobats, or street musicians: because I appreciate virtuosity for its own sake. And that’s what Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars and Samurai Jack give you, scene for scene and shot for shot .... he plot was never the point. It was always about the visual music that Tartakovsky, his designers, and his animators created onscreen.

Samurai Jack would later be included in Seitz and Alan Sepinwall's 2016 book TV (The Book) as an honorable mention following the 100 greatest television series.

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result
2002	Annie Award	Outstanding Character Design in an Animated Television Production	Lynne Naylor for "Jack and the Warrior Woman"	Nominated
		Outstanding Music in an Animated Television Production	James L. Venable for "The Beginning"	Won
		Outstanding Production Design in an Animated Television Production	Dan Krall for "The Beginning"	Won
		Outstanding Production Design in an Animated Television Production	Scott Wills for "The Beginning"	Nominated
		Outstanding Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production	Bryan Andrews for "Jack and the Three Blind Archers"	Won
	OIAF Award	Best Television Series	Genndy Tartakovsky for "Jack and the Three Blind Archers"	Won
	Annecy Official Selection	Special Award for Television Series	Genndy Tartakovsky for "Jack and the Three Blind Archers"	Won
	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or More)	Brian A. Miller, Yu Mun Jeong, Yeol Jung Chang, Paul Rudish, Genndy Tartakovsky, Bong Koh Jae for "The Beginning, Parts 1–3"	Nominated
	TCA Award	Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming	Samurai Jack	Nominated
2003	Annie Award	Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Production	Cartoon Network Studios	Nominated
		Outstanding Character Design in an Animated Television Production	Andy Suriano for "Jack and the Haunted House"	Won
		Outstanding Directing in an Animated Television Production	Genndy Tartakovsky and Robert Alvarez for "The Birth of Evil"	Nominated
		Outstanding Production Design in an Animated Television Production	Scott Wills for "The Birth of Evil"	Won
	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation	Scott Wills for "Jack and the Traveling Creatures"	Won
	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation	Dan Krall for "Jack and the Spartans"	Won
2004	Annie Award	Outstanding Directing in a Television Production	Genndy Tartakovsky for "Tale of X-49"	Nominated
	Annie Award	Outstanding Production Design in a Television Production	Richard Daskas for "Seasons of Death"	Won
	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour)	Genndy Tartakovsky, Brian A. Miller, Don Shank, Robert Alvarez, Randy Myers, Yu Mun Jeong, Bong Koh Jae, James T. Walker for "The Birth of Evil"	Won
2005		Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour)	Genndy Tartakovsky, Brian A. Miller, Bryan Andrews, Mark Andrews, Hueng-soon Park, Kwang-bae Park, Randy Myers, James T. Walker for "Seasons of Death"	Nominated
2005		Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation	Bryan Andrews for "Seasons of Death"	Won
2017	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation	Bryan Andrews for "Episode XCIII"	Won
			Scott Willis for "Episode XCIII"	Won
			Craig Kellman for "Episode XCII"	Won
			Lou Romano for "Episode XCV"	Won

Reviewers of the 3D animated feature film Kung Fu Panda (DreamWorks Animation) have noted that the stylized 2D opening sequence is either inspired by or an homage to Samurai Jack.

Other media

Home video releases

Like other previous Cartoon Network shows, Samurai Jack DVDs were released by Warner Home Video between 2002 and 2007. The DVDs include episode numbers in Roman numerals as they appear at the end of each episode but remain untitled. Season 1 was released on Netflix streaming service in 2013. Samurai Jack: The Complete Series was released on Blu-ray and Digital HD on October 17, 2017, and contains remastered versions of the first four seasons of the series.

*Samurai Jack* VHS and DVD releases
Title	Episodes	Release date		Description
Title	Episodes	Region 1	Region 4	Description
The Premiere Movie	4	March 19, 2002	October 10, 2007	Available on DVD and VHS, this release contains the first 3 episodes of season 1 ("The Beginning" (I–III)) as well as the episode "Jack and the Scotsman" (XI) in Dolby Digital 5.1 sound.
Season 1	13	May 4, 2004	November 7, 2007	This 2-disc DVD set includes all 13 episodes from season 1. It also includes a "making-of" documentary, an original animation test, original artwork, as well as commentary on "Jack and the Three Blind Archers" (VII).
Season 2	13	May 24, 2005	March 4, 2009	This 2-disc DVD set includes all 13 episodes from season 2. It also includes commentary on "Jack and the Spartans" (XXV), "Creator Scrapbook", as well as an original pitch for "Jack and the Scotsman, Part 2" (XVII).
Season 3	13	May 23, 2006	September 9, 2009	This 2-disc DVD set includes all 13 episodes from season 3. It also includes commentary on "The Birth of Evil" (XXXVII/XXXVIII), "Lost Artwork" and a featurette called "Martial Arts of the Samurai".
Season 4	13	August 28, 2007	October 3, 2012	This 2-disc DVD set includes all 13 episodes from season 4. It also includes "Genndy's Roundtable", "Genndy's New Project" (a tour of Orphanage Animation Studios), alternate takes for two snippets of "The Tale of X-49" (L) and Samurai Jack promos.
Samurai Jack and Friends	7	October 7, 2014	—	This is a re-issue of the first disc of Season 2, containing its first 7 episodes.
The Complete Fifth Season	10	October 17, 2017	—	This 2-disc DVD includes all 10 episodes from season 5. It also includes "The Evolution of Jack" and detailed reviews of the storyboards of five of this season's episodes (XCIV, XCVI, XCVIII, XCIX and C).

Other releases including *Samurai Jack* episodes
Title	Episodes	Release date			Features
Title	Episodes	Region 1	Region 2	Region 4	Features
4 Kid Favorites: The Hall of Fame Collection Vol. 2	7	March 12, 2013	—	—	4-disc compilation set includes Samurai Jack: Season One, Disc One

*Samurai Jack* Blu-ray releases
Title	Episodes	Release date			Features
Title	Episodes	Region A	Region B	Region C	Features
Samurai Jack: The Complete Series	62	October 17, 2017	—	—	The complete series boxset includes all 62 Samurai Jack episodes across all 5 seasons, all remastered in Blu-ray high definition, a first for the previous four seasons. All special features from the videodisc releases of every season except season 4 are also included in this box set, along with new cover art for the prior 4 seasons, steelbook art for the first season's cover and redemption codes for UltraViolet digital versions of all episodes.
The Complete Fifth Season	10	October 17, 2017	—	—	This Blu-ray includes all 10 episodes from season 5, along with the same special features as the DVD version.

Video games

The Samurai Jack world has been seen in the video games Samurai Jack: The Amulet of Time for the Game Boy Advance in 2003 and Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku for the Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2 in 2004.

Several elements of the Samurai Jack concept were reused in several video games: the MMORPG Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall features Jack, the Scotsman and Demongo as non-playable characters, while Aku is a Nano. The online game Project Exonaut features Jack only as a playable character for the Banzai Squadron. The brawler game Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion for Nintendo 3DS, Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 features Jack and the Scotsman as playable characters while Aku is an assist character, a boss and a playable character.

Samurai Jack is voiced by Phil LaMarr once more for most games, and by Keith Ferguson for Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion. The Scotsman and Demongo are voiced by John DiMaggio and by Kevin Michael Richardson respectively in Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall. Due to Mako Iwamatsu's death in 2006, Aku is voiced by Greg Baldwin in Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall and by Fred Tatasciore in Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion.

Comics

Main article: Samurai Jack (comics)

In February 2013, IDW Publishing announced a partnership with Cartoon Network to produce comics based on its properties. Samurai Jack was one of the titles announced to be published. It was further announced at WonderCon 2013 that the first issue of Samurai Jack would debut in October 2013. The first comic in the series was released October 23, 2013. The final issue came out in May 2015. On October 25, 2016, IDW re-released all of the issues in a compilation entitled "Tales of a Wandering Warrior". Tartakovsky does not consider the comics part of the story of Jack.

Jack also appeared in multiple issues of DC Comics' anthology comic series Cartoon Network Action Pack, which ran from July 2006 to April 2012.

Board game

A year after the series was concluded, a board game adaptation covering all five seasons was released, titled Samurai Jack: Back to the Past. Players work together to complete tasks to help Jack return to the past, while competing to earn honor for their actions. It is possible for all players to lose the game if Jack loses his sanity and is driven to suicide, as he nearly does for the first half of season 5.

Notes

The main character adopts his name during the Premiere Movie after being thrust into Aku's future, wherein local youths use the name "Jack" to refer to him. When asked later on what his name is, the character declares, "They call me Jack."

References

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^ Seibert, Fred (September 5, 2009). "Lunch with Genndy". Frederator Studios Blog. JoeJack, Inc. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
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External links

v t e Samurai Jack
Characters	Samurai Jack
Episodes	Season 5
Video games	The Amulet of Time The Shadow of Aku Battle Through Time
Crossover games	FusionFall Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion MultiVersus
Other media	Comic series
Category

Links to related articles

Adult Swim original programming

Current

Aqua Teen Hunger Force (alternate titles) (2000–2015; since 2023)
Invincible Fight Girl (since 2024)
My Adventures with Superman (since 2023)
Off the Air (since 2011)
Primal (since 2019)
Rick and Morty (since 2013)
Robot Chicken (since 2005)
Royal Crackers (since 2023)
Smiling Friends (since 2022)
YOLO (since 2020)

Former

2000s debuts	12 oz. Mouse (2005–06; 2018; 2020) Assy McGee (2006–08) Baby Blues (2002) The Boondocks (2005–14) The Brak Show (2001–03) Delocated (2009–13) The Drinky Crow Show (2008–09) Fat Guy Stuck in Internet (2008) Frisky Dingo (2006–08) Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law (2001–07; 2018) Home Movies (2001–04) Lucy, the Daughter of the Devil (2007) Metalocalypse (2006–13) Minoriteam (2006) Mission Hill (2002) Moral Orel (2005–08; 2012) The Oblongs (2002) Perfect Hair Forever (2004–07; 2014) Saul of the Mole Men (2007) Sealab 2021 (2001–05) Space Ghost Coast to Coast (2001–04) Squidbillies (2005–21) Stroker & Hoop (2004–05) Superjail! (2008–14) Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! (2007–10; 2017) Titan Maximum (2009) Tom Goes to the Mayor (2004–06) The Venture Bros. (2003–18) Xavier: Renegade Angel (2007–09)
2010s debuts	Apollo Gauntlet (2017) Ballmastrz: 9009 (2018–20; 2023) Black Dynamite (2012–15) Black Jesus (2014–19) Brad Neely's Harg Nallin' Sclopio Peepio (2016) Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule (2010–16) Childrens Hospital (2010–16) China, IL (2011–15) Decker (2014–20) Dream Corp LLC (2016–20) Eagleheart (2011–14) The Eric Andre Show (2012–23) Final Space (2019–21) FishCenter Live (2014–20) FLCL (2018; 2023) Gēmusetto (2019–20) God, the Devil and Bob (2011) The Greatest Event in Television History (2012–14) The Heart, She Holler (2011–14) Hot Package (2013–15) Hot Streets (2018–19) The Jack and Triumph Show (2015) The Jellies! (2017–19) Joe Pera Talks with You (2018–21) King Star King (2014; 2023) Lazor Wulf (2019–21) Loiter Squad (2012–14) Mary Shelley's Frankenhole (2010–12) Mike Tyson Mysteries (2014–20) Million Dollar Extreme Presents: World Peace (2016) Momma Named Me Sheriff (2019–21) Mongo Wrestling Alliance (2011) Mostly 4 Millennials (2018) Mr. Pickles (2014–19) Neon Joe, Werewolf Hunter (2015–17) Newsreaders (2013–15) NTSF:SD:SUV:: (2011–13) On Cinema (2012–20) Samurai Jack (2017) The Shivering Truth (2018–20) Soul Quest Overdrive (2011) Space Dandy (2014) Tender Touches (2017–20) Tigtone (2019–20) Tim & Eric's Bedtime Stories (2014–17) Tropical Cop Tales (2019) You're Whole (2012–13) Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell (2013–19)
2020s debuts	Beef House (2020) Birdgirl (2021–22) Blade Runner: Black Lotus (2021–22) Fena: Pirate Princess (2021) Housing Complex C (2022) JJ Villard's Fairy Tales (2020) Ninja Kamui (2024) Rick and Morty: The Anime (2024) Shenmue: The Animation (2022) Teenage Euthanasia (2021–23) Three Busy Debras (2020–22) Tuca & Bertie (2021–22) Unicorn: Warriors Eternal (2023) Uzumaki (2024)

Upcoming

Common Side Effects (2025)
Lazarus (2025)
Rooster Fighter (TBA)

See also: Adult Swim pilots and specials

v t e Cartoon Network original programming
Current	The Amazing World of Gumball (since 2011) Teen Titans Go! (since 2013) Craig of the Creek (since 2018) We Baby Bears (since 2022) Tiny Toons Looniversity (since 2023) The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe (since 2023)
See also	Former original series Cartoon Network Studios (co-productions, films) Warner Bros. Animation

Template:Toonami-anime

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program

1970s

Halloween Is Grinch Night (1978)
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1979)

1980s

Carlton Your Doorman (1980)
Life Is a Circus, Charlie Brown (1981)
The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat (1982)
Ziggy's Gift (1983)
Garfield on the Town (1984)
Garfield in the Rough (1985)
Garfield's Halloween Adventure (1986)
Cathy (1987)
A Claymation Christmas Celebration (1988)
Garfield's Babes and Bullets (1989)

1990s

The Simpsons ("Life on the Fast Lane") (1990)
The Simpsons ("Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment") (1991)
Claymation Easter (1992)
Batman: The Animated Series ("Robin's Reckoning: Part I") (1993)
The Roman City (1994)
The Simpsons ("Lisa's Wedding") (1995)
Pinky and the Brain ("A Pinky and the Brain Christmas") (1996)
The Simpsons ("Homer's Phobia") (1997)
The Simpsons ("Trash of the Titans") (1998)
King of the Hill ("And They Call It Bobby Love") / Todd McFarlane's Spawn (1999)

2000s

Program (Less Than One Hour)

The Simpsons ("Behind the Laughter") (2000)
The Simpsons ("HOMR") (2001)
Futurama ("Roswell That Ends Well") (2002)
The Simpsons ("Three Gays of the Condo") (2003)
Samurai Jack ("The Birth of Evil") (2004)
South Park ("Best Friends Forever") (2005)
The Simpsons ("The Seemingly Never-Ending Story") (2006)
South Park ("Make Love, Not Warcraft") (2007)
The Simpsons ("Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind") (2008)
South Park ("Margaritaville") (2009)

Program (One Hour or More)

Walking with Dinosaurs (2000)
Allosaurus: A Walking With Dinosaurs Special (2001)
Walking with Prehistoric Beasts (2002)
Chased by Dinosaurs (2003)
Star Wars: Clone Wars (Volume 1: Chapters 1-20) (2004)
Star Wars: Clone Wars (Volume 2: Chapters 21-25) (2005)
Before the Dinosaurs (2006)
Camp Lazlo ("Where's Lazlo?") (2007)
South Park (Imaginationland: The Movie) (2008)
Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends ("Destination: Imagination") (2009)

2010s

Prep & Landing (2010)
Futurama ("The Late Philip J. Fry") (2011)
The Penguins of Madagascar ("The Return of the Revenge of Dr. Blowhole") (2012)
South Park ("Raising the Bar") (2013)
Bob's Burgers ("Mazel-Tina") (2014)
Over the Garden Wall (2015)
Archer ("The Figgis Agency") (2016)
Bob's Burgers ("Bob Actually") (2017)
Rick and Morty ("Pickle Rick") (2018)
The Simpsons ("Mad About the Toy") (2019)

2020s

Rick and Morty ("The Vat of Acid Episode") (2020)
Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal ("Plague of Madness") (2021)
Arcane ("When These Walls Come Tumbling Down") (2022)
The Simpsons ("Treehouse of Horror XXXIII") (2023)
Blue Eye Samurai ("The Tale of the Ronin and the Bride") (2024)

Genndy Tartakovsky

Television series

Dexter's Laboratory (1996–2003)
Samurai Jack (2001–04; 2017)
Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003–05)
Sym-Bionic Titan (2010–11)
Primal (2019–present)
Unicorn: Warriors Eternal (2023)

Films

Directed	Dexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip (1999) Hotel Transylvania (2012) Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015) Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018) Fixed (TBA)
Written only	Hotel Transylvania: Transformania (2022)

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