Adult Swim Revives Fan-Favorite Classics in Bold Programming Shake-Up
From a 2001 late-night oddity to an animation powerhouse, Adult Swim has revived Toonami and is teeing up a loaded year led by Rick and Morty season nine.
Adult Swim is shuffling the late-night deck again, and if you live in the weird hours where reruns reign, you have a couple of notable swaps coming up. It ’s not new episodes, but it is some very specific nostalgia programming back in rotation.
What’s changing (and when)
- Starting Monday, June 8, 'Teenage Euthanasia' takes a breather from the lineup. Sliding into its 12:30 AM slot: 'Metalocalypse' reruns — yes, that means more Nathan Explosion and Dethklok in the middle of the night. In the schedule notes it even gets framed as a 'cousin' swap, which... sure.
- Also returning: '12 Oz. Mouse'. You will, however, have to meet it on its turf. It’s grabbing the 4:30 AM slot, replacing 'Tom Goes to the Mayor'. Set an alarm, or be the kind of person who is somehow already awake at 4:25.
Adult Swim leans on its classics daily — that’s the whole late-night rerun muscle — so this is less a seismic shift and more a summer rotation of its cult staples.
Before you ask: are there new episodes coming?
Short answer: no. After 'Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar' wrapped the story, creator Brendon Small has said the show is not coming back for new episodes. He’s not done with the music, though — Dethklok live shows are still a thing, so the band lives onstage even if it’s not making new TV.
As for '12 Oz. Mouse', that series ended with its third season in 2021 and wasn’t renewed. Creator Matt Maiellaro isn’t taking it on the road or anything like that, but the show’s oddball legacy keeps floating around Adult Swim where it belongs.
The bigger picture
Adult Swim’s not slowing down. Since it launched back in 2001 (and helped resurrect Toonami along the way), the block has gone from a late-night experiment to a daily presence that even creeps into late afternoons on Cartoon Network. That expansion is why you see mainstays like 'Family Guy', 'Bob's Burgers', and more parked there now.
This year also brings 'Rick and Morty' season 9 and a new spin-off centered on President Curtis, plus a 'Rick and Morty' movie in the pipeline. The network’s core originals — 'Smiling Friends', 'Aqua Teen Hunger Force', and yes, 'Rick and Morty' — keep the engine running while the overnight hours give space to the cult catalog.
Bottom line: 'Metalocalypse' takes over 12:30 AM starting June 8, '12 Oz. Mouse' creeps in at 4:30 AM, and the graveyard shift just got a little louder and a lot weirder — exactly how Adult Swim likes it.