Why is My Adventures with Superman on Adult Swim? It was never the plan
When My Adventures with Superman premiered on Adult Swim in July 2023 — at midnight, no less — viewers were baffled. Here was a sweet, all-ages, anime-inspired take on Clark Kent, airing in the block built for Rick and Morty. The show got glowing reviews and one recurring question. What is this doing here?
The short answer
It was never made for Adult Swim. The series was announced in May 2021 as a Cartoon Network and HBO Max show, with a two-season order, alongside Batman: Caped Crusader. Then the Warner Bros. Discovery merger happened, the company started cutting and shuffling animation projects, and both DC shows lost their original homes.
Caped Crusader was dropped entirely and sold to Amazon Prime Video.
Superman stayed in the family — but got moved to Adult Swim, a switch announced in April 2023, just three months before the premiere.
The people making it had no idea. The creative team built a family-friendly, TV-PG series the entire time, only learning of the Adult Swim placement after the fact. That's why the most wholesome Superman show in years airs next to the most cynical comedies on television.
The show underneath the scheduling mess
Whatever the time slot, the series worked. Jack Quaid voices a twentysomething Clark Kent, with Alice Lee as Lois Lane and Ishmel Sahid as Jimmy Olsen — three Daily Planet interns stumbling into the superhero business together. The first two seasons were animated by Studio Mir (The Legend of Korra), with Studio Grida taking over for season 3.
Critics gave it a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and episodes stream on HBO Max the day after broadcast — so the midnight slot was never the only way in.
Where things stand now
- Season 1 — premiered July 2023, ten episodes.
- Season 2 — aired in 2024, completing the original two-season order.
- Season 3 — arrived in summer 2026 after a two-year gap, adapting its own spin on the Reign of the Supermen storyline.
- Season 4 — not ordered. At San Diego Comic-Con in July 2026, the showrunners confirmed no renewal has come through.
Why season 4 is stuck
The decision isn't even Adult Swim's to make anymore. Speaking to Collider at the Annecy animation festival in June 2026, network president Michael Ouweleen explained where things stand:
"We don't know yet. Season 3 is doing great," Ouweleen said, adding that the show predates the current DC Studios regime.
The call now sits with DC bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran, who inherited the series, liked it, and let it keep going — but haven't yet committed beyond season 3.