Adult Swim (Canadian TV channel) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Adult Swim

Logo used since 2012
Country	Canada
Broadcast area	Nationwide
Headquarters	Toronto, Ontario
Programming
Language(s)	English
Picture format	1080i HDTV (downscaled to letterboxed 480i for the SDTV feed)
Ownership
Owner	Corus Entertainment (branding licensed from Warner Bros. Discovery)
Parent	Showcase Television Inc.
Sister channels	Télétoon Cartoon Network Boomerang
History
Launched	September 7, 2001; 23 years ago (2001-09-07)
Availability
Streaming media
StackTV	Over-the-top TV

Adult Swim is a Canadian TV channel. It shows mostly animated and live-action comedy programs. These shows are made for teenagers and young adults. The channel is owned by Corus Entertainment.

Adult Swim first started in 2001 as Showcase Action. It was a channel that showed action movies and TV series. Later, it changed its name to Action. On April 1, 2019, the channel became Adult Swim. Its name and shows come from the Adult Swim programming block that airs on Cartoon Network in the United States.

The Story of Adult Swim

From Showcase Action to Action (2001–2019)

Showcase Action logo used until 2009

In November 2000, a company called Alliance Atlantis got permission to start a new TV channel. This channel would focus on action shows. It launched on September 7, 2001, as Showcase Action. It was a spin-off from another channel called Showcase.

In 2008, a company called CW Media took over Alliance Atlantis's TV channels. The channel's name changed to Action on August 31, 2009. Later, in 2010, Shaw Media bought the channel.

Around 2011, the Action channel started to change what it showed. It began airing more reality shows from the U.S. network TruTV. It also tried some original comedy shows. One show was Kenny Hotz's Triumph of the Will, but it only had one season. Another show, But I'm Chris Jericho!, started online.

In 2015, a clearer, high-definition (HD) version of Action became available. In 2016, Corus Entertainment bought Shaw Media. This meant Corus Entertainment became the new owner of the Action channel.

Becoming Adult Swim (2019–Today)

Before becoming a full channel, Adult Swim was a special block of shows. This block aired on the Canadian version of Cartoon Network. It started on July 4, 2012. Another channel, Teletoon, also had a similar block called Teletoon at Night. This block also showed programs from Adult Swim.

On March 4, 2019, Corus Entertainment announced a big change. The Action channel would become Adult Swim on April 1, 2019. This was the first time Adult Swim became a full 24-hour channel. Both the Teletoon at Night and the Adult Swim blocks stopped airing when the new channel launched.

When the channel started, it offered a free preview for two months. Some of its shows were also free to watch online for a while. Popular shows like Rick and Morty, Robot Chicken, and The Eric Andre Show were part of the launch.

What's on Adult Swim

Adult Swim mainly shows funny animated and live-action programs. These include original shows from the U.S. Adult Swim block. It also gets shows from the streaming service Max. You can also watch older episodes of popular animated sitcoms.

Many of the new Canadian shows on Adult Swim are English versions of shows. These shows were first made for the French-language Télétoon's late-night block, Télétoon la nuit. Examples include The Bizarre Stories of Professor Zarbi. To meet Canadian rules, the channel also shows older Canadian programs. It also airs TV movies on weekday mornings. This is something the Action channel used to do.

Shows You Can Watch Now

Coming Soon

• Rick and Morty: The Anime (Fall 2023)
• Uzumaki (2023)

Past Shows

On the Adult Swim Channel

As a Programming Block

See Also

In Spanish: Adult Swim (Canadá) para niños

• Télétoon la nuit