TV by the Decade :: Dec 27•Jan 2

adult swim

Three new shows brought the years 2000 and 2010 to an end while two helped ring in the new year of 2011. Of the five, three were animated shows for adults, one was a live-action series for teens and one was a controversial reality series for fans of the weird. Let’s take a look at the news shows that premiered this week through the decades and see which ones you remember.

1950

• No new shows premiered this week in 1950.

1960

• No new shows premiered this week in 1960.

1970

• No new shows premiered this week in 1970.

1980

• No new shows premiered this week in 1980.

1990

• No new shows premiered this week in 1990.

2000

December 30 – Aqua Teen Hunger Force

• Voice Cast: Dave Willis, Dana Synder, Carey Means, Matt Maiellaro, C. Martin Croker, Andy Merrill
• Guest Voice Cast: Schooly D, H. Jon Benjamin, Jay Wade Edwards, Eugene Mirman, David Cross, Patton Oswalt, Mary Kraft, Jon Glaser, T-Pain, Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, Steve Schirripa, Paul F. Tompkins. John DiMaggio, Will Forte, Neko Case, Natasha Leggero, Mike Judge, Kristen Schaal, Chuck D, Matt Walsh, Seth MacFarlane, Brian Posehn, Zakk Wylde, Killer Mike, Sammy Hagar, Glenn Danzig, Seth Green, Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Silverman, Scott Thompson, Joe Satriani, Steven Wright, Rachel Dratch, Tim Heidecker, Janeane Garofalo, Insane Clown Posse, Gillian Jacobs, Larry Miller, Tom Savini, Robert Smigel, Idris Elba, Tom Hollander, Lisa Lampanelli, Bobcat Goldthwait, Bobby Moynihan, Casey Wilson, Kumail Nanjiani, Vincent Pastore
• Synopsis: The misadventures of a milkshake, an order of fries, a meatball, and their retired next door neighbor in the suburbs of New Jersey.
• Network: Cartoon Network / adult swim
• Broadcast History: Eleven seasons, 139 episodes (1 unaired), last broadcast on August 20, 2015
• Trivia: Spin-off of Space Ghost Coast to Coast. The show premiered as a stealth broadcast in the early hours of December 30. The series proper then debuted in September 2001. Every episode was written and directed by Willis and Maiellaro. Seasons 8-11 had new titles and theme music as a running joke. Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters was released on April 13, 2007, the first adult swim series to get a feature film adaptation. It was the longest running series on adult swim until it was surpassed by Robot Chicken. The premise of the team solving crimes for money was dropped after a few episodes because the premise was a trick to appease Cartoon Network execs who didn’t want a show about food doing random things. The character Frylock says they stopped fighting crime because ‘that wasn’t making us a whole lot of money.’

December 30 – Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law

• Voice Cast: Gary Cole, Stephen Colbert, Thomas Allen, John Michael Higgins, Chris Edgerly, Maurice LaMarche
• Guest Voice Cast: Peter MacNicol, Grey Griffin, Paget Brewster, Phil LaMarr, Frank Welker, Michael McKean, Steve Landesberg, Lewis Black, Tom Kenny, Joe Alasky, Kym Whitley, Paul Adelstein, Mary Birdsong, Billy West, Robert Osborne, Laraine Newman, David Koechner, Tress MacNeille, Mark Hamill
• Synopsis: Third-rate superhero Harvey Birdman gets a new lease on life when he becomes a lawyer.
• Network: Cartoon Network / adult swim
• Broadcast History: Four seasons, 39 episodes, last broadcast on July 22, 2007
• Trivia: The show premiered as a stealth broadcast in the early hours of December 30. The series officially premiere on September 2, 2001 with the launch of adult swim. A special episode, Harvey Birdman: Attorney General, was broadcast on October 15, 2018, and the spin-off Birdgirl was announced in May 2019. Harvey Birdman made his debut on Space Ghost Coast to Coast. The show was adult swim’s most expensive at the time, and the most expensive spin-off of Space Ghost. The first season was animated with digital ink and paint, but subsequent seasons used Adobe After Effects because the animation studio was unable to keep up with the fast pace of production. This also allowed for problems to be corrected more quickly and reduced the production costs.

2010-2011

December 29 – My Strange Addiction

• Synopsis: The series focuses on people with unusual compulsive behaviors. These range from eating specific non-food items to ritualistic daily activities to bizarre personal fixations or beliefs.
• Network: TLC
• Broadcast History: Six seasons, 50 episodes (+ pilot and 2 specials), last broadcast on February 4, 2010
• Trivia: Some episodes have raised concerns that some of the portrayals are fictional, such as those in which subjects are said to consume large quantities of normally fatal materials such as gasoline, camphor, broken glass and other non-food items.

January 1 – Dan Vs.

• Cast: Curtis Armstrong, Paget Brewster, Dave Foley, Dan Mandel
• Guest Cast: Grey Griffin, John DiMaggio, Tom Kenny, Meredith Baxter, Michael Gross, Mauruce LaMarche, John C. McKinley, Tara Strong, Cree Summer, Mark Hamill, Rene Auberjonois, Kevin McDonald, Harland Williams, Henry Winkler, Felicia Day, Jenna Fischer, Judy Greer, Cheri Oteri, Kurtwood Smith, Ernie Hudson
• Synopsis: The show is about Dan, a jobless misanthrope with a soft spot for animals, caught in odd misfortunes and unable to provide income for himself.
• Network: The Hub
• Broadcast History: Three seasons, 53 episodes, last broadcast on March 9, 2013
• Trivia: The show was originally conceived as a live-action sitcom, but more possibilities opened up once it was developed for animation. The show was pitched to various networks, including adult swim. The series was animated with Adobe Flash. Executive producer Jay Fukuto worked on the sitcom Family Ties and suggested casting Meredith Baxter and Michael Gross as the parents of Elise. Armstrong announced the show’s cancellations in a Facebook post on October 17, 2013 stating he was never given a reason for the cancellation. The series won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Directing in an Animated Program in 2013. Armstrong was also nominated that year for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program.

January 1 – House of Anubis

• Cast: Brad Kavanagh, Jade Ramsey, Tasie Lawrence, Eugene Simon, Alex Sawyer, Francis Magee, Ana Mulvoy Ten, Paul Antony-Barber, Mina Anwar, Nathalia Ramos, Bobby Lockwood, Klariza Clayton
• Guest Cast: Burkely Duffield, Alexandra Shipp, Poppy Miller, Jack Donnelly, Rita Davies
• Synopsis: When one of their number disappears on the same day that an American girl joins their ranks, a group of English boarding school students embarks on solving a mystery.
• Network: Nickelodeon
• Broadcast History: Three seasons, 190 episodes (+ 90-minute TV special), last broadcast on June 17, 2013
• Trivia: Based on the Belgian–Dutch television series Het Huis Anubis. The first Nick series to be filmed outside the United States, and the first telenovela format for the network. The pilot was filmed in August 2009 with a different cast and title.