The Greatest Adult Swim Cartoon Of All Time Is Now On Netflix
Netflix has scored the first three seasons of the best Adult Swim has to offer, The Venture Bros. Part modern sitcom about failure and part parody of mid-century genre fiction, it’s one of my all-time favorite shows and stands head and shoulder over Adult Swim’s other animated series. The show brings pathos and heart to the pop culture-savvy humor that dominated adult animation in the early 2000s.
The Venture Bros.
The Venture Bros is about the Venture family, their allies, enemies, and the institutions governing their world. The family consists of patriarch Rusty, a now-adult Johny Quest type who inherited his father’s super-scientist career, his naive sons Hank and Dean, and their action hero bodyguard Brock Samson. The show features dozens of supporting characters that range from one-joke parodies to fully fleshed-out henchmen.
From Gimmick Episodes To Character-Driven
The Venture Bros, unlike many of Netflix’s original animated series, follows a mostly episodic structure early on, though it gradually builds on its lore and becomes more serialized. Most episodes center around The Monarch attempting to hatch a convoluted scheme to destroy his rival Rusty, usually involving the kidnapping of his sons. However, as more characters are introduced and the incredibly bureaucratic world is expanded, these adventures become increasingly complicated and character-driven.
A Small Team Behind The Scenes
The small voice cast of Venture Bros brings together a few actors Netflix viewers would know for their TV work, with great voice actors. James Urbaniak, known for Difficult People, American Splendor, and Review, voices Rusty Venture, while Patrick Warburton of The Tick, and Seinfeld fame is the voice of Brock Samson. The cast is rounded out by veteran voice actors Michael Sinterniklass, Steven Rattazzi, Dana Snyder, and writers Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick.
Infamous For Slow Production
The Venture Bros was notorious for its slow production, something fans watching on Netflix won’t have to experience. Originally conceived as a comic book the series was created by Chris McCulloch under the name Jackson Publick and was reworked into an animated series in 2000 and picked up by Cartoon Network in 2002. With the entire series written by McCulloch and Doc Hammer and the pair doing much of the voice acting, the show took over a decade and a half to release its seven seasons.
A Massive Pickup For Netflix
Netflix will be gaining a dedicated fanbase with The Venture Bros which has become a beloved cult show. Predating animated shows like Bojack Horseman or Rick and Morty, it delves deep into the pathos that drives its characters, such as Rusty’s traumatic childhood and inability to live up to his father’s reputation. The result is a show with pitch-perfect comedy inside a compelling character-driven story.
A Love Letter To Old-School Cartoons And Comics
REVIEW SCORE
The Venture Bros also gives Netflix the type of parody I love most, the kind that openly adores the target of its ridicule. There are constant direct homages to ’60s animated shows like Jonny Quest and Silver Age superhero comics that, while comedic, never feel mocking. Dr. Orpheus, the show’s Dr. Strange parody, is a perfect example of this; his comically overdramatic dialogues are based on Dr. Strange’s dialogue in Silver Age comics.
Venture Bros is a natural fit for Netflix, which has gained a reputation for its prestigious adult animation that brings together comedy and serious character study. Fans of adult animation or parodies of genre fiction will find a lot to love in Adult Swims absolute best show.
