Robot Chicken's anniversary special digs up Adult Swim's strangest relics

Adult Swim is marking a major anniversary with a Robot Chicken special that resurrects some of the network's most forgotten oddities. The stop-motion sketch series, created by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich, will pay tribute to both beloved hits and deeply obscure shows that aired in the block's late-night graveyard slots.

According to Polygon, the special is part of the network's 25th anniversary celebration and will parody shows including Rick and Morty and Metalocalypse. The A.V. Club, however, reports that the anniversary is the 20th and that the special will revive short-lived cult favorites like "Assy McGee" and "Fat Guy Stuck In Internet." Both outlets agree on the special's content while differing on exactly which milestone Adult Swim is honoring.

The A.V. ClubAdult Swim marks 20th anniversary with Robot Chicken specials reviving obscure shows like Assy McGee

"Those bizarre, late-night concepts that seemed funny only in a writer's room at 2 AM got greenlit, ran for a season or two, and then disappeared."

The network's willingness to air such oddities is exactly what the special aims to celebrate. The A.V. Club noted that Robot Chicken's stop-motion tributes will bring back shows that many viewers may have forgotten or never seen in the first place.

Polygon highlighted that the special's signature sketch comedy style allows it to both honor and satirize two and a half decades of Adult Swim's unique mix of animated and live-action content. The inclusion of Rick and Morty, one of the network's biggest hits, alongside long-gone experiments suggests a broad range of targets for the Robot Chicken treatment.

"The special features the signature stop-motion sketch comedy style of creators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich, celebrating and satirizing two and a half decades of Adult Swim's unique animated and live-action content."

The special promises a nostalgic trip through Adult Swim's history, balancing reverence for its enduring hits with affection for the strange shows that barely lasted a season. Whether the number on the anniversary cake is 20 or 25, the tribute underscores how Robot Chicken has itself become a fixture of the block it is now parodying.