While Adult Swim may just be a subdivision of Cartoon Network, a cable network that bases itself on mainly animated programming, they seem to be doing quite well for themselves. They’ve been able to stack the deck with highly watched syndicated shows, and outrageously funny original programming. One original show in particular is doing better than even the show creators were expecting is Robot Chicken.

The show, which is a 15-minute comedy done entirely with stop-motion animation and old MEGO dolls, was created back in 2005 by Seth Green and partner Matt Senreich. Since then, the show has grown in leaps and bounds, popularity-wise.The network has just ordered a whopping 40 new episodes (roughly two new seasons) of the show, and according to Variety, the creators are more surprised than we are.

“It’s kind of amazing,” Green said. “We never expected to do a second season, let alone a fifth and sixth. We’re really busy, but we’re still having a lot of fun making it.”

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As we all, know, there were plenty of 80’s and 90’s film heroes. From Indiana Jones to Marty McFly to Howard the Duck, there was definitely no shortage of strong protagonists for that decade. Which is why it was nice to get two reluctant heroes that really had no idea what was going on, in the forms of Theodore “Ted” Logan and William S. ‘Bill” Preston Esquire.

The two Bill & Ted films not only spoke to a generation, but were also pretty coherent time travel stories. Since 1991’s Bogus Journey, the dynamic duo made a split, Keanu going off to star in a few small films about a computer program, and Alex Winter switching roles to behind the camera, directing such projects as 1993’s Freaked and becoming the go-to director for the Ben 10 live action films.

We got the chance to chat with Winter about directing the Ben 10 films including the newest, Alien Swarm. We spoke about his recent passion for directing kid’s projects, and even where Bill & Ted could be headed in the future. Check out our interview after the jump. Be sure to catch the TV premiere of Ben 10: Alien Swarm on Cartoon Network tonight at 7PM E/P.

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All this week, in preparation of the world premiere of Ben 10: Alien Swarm on Wednesday, we will be covering the film with our exclusive interviews with some of the cast and crew from the project. Yesterday, we posted our interview with star Ryan Kelley, and today we’re bringing you something a bit juicier.

In addition to speaking with Ryan about playing “Ben,” we also got to speak with the rest of the main cast from the upcoming TV movie. Nathan Keyes, who plays Kevin E. Levin, Alyssa Diaz who plays Elena, and even Galadriel Stineman who plays Ben’s cousin, Gwen.

We talked with the actors about their roles in the upcoming Ben 10 sequel, and what it was like working as the bad guy/girlfriend/superpowered cousin. Check out our exclusive interviews after the jump. Be sure to catch Ben 10: Alien Swarm on Cartoon Network, Wednesday November 25th at 7PM (E/P).

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There seems to be a plethora of animated shows taking off these days, with Warner Bros., Cartoon Network, and Nickelodeon filling up just about every kid’s TiVo across the country. We are definitely not in an era of Saturday morning cartoons anymore, but a Monday-Friday one. With that comes some pretty great live action adaptations of animated properties as well.

One of the more popular franchises in this realm is the Ben 10 series. Starting in 2005, the franchise has spawned two separate animated spin-offs, and now two live-action TV films, with the second being Ben 10: Alien Swarm, set to air on Cartoon Network on November 25th.

We got a chance to speak with Ryan Kelley, who plays Ben, the title character in the movie. He gave us an inside peek at his character, as well as his work with Sigourney Weaver on the Emmy-Nominated TV film, Prayers for Bobby. Check out our exclusive chat with Ryan after the jump and be sure to check back here all week for more on Ben 10: Alien Swarm.

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We’re pretty big fans of the first season of Batman: Brave and the Bold, which is showing on Cartoon Network. The show, being the only one of DC’s animated properties still on the air, has proven itself to be a great blend of both comic lore, and comedic animation for all ages. If nothing else, we were hooked with last week’s musical episode starring Neil Patrick Harris.

This week, we’re treated to another special guest star as Greg Ellis lends his voice as Dr. Fate to help Batman take down the evil Equinox in a planet-wide battle. In the episode, Fate and Batman team up with just about every other hero Batman has ever worked with to take down a plot to pit order versus chaos throughout the whole world.

We’ve got three new clips from Friday’s episode, the first of which has James Remar (The Warriors) stepping in as one of Batman’s more famous of enemies. In the second clip, Dr. Fate and Batman go head-to-head on whether magic or science can be used to solve this problem. And in the final clip, Equinox’s evil scheme is finally revealed as the duo look in on some trouble brewing in Atlantis.

Check out the three clips after the jump. Be sure to catch “Fate of the Equinox” on Cartoon Network Friday, November 13th, at 7:30PM/6:30PM Central.

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Last week, we brought you an exclusive preview clip of that week’s Venture Bros. episode “Perchance to Dean.” Now, we’re doing the same thing with this week’s episode, entitled “Return to Malice,” which looks to be a bit Monarch-centric.

Though Adult Swim is running the episode out of order (the season premiere was actually the sixth episode in this season), this episode is technically the third. According to Adult Swim, the episode looks like we’ll finally get a sweet Henchman 21 story.

In the aftermath of the death of his best friend, Henchman 21 has rededicated his life to become the most feared and skilled of all of the Monarch’s Henchmen. But tonight, all bets are off as Henchman 21 begins the hunt for the murderer of Henchman 24. Alliances shift, secrets are revealed, and the Venture brothers are kidnapped. Again.

Check out the full clip after the jump, in which The Monarch and Dr. Mrs. The Monarch discuss the new change in Henchman 21’s demeanor. Be sure to catch “Return to Malice” on Adult Swim Sunday, November 8th, at midnight.

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For those who still haven’t jumped onto the bandwagon, Venture Bros. is one of those shows you shouldn’t be missing. There is a period of time when a show bubbles out, or “jumps the shark”, and this program has only killed the shark on a weekly basis.

Season four is currently underway, with two episodes being aired. Last week, legendary voice actor Kevin Conroy voiced the character Captain Sunshine in an episode that left fans of Batman and Superman squealing like children after the episode.

This week’s episode looks to be as amazing, as it’s a Dean-centric episode. According to a Cartoon Network press release, this week’s episode is entitled “Perchance to Dean”:

Hank, along with is friend, Dermott, start breaking all of the Venture Compound Rules in a bid to get his father’s attention.  But Dr. Venture is focused completely on Dean, who is taking his first steps in joining the family business as a Super Scientist.  But someone else wants Dr. Venture’s attention, too: A shadowy figure from Dr. Venture’s past who is out to steal Dean’s future.

Check out an exclusive clip of the episode after the jump, in which Dr. Venture shows Dean where his inspiration for “sciencing” comes from, and it leads to an interesting development. Catch “Perchance to Dean” this Sunday at Midnight only on Adult Swim.

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We’re all pretty excited for the next season of Adult Swim’s Venture Bros. to start back up in November. The first trailer hit the web a little over a month ago, which showed us some pretty new and exciting images. Well, there’s more where that came from, as brand new images have surfaced giving us a few more things to glaze over until November.

Last we left off, the team got quite a shake as Brock Sampson quit as the Venture family’s body guard, a team of uncooked Venture brothers clones were sent out to the slaughter during a battle, and Henchman 21 was left holding the decapitated head of his best friend, Henchman 24.

From the images you can see after the jump, we get a look at Hank’s new denim-and-mullet look, Brock is still stewing around, Mr. and Mrs. The Monarch live together in post-nemesis-depression, and there’s even a new, rainbow-donning hero making some waves.

The Venture Bros returns to Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim in November for eight episodes, followed by another eight episode run starting in the summer of 2010.

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The folks over at Adult Swim have been pretty spot on with animated (and even live action) comedies in the past few years. They have produced some impressive shows, such as Venture Bros., Frisky Dingo, and of course, Robot Chicken. Due to the success of the latter, the show’s creators have developed a new show, Titan Maximum.

The show is about the Titan Force Five a team of young heroes who band together after breaking up to take down one of their own who turned to the dark side. It’s basically a claymation Voltron accept updated with the sense of humor of Tom Root, Matt Senreich, and Seth Green. Starring some of the Robot Chicken regulars like Breckin Meyer, Rachael Leigh Cook, Dan Milano, Eden Espinosa, and Seth Green.

Titan Maximum premieres September 27 at 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT) on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. Check out the first new images of the show, and keep it here for a review of the pilot coming soon.

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You could count on one hand the amount of decent animated programming on television today. Some as easy to get to as Fox’s Family Guy, but others are more buried. One hidden gem in particular is Adult Swim’s The Venture Bros.. For those not in the know, the series started off as a spoof of old adventure cartoons like Johnny Quest, but in three seasons, turned into so much more.

Last we left the Venture cast, Brock had quit his job as the family bodyguard, Hank and Dean lead their clones to be sacrificed for battle, and Henchman 21 was holding the decapitated head of his close pal, Henchman 24. Where do we go from here? Check out the extended trailer for the next season below, and Venture Bros. picks back up again in November with full episodes on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim.

Go Team Venture!

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