Channel 4 Signs Deal Bringing Adult Swim Catalogue To All4 & ‘Rick & Morty’ Season 4 Exclusively To Channel 4
‘Rick and Morty‘ will have a new UK home for its 4th season as Channel 4 signs an exclusive deal which not only brings the new season of the much loved animated show, but also a stack of the Adult Swim catalogue (including ‘Robot Chicken’) with it.
The brand new and highly anticipated fourth series of Emmy, Critic’s Choice and IGN award-winning ‘Rick and Morty’ will make its UK premiere on Channel 4, with the first 3 series airing on E4 from February – the first time ever on free-to-air UK television. This is part of a new brand partnership that will also see hundreds of hours of Adult Swim content being made available to stream for free on All 4.
The hilarious animation follows the adventures of alcoholic mad scientist Rick and his kind-hearted but easily distressed grandson, Morty, as they head as they head across the universe and parallel dimensions, saving the world (or not), on various misadventures. The series was renewed last May for a staggering 70 episode run!
“Rick and Morty is one of the most anarchic, ingenious and original shows around and the breakthrough animated hit of recent years,” commented Ian Katz, Channel 4 Director of Programmes. “I’m thrilled that it’s coming to Channel 4 and E4.”
What is nearly as exciting is the news that the Adult Swim catalogue will also have a new home on All4 and E4 in the UK. That includes Seth Green & Matthew Senreich fantastic ‘Robot Chicken’ franchise, which has been sorely missing from UK channels in recent years. ‘Rick and Morty’ will be accompanied by the UK premiere of the Robot Chicken: The Walking Dead Special on E4. This will be the first of a regular new ‘Adult Swim hour’ block on E4, showcasing episodes from different Adult Swim shows that will be available to stream, as full series boxsets, exclusively on All 4 in the UK.
“Adult Swim is a fantastic brand with a clear proposition and a devoted fan base. I’m delighted to have it join VICE and Walter Presents as a featured channel on All 4,” adds Charlie Palmer, Managing Editor All 4.
Over 300 episodes of Adult Swim content will be made available at launch, with hundreds more being added over the next three years, sitting in an Adult Swim-branded ‘Featured Channel’ alongside VICE and Walter Presents. The Adult Swim channel will be available on the All 4 app across Channel 4 owned and operated platforms including iOS and Android devices, on big screens such as Amazon Fire TV, Freeview Play and Samsung TVs, as well as games consoles and online at All4.com
“We are incredibly excited to be partnering with Channel 4 to bring Adult Swim’s eclectic mix of weirdly wonderful and surreal shows to audiences here in the UK,” said Pierre Branco, SVP & GM, Northern Europe for Turner on the new deal. “In this unique collaboration with Channel 4, we are creating a branded destination that will reach fans, new and old, across TV and VOD, building on the huge success of Adult Swim in the US.”
Fans old and new will be able to revisit and fall in love with a vast array of shows as the first batch of programmes arrives in February:
- Long-running, irreverent and beloved sketch show Robot Chicken including specials on Star Wars, DC Comics and The Walking Dead
- Super-villainous The Venture Bros
- Meme-generating surrealist wonder The Eric Andre Show and the UK premiere of Andre’s new show Mostly 4 Millennials
- Satanic good boy Mr. Pickles
- Everyone’s favourite band of sentient fast food Aqua Teen Hunger Force
- Hilarious and bizarre Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, with Tim & Eric’s Bedtime Stories
- Backwoods redneck nonsense from Squidbillies
- Crime fighting capers with Hot Streets
- Suit up for The Game with Ballmastrz 9009
- And many, many, many more to come across 2019
Channel 4 hasn’t yet set specific premiere dates for these shows, but we’ll let you know when we hear more.
UPDATE: This first batch of shows will land on All4 from 15th February 2019.
