Futurama, the comedy science fiction cartoon from the creators of the Simpsons about Fry, a pizza delivery boy sent to the future, is leaving Adult Swim after December 26, 2025. The news comes just days after Futurama returned to weeknights in the 5:00 AM-6:00 AM and 5:00 PM-6:00 PM hours, after two years of being run exclusively during 4:00 AM-6:00 AM graveyard slots after Toonami on early Sunday mornings. This is the latest shakeup in the 5 PM hour which has been Adult Swim’s latest and largest timeslot expansion. With 13/24 hours a day from 5:00 PM-6:00 AM being Adult Swim, new programming blocks were created: Toonami Rewind and Checkered Past, as well as inheriting CN’s Sunday family movie block ACME Night. Family Guy’s return at the start of 2025 and the last minute contract renewal of Bob’s Burgers had seemingly voided the need for sub blocks like Checkered Past to fill the early evening slots with non Fox programming. Friday night Toonami Rewind was discontinued December 27, 2024. Checkered Past was reduced from two hours to one in early 2025, then went off the air on June 27, 2025, 22 months after its launch in August 28, 2023.

 

Adult Swim cancelled Cartoon Network holdover family movie block ACME Night on Sunday nights, lost Futurama and King of the Hill, and merged Toonami Rewind into Toonami Saturdays, only for new schedules to reveal shows from Checkered Past and Toonami Rewind are set to make a return. Toonami Rewind, the Friday afternoon anime nostalgia block which aired Dragon Ball Z Kai, Naruto, and Sailor Moon. From December 29 at 5:00 AM-6:00 AM on weekdays Dragon Ball Z Kai will rejoin Adult Swim in place of Futurama from episode 1 beginning with the Saiyan saga battle between Goku and Radditz. The current Toonami holiday schedule for December 27 remains unrevealed but is anticipated to be a marathon. The 5:00 AM-6:00 AM hour after Toonami is slated to be Unicorn Warriors Eternal after a five hour marathon.

Also surprising is the flagship program of Checkered Past, boy genius cartoon Dexter’s Laboratory, is back on the schedule in the 5 PM hour on weekdays beginning on December 29, 2025. It remains to be seen whether the unique Checkered Past or Toonami Rewind branding will return or if Dexter’s Lab and Dragon Ball Z Kai will simply be presented as part of the core adult swim lineup. Other returning programs have yet to be confirmed. New transition blocks are full hours of single shows. The most frequently aired cartoons on Checkered Past were Dexter’s Laboratory, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Ed, Edd n Eddy, and The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. Samurai Jack, Cow and Chicken, I Am Weasel, What a Cartoon, Cartoon Planet, Cartoon Cartoon Show, and Evil Con Carne also made appearances on the block, especially on Friday nights or special event weeks.

Also returning in the 5 AM hour to replace Futurama in graveyard slots on Sunday nights is Home Movies beginning Sunday December 29 from 5:00 AM-6:00 AM. Home Movies was one of the original Adult Swim programs from 2001. It became a popular cult classic only on Adult Swim, after its five episode UPN run had been cut short of the original thirteen Squigglevision episodes. Four seasons were produced with the latter three seasons toning down the improvisation and squiggly lines that made the UPN season divisive. Home Movies and Futurama have a long history of connection. Both aired during the first hour of Adult Swim on weekdays in January 2003. However over time Home Movies was overshadowed by Futurama which maintained a 11 PM presence on Adult Swim until Futurama had to leave at the end of 2007. Futurama later received new movies and seasons at Comedy Central, then Hulu and FXX. When Futurama returned on December 27, 2021, it began airing in primetime slots like 9:00 PM on weekdays, before being dropped back to late nights on weekends since 2023. Futurama came to be overshadowed by Adult Swim’s three remaining ongoing Fox comedies Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers, and American Dad. While Futurama, Family Guy, King of the Hill all had new season revivals after years of cable success, Home Movies is currently dormant.

Are you sad to see Futurama go or will you be glad to see Dexter, Son Goku, and Brendon Small back on Adult Swim? Leave a comment on the ToonZone forums!

The post Futurama Departs from Adult Swim December 27, 2025; Dexter’s Lab, Home Movies and DBZ Kai Return appeared first on Anime Superhero News.