Adult Sswim has been busy at Annecy 2025! The network unveiled new work from an all-star assembly of animators including Genndy Tartakovsky, Rebecca Sugar, Ian Jones-Quartey, and Pendleton Ward. There’s so many fresh projects on the horizon from all corners of animation that we’re going to give you the rundown here on That Hashtag Show. 2026 and beyond are going to be a wild ride for fans of Adult Swim. Here’s what president Michael Ouweleen had to say.
“Annecy, with its unique and global mix of industry professionals and passionate fans, is the perfect place for us to share what we are up to and most excited about,” Ouweleen writes. “We’re not just announcing new series, but also new ways of creating – from Adult Swim SMALLS to a special done in an unconventional way – all that hopefully help push the boundaries of animation. As always, we will be creator-driven and chance-taking until such time someone puts us in handcuffs. Literal ones.”
The Elephant
This new animated event brings together a dream team of creators with Rebecca Sugar, Ian Jones-Quartey, Patrick McHale, and Pendleton Ward all under the same banner. It’s a story in three acts where each animator’s team (Sugar and Jones-Quartey have teamed up) is handling just their own slice without any idea what the others are cooking up. Two “game masters”, Jack Pendarvis and Kent Osborne, will help steer this massive experiment.
Expect a behind-the-scenes documentary that shows how the entire process unfolds. Titmouse is producing this for Adult Swim event. The Elephant is poised to be wild.
Keeping Up With The Joneses
Keeping Up With The Joneses takes a pretty zany premise to its logical conclusion. Hugh Davidson, Rachel Ramras and Larry Dorf collaborated on this adult animated comedy. The Newberry family are trying to climb the social ladder in Dallas. One problem, the well-to do outfit lives next to Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones!
Going to be tough to one-up that man. Davidson is an adult swim favorite for his time with Robot Chicken and Mike Tyson Mysteries. Adult Swim is teamed up with Warner Bros. Animation for Keeping Up With The Joneses.
Heist Safari
Genndy Tartakovsky is back with a wild idea. This high-octane action comedy focuses on three Frog brothers trying to rob a bank. Of course, this is animation royalty we’re talking about so expect the execution of their plan to be spectacular in every way shape and form. (Animals doing a heist in this art style? Say less.)
Hysterically, this series was pitched on-stage last year at Annecy. Tartakovsky tossed Heist Safari out there directly to Michael Ouweleen and you could say the pitch worked like a charm!
Smiling Friends
Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel bring back the most popular new show in the Adult Swim stable. They talked about the two-season renewal for the show with Adult Swim VP of Development Cameron Tang. Attendees got to see season 3. It’s coming this fall! Production on seasons 4 and 5 of Smiling Friends has already begun.
Ninja Kamui
Adult swim has been happy with Ninja Kamui too! The anime got another two seasons, just like Smiling Friends. But, this Toonami addition actually is a whole lot more violent! Ninja Kamui won “Best Original Anime” at the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards. The next season is called “Red Vendetta.” Higan’s got a new conspiracy to unearth. Sola Entertainment handles the show for adult swim.
Women Wearing Shoulder Pads
Later this summer, fans are in for a real treat with Women Wearing Shoulder Pads. Adult Swim is bringing the Spanish language, quarter hour comedy to TV on August 17. Gonzalo Cordova, previous writer for Tuca & Bertie and Adam Ruins Everything, created the stop-motion series. Cinema Fantasma handles the animation in Mexico City!
In 1980s Ecuador, Marionetta lives an interesting life alongside a diverse cast of women with their own quirks and eccentricities. Women Wearing Shoulder Pads has an all-woman cast and is produced entirely in Spanish with English subtitles. Ana Coronilla is the director and the show is executive produced by Roy Ambriz and Arturo Ambriz.
Check out so much more Animation news with us at That Hashtag Show!
![Ashley Storrie Chats New BBC Comedy ‘Dinosaur’ [Interview]](http://18.216.46.40/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dinosaur-Ashley-Storrie-interview-440x264.png)
