The Venture Bros.

If you grew up watching Johnny Quest get ready to bust a gut on this one, and it's hilarious even if you didn't. Every cliché is ripped through like bodyguard Brock Samson going through henchmen. There's even a scene in there of him painted purple like Aqizio, and watching him snap is always a highlight of the show. The Brothers, Dean and Hank, rather then being Wonder Boys, are the complete opposite of Johnny Quest, and are a couple of goobs, regular teens, who take all the Super Science in stride. Dr. Venture himself is something of a failure in life, and yet he is the envy of all the other Super Scientists, because he has so many Arch-Enemies. The show is outstanding, though there is room for improvement. Some of the gags in the first season are hit and miss, but when they hit, they hit you like like Brock Samson! So there is sure to be a second season. Now grab the handle and push the button. Go Team Venture!

This action-comedy spoof of sixties Johnny Quest-style super-science, evil nemeses, and supernatural happenings is by far, the best original Adult Swim program to date. The story follows The Venture family, Dr. Venture, a forty-something pill-popping scientist who never managed to step out from his father's shadow, his two sons, Hank and Dean (both rather Leave it to Beaver-like in their refusal to swear and constant wearing of sweaters and pants), Brock Samson, their James-Bond-on-steroids bodyguard who apparently works part-time for the office of secret intelligence and refuses to carry a gun, favoring of his serrated bowie knife. Most of the hilarity stems from The Monarch, the self-declared arch-nemesis of the Venture family, a weaver of ridiculously circuitous plans against them, an employer of hilariously incompetent henchmen, and a man who harbors an unhealthy obsession with monarch butterflies and an over-wrought sense of self-importance. His melodrama usually falls on the deaf ears of his girlfriend, Dr. Girlfriend, who, in complete contrast to the Monarch, is professional, take-charge, and inexplicably husky-voiced. The cast of supporting characters is of equal quality, including a well-meaning but dim-witted robot named Helper, a necromancer renting out the Venture family's garage apartment named Dr. Byron Orpheus (doctorate in communications, minor in women's studies), whose propensity towards unnecessarily dramatic changes in pitch and dire warnings of disruptions in the spirit world offer the Monarch's only competition in the melodrama department. Baron Underbheit, the tyrannical and oppressive ruler of Underland, who sports an Arnold-like accent, enormous (and anatomically complimentary) armor, and a metal lower jaw, is another arch-nemesis of the Venture family, blaming Dr. Venture's inattentiveness when they were college lab partners for the loss of his jaw. There's a myriad of others, ranging from fake ghost pirates to the forbidden love of a fugitive and a sasquatch. Check it out; you won't be disappointed.

This cartoon blasts every other modern cartoon right out of the water. It's even better than Family Guy (another great show, but which tends to get too sporadic, and even just plain dumb at times). It has hilarious characters and plot lines, and a razor wit. I love how the characters get put into all these horrible situations, and they each react in their own unrealistic but hilarious way.

The jazzy music and voices are also top-notch. Unlike many other cartoons, the voices are funny without getting unbearably grating. Speaking of which, when I first saw this, Brock Samson sounded really familiar... turns out he's none other than Patrick Wharburton (aka David Puddy). They could not have picked a better actor for the part.

If you like dark humor, satire, and overall zaniness, it doesn't get better than this.

9/10 stars.

Adult swim's shows have gone off the deep end of fairly entertaining nonsense to just pure absurdity. I do not see the appeal to any of them anymore and I do not often watch the programming block anymore.

Venture Bros. However stands apart from the rest and provides truly intelligent, well thought out, over-the-top and hilarious entertainment. The show is a perfect balance between tasteless humor and really clever subtleties. The homage/lambasting of early adventure animation/comics is spot on. The characters are full of depth and they're engaging. Brock Samson could pwn Chuck Norris any day of the week. What more could one want?

When I first saw this show I thought it was one of the more ******* up shows I'd ever seen. I was surprised just how graphic it was with particularly disturbing images(guy getting his eyes gouged out, watching a henchman struggle with his last breaths as he's strangled to death by Brock, poll vaulting off henchman's jugular...etc.)

I was not turned off though because aside from the surprising imagery, the jokes and references were all spot-on. I was laughing the whole way through and intrigued around every corner.

Truly, my only real gripe with the show is that it has a hard time taking itself seriously and often resorts to fairly flippant endings and/or resolutions that sometimes I feel aren't necessary. I think the show could support itself just fine with a persistent story arc, which I think we are starting to see more of in the new season anyway, so that's good.

And again, Brock Samson, there could hardly be a better cartoon character.

Check out this show, it's well worth it. I hope that it continues for a long time.

The longest running show in Adult Swim history, and they won't even give it a proper ending. Way to honer your base, you disgusting P'sOS. It's a really rich show with so many areas to explore. We need a final season.