Cartoons for adults have become a huge market. The Simpsons paved the way for the genre to take off, while Seth McFarlane and his cavalcade of shows have exploded the market. Cartoon Network, which shows classic and new fare for kids during the day, turns over its network at night to the adult cartoons that us nerds and even non-nerds love so much. They show reruns of the aforementioned bigger shows (as well as Futurama), but they have original programming. The most famous of the original shows is probably Aqua Teen Hunger Force, but the one that has my attention and is my favorite is The Venture Bros.
I think it's safe to say that most people aren't watching this show. Given its timeslot and the network it's on, that's not a far-fetched statement. However, if you like shows like the Simpsons or Family Guy and/or are a comic book nerd, you'll absolutely love this show. It's a very effective mix of raunchy, witty and satirical, and each episode is funnier than the last one.
The show is about a ne'er-do-well single father superscientist, Dr. Thaddeus "Rusty" Venture his two dim-witted children, the titular Venture Bros. Hank and Dean, and their bodyguard, Brock Samson, who's voiced by Patrick Warburton (Puddy from Seinfeld and Joe from Family Guy). While the title of the show comes from the kids, more often than not, it's Dr. Venture, Brock or even their arch-nemesis, the butterfly-motifed supervillain The Monarch, who's at the center of the action. The Venture family itself is meant to be a crude spoof of the family from Johnny Quest (and they actually feature both Race Bannon and Johnny Quest in episodes). There are also caricatures of the Fantastic Four, Walt Disney, Hunter S. Thompson and Shaft among others, and one of The Monarch's henchmen is voiced to sound almost exactly like Ray Romano.
There is one caveat about the show though. It's based heavily on continuity. While you can definitely watch an episode out of order, you won't get the full effect if you would if you haven't seen previous episodes. You can view episodes here. Right now, they do have the first two full episodes online on the first page, which are "Dia de los Dangerous" and "Careers in Science!" If you like those, then you'll probably like the rest of the series, and thus the DVD sets are ideal purchases or gift requests.
Again, if you like cartoons for adults and have a quirky or nerdy sense of humor, this show is definitely for you. It sure beats the hell out of what Family Guy has become.
