In an era where Big Mouth and BoJack Horseman are treated as works of prestige television, there was a moment in which the notion of “adult animation” was revolutionary. The Simpsons had laid the groundwork for edgier satire of animated television sitcoms, but the late-1990s took the concept to its extremes when South Park, Family Guy, Beavis and Butt-Head, and King of the Hill went mainstream. Although many of these shows were more pointed in their satire than they were given credit for at their debut, the fact that cartoons could feature sex, drugs, profanity, and R-Rated violence was enough to kickstart a cultural shift.
Even when South Park and Beavis and Butt-Head were popular enough to land cinematic spinoffs, the programs of Adult Swim still felt niche because of how removed they were from any structure. If an episode of Family Guy had a standard “A” and “B” plot, then Adult Swim shows were at odds with their very form, as they’d often diverge from narrative constraints to make the most avant-garde jokes possible. Between the mixed-media style of Space Ghost Coast to Coast, the surrealism of Aqua Teen Hunger Force, the pointed satire of Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, and the progressive cynicism of The Venture Brothers, Adult Swim’s programming block favored stylistic experimentation over the creation of a sustainable format.
Robot Chicken was one of the network’s biggest hits because of its fungible structure. A sketch show that utilized stop-motion animation, Robot Chicken’s 11-minute episodes incorporated a collection of shorts that attempted various forms of risqué humor. Some sketches were little more than a few seconds dedicated to a single sight gag, but others were extended mini-narratives that took a raunchy approach to recent pop culture hits. Sometimes, these were as creative as a crossover between The Shield and Fantastic Four that lampooned Michael Chiklis’ two very different roles; however, there was also juvenile humor about the Incredible Hulk’s libido or the phallic nature of the Star Destroyer from The Empire Strikes Back.
Shows like Family Guy and South Park were “Golden Era” because there was a definitive point in which the concept wore out; while South Park was able to pivot away from decline through the use of extended storylines, Family Guy’s been a parody of itself for nearly a decade. Robot Chicken never faced the same comparative criticism because the show has never evolved, nor has it ever been consistent. Given that the show itself is about action figures, it's fitting that each episode is the equivalent of a toy chest filled with mismatched items from different lines and properties, none of which really belong together.
Robot Chicken had a few stock characters that have appeared throughout its 11 seasons, as the “Mad Scientist” (voiced by the late David Lynch) and a caricature of a “nerd” (voiced by series co-creator Seth Green) fulfilled the same roles that The Blues Brothers or the Ex-Police had on Saturday Night Live in the 1980s. The rejection of any narrative throughlines may have cost Robot Chicken the opportunity to be “must-see television,” as other Adult Swim shows like Home Movies or Sealab 2021 bridged emotional connections between their characters and the audience. Nonetheless, this also made Robot Chicken the perfect show for “drop-in” humor, as clips could go viral without any context required.
Robot Chicken has never made any overt attempts at “topical” humor that’d date it. With the exception of a recurring gag about President George W. Bush’s attempts to find weapons of mass destruction, Robot Chicken has ignored the type of politician or celebrity-skewing gags that dominate short-form comedy. The few instances in which the series has made direct jabs at individuals are surprisingly good-spirited; notably, several of Green’s former Buffy the Vampire Slayer castmates reunited, even though Joss Whedon’s cult teen show has earned a more complex legacy in the aftermath of reports about the toxic working environment on set.
The greatest strength and impediment that Robot Chicken had is its reverence for fundamental works of “geek culture,” with Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, and the characters of Marvel and DC comics the most prominent. In 2005, superhero movies were rare enough that any slapstick, mean-spirited jokes made at their expense existed within a niche inside a niche. Robot Chicken benefited from their rising popularity, as it offered the show an opportunity to expand its audience. However, the ascension of these properties meant that Robot Chicken weren’t the only ones that offered a satirical edge; if everything from The Tonight Show to Sesame Street had a Star Wars parody, it no longer felt “dangerous” for Robot Chicken to do a sketch about Darth Vader tormented by the force ghost of Jar Jar Binks.
Robot Chicken’s only opportunity to stand out was to get even more granular, with references and callbacks that’d only appeal to those with a vast knowledge of the properties that are lampooned. A few sketches at the expense of Archie Comics or The Walking Dead may have been broad enough to entice casual viewers, but Robot Chicken devoted entire half-hour specials to these franchises. Although the series hasn’t been officially cancelled, it’s unlikely that there will be a new, proper “season” that exists outside of these limited event programs.
Robot Chicken has returned to the beginning; it's an object of cult fascination that can often provoke interest, even if it's never been substantial enough to have any lasting cultural impact. However, the modest desire to make something irreverent is admirable, as Robot Chicken has never been in denial about what it is.