The Venture Bros.

Adult Swim has another gem, and this one is a farce of historic-pop culture proportions. The Venture Bros. slays the Johnny Quest adventure legend, and then defiles the corpse.

The show chronicles the adventures of two dopey, naive teenage boys, Hank and Dean Venture, their emotionally insecure, ethically challenged (and diet pill popping) super-scientist father Dr. Thaddeus "Rusty" Venture, and their hyper-violent family bodyguard, secret agent Brock Samson (a.k.a. The Swedish Murder Machine). Central to their misadventures is the constant pestering by Venture's nemesis The Monarch, a butterfly suited villain who is but one of many recurring antagonists from The Guild of Calamitous Intent. Throw in the Jackie-O looking and Harvey Firestein sounding Dr. Girlfriend and henchmen 21 and 24, and The Venture Bros have an array of annoyances.

One of the best features of the show (other than being a half hour 'toon instead of the usual Adult Swim 15) is the parody of popular characters and the old Quest series. Besides the core characters lampooning the archetypes, there are mocking takes on the Fantastic Four, Hunter S. Thompson, The Scooby Gang, The Phantom, Dr. Strange, G.I. Joe, Pussy Galore, Dr. Doom, and Henry Kissinger. Given it's wicked wit and nonchalant mega-violence, it's a work of hilarious satire that stays fresher than the material it derives from.

A fourth season is about to debut, giving you plenty of time to catch up on the first three!