5 Ways To Watch Adult Swim Without A Cable Subscription

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By Daniel Trock/May 29, 2023 5:00 pm EST

Since its introduction back in 2001, Adult Swim has become one of the most popular programming blocks on Cartoon Network, becoming a brand of its own and gradually beginning earlier and earlier in the daily schedule. 

Thanks to its rotation of delightfully irreverent comedies like "Rick and Morty," long-form action series like "Unicorn: Warriors Eternal," as well as anime like "Attack on Titan" from its merger with the Toonami block in 2012, Adult Swim has mature animation to suit just about any taste.

The Adult Swim block still airs every night on Cartoon Network through basic cable packages, but as more people cut the cable cord, that's steadily becoming a less feasible option. Luckily, Warner Bros. Discovery knows exactly how popular the Adult Swim lineup is, which is why its allowed for multiple means to watch its shows across several different streaming platforms and websites. Not only does this mean you can watch your favorite Adult Swim shows without cable, you don't even need to wait for the regular Cartoon Network shows to end for the day to do so.

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Max (formerly known as HBO Max) is Warner Bros. Discovery's first and foremost streaming site, so it tracks that Adult Swim's shows would make its way there right off the bat. New episodes of the majority of Adult Swim's shows come to Max for streaming the day after airing on TV. This is especially helpful for folks with day jobs, since Adult Swim usually airs its biggest shows around midnight — when many might prefer to be in bed.

Max offers a $9.99 monthly subscription for ad-supported streaming, or $15.99 for ad-free. Either way, in addition to most of Adult Swim's extended catalog and new shows, you also get access to big HBO shows like "Game of Thrones," as well as classic staples from Cartoon Network like "Ed Edd n' Eddy" or "Samurai Jack." Max is viewable on its website and on its app on most streaming players and mobile devices.

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Hulu may be owned by Disney these days, but it's never one to shy away from a good network synergizing opportunity. The streaming platform has always had a good relationship with Adult Swim over the years, and that's continued to this day in multiple forms. Not only can you watch all of Adult Swim's back catalog on-demand with a regular Hulu subscription, you can also watch new episodes of Adult Swim shows live with a Hulu + Live TV subscription.

If you just want to watch on-demand, you can get a regular Hulu account, either ad-supported for $7.99 a month or ad-free for $14.99 a month. If you want to watch live, you'll need a Live TV subscription for $69.99 a month. Alongside Adult Swim programs, a Live TV subscription gets you access to Hulu's 1,000+ catalog of on-demand shows and 85 channels of live TV — not to mention unlimited DVR and bundled access to Disney+. Hulu can be watched on most major streaming players and mobile devices.

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If ever there was a crossover of user demographics, it'd be between Adult Swim and YouTube TV. The viewers of both grew up at pretty much the same time, after all. Whether it's for that reason or some other, if you're looking to watch Adult Swim, one way to do it is with a YouTube TV subscription. 

YouTube TV maintains a catalog of over 100 live channels you can watch at all hours of the day — one of which is a dedicated Adult Swim channel (independent of its Cartoon Network channel). The Adult Swim channel has a round-the-clock rotation of Adult Swim's shows, including both the newer offerings and adult animation classics like "King of the Hill" and "Futurama."

YouTube TV only has one English-language plan, which costs $72.99 a month. However, with that price tag, you get all of its English live channels, plus unlimited DVR, multiple household accounts, and compatibility with internet browsers, mobile devices, and streaming players like Roku, Fire TV, and Xbox game consoles.

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If you'd prefer your Adult Swim viewing experience to be as close to classic cable as possible, without actually having to spring for a cable package, your best bet would be a Sling TV subscription. Sling doesn't have a dedicated Adult Swim channel: Rather, it provides access to a live stream of Cartoon Network's daily schedule, which includes Adult Swim in the later hours of the evening. If you only want to watch Adult Swim live, this is the most cost-effective way to do so.

Cartoon Network is included in both of Sling TV's basic plans, Blue and Orange, both of which cost $40 a month. Besides Cartoon Network, both plans give you access to a modest selection of around 30 channels, though you can also get all of the service's channels with a combined Blue + Orange subscription for $55 a month. Sling TV can be viewed on its websites, on most streaming players, and on its mobile app. All Sling plans come with 50 hours of DVR storage, though only the Orange and combined plans let you watch on more than one screen at a time.

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If you're looking for a more cost-conscious way to watch your favorite Adult Swim shows, then the best option is Adult Swim's own website. On the Shows tab of Adult Swim's website, you can see a complete catalog of every show it has, all of them available to view. The bad news is that a lot of these shows, particularly the popular and new stuff, require a cable subscription login to stream. 

The good news is that Adult Swim's older or off-air shows have no such requirement, and can be watched as much as you like for free. Additionally, on occasion, new episodes of Adult Swim's big shows like "Rick and Morty" may be available on the website for free for a limited time after airing — though this is a case by case practice.

Besides the website, Adult Swim also has its own mobile app and streaming player app with access to the same catalog of shows. Again, you need a cable subscription to watch the major stuff, but any show episode that doesn't have a little key symbol next to it on its page can be enjoyed for free.