Adult Swim has faith in Aaron McGruder’s “Black Jesus.” The Turner cable network has renewed the live-action series for a second season, along with two animated series: “Mike Tyson Mysteries” and “Mr. Pickles.”
“Black Jesus” (pictured) stars Gerald “Slink” Johnson as Jesus, who lives in Compton, Calif., and works to spread love and the gospel with a downtrodden group of followers. Series was co-created by exec producers McGruder, of “Boondocks” fame, and Mike Clattenburg.
“Mike Tyson Mysteries,” from Warner Bros. Animation, features the cartoon likeness of the former boxer as a crime-fighter who tackles cases with the help of a ghost, his adopted Korean daughter and a pigeon who was once a man. WB Animation’s Sam Register exec produces, with Hugh Davidson as producer.
“Mr. Pickles” revolves around a 6-year-old boy and his dog in a small town that is slowly being taken over by the modern world. Will Carsola and Dave Stewart created the show and exec produce with Michael Rizzo.
The three series are examples of the oddball shows that have made Adult Swim such a hit with younger viewers, particularly in latenight. Adult Swim scored a social-media sensation last month with the 11-minute short “Too Many Cooks,” a parody of 1980s-era sitcom theme songs and credit sequences. There’s no word yet if “Cooks” will have renewed life on the channel.
