Examples of adult-targeted series getting syndicated on children's networks

[Golden Geek]

What are some instances of shows originally intended for adults being repackaged for (or at least allowed to fill a timeslot) on a children's network? It appears to be slightly more common internationally, in which a "gray area" of shows with teenage protagonists/teen-oriented sitcoms and the lack of adult blocks like Nick at Nite and Adult Swim make it more likely.

Perhaps the strangest or most notorious US example among Nickelodeon historians is Hangin' In, a Canadian sitcom which aired briefly for a few months on Nickelodeon. Pop Arena has a thorough dive into that here.

Nickelodeon UK aired a short-lived NBC series called Tucker for a few years, which would be comparable to a normal tweencom if it weren't so sex-obsessed. The very first scene of the show had to be cut out by Nick, in which Tucker awkwardly tries to avoid a certain lower visitor that's peeked in while he's in the car with his mom, including an entire episode ("A Boob in the Night") which Nick claimed was for reckless behavior/underage kids stealing a car, but could've just as easily been for the subplot of Tucker accidentally touching his crush's breast. Should I mention his crush is 14 and dating Seth Green? Like, canonically famous adult man Seth Green in the series' universe?

Nick UK also aired What I Like About You, which is probably more tween/teen-oriented, yet as the seasons went on, the number of cuts and episodes they had to skip altogether (a total of seven) increased. I can't find any confirmation if they aired the last season or not, but it would be hard to get around the rather adult setup for Val's plot in that season (she got incredibly drunk and married her old boss). Gilmore Girls also had some heavy cuts and plot-important skips on Nick UK before being dropped after season 3 and moved to Hallmark.

Disney Channel UK aired 8 Simple Rules, Home Improvement, and Touched By An Angel for a time.

 

[RandomMe]

In Portugal:

Disney Channel in its early years aired some TGIF sitcoms (Brotherly Love and Smart Guy), as well as the WB series Lois and Clark.

Panda Biggs aired Undergrads and Clone High. Those shows were technically part of the LUK Internacional catalog but aired on a kids channel mostly overnight anyway.

I could mention other cases such as Disney Channel Germany airing licensed sitcoms (including Everybody Loves Raymond) or when FOX Kids Poland was apparently the only FOX Kids channel to air The Simpsons.

 

[JulianRO]

FOX Kids Poland was apparently the only FOX Kids channel to air The Simpsons.

And the German feed as well.

 

[RandomMe]

And the German feed as well.

I keep forgetting that

 

[zakawer2]

Apparently Todd McFarlane's Spawn aired on Cartoon Network in Japan back in August 2002 (as part of the Toonami block). From my research, it looks like they aired the first two seasons dubbed into Japanese.

 

[RandomMe]

The Latin American feed of FOX Kids aired Dilbert. When it should have aired, say, on Sony Entertainment Television. It was dubbed, in Argentina it also aired on Azul TV, and guess what, they treated it as a kids show too

 

[E-Scope]

At one point, Neighbours aired on Nickelodeon in the UK under the channel's Nick@Nite block.

 

[RandomMe]

At one point, Neighbours aired on Nickelodeon in the UK under the channel's Nick@Nite block.

I think Home and Away too?

 

[shoohorn]

Daria, being targeted for a college audience, aired on The N in the United States and Nickelodeon in Israel. Unlike The N, Nickelodeon Israel didn’t skip any episodes as far as I can tell (even though they only aired Seasons 3 and 4 and IIFY?)
Channel 5 in the UK, ABC in Australia, and YTV in Canada also aired Daria, with the former 2 airing it as youth programming. Unlike The N, Channel 5 aired every episode (and IIFY?, but not IICY?) (with mild censorship, such as an entire song getting cut from “Daria!”). ABC did the same, but did mild censorship to the show in daytime hours. YTV didn’t censor the show at all!

 

[Golden Geek]

Disney Channel in its early years aired some TGIF sitcoms (Brotherly Love and Smart Guy), as well as the WB series Lois and Clark.

The US version of Disney actually aired Smart Guy too, though with comparatively little editing and no skipped episodes compared to later seasons of Boy Meets World.

Smart Guy doesn't feel completely out of place with the young protagonist being an easy child hook - Boy Meets World also likely was picked up on that basis, but by the last season everyone is married, in college, having sexy honeymoon rendezvous, etc. (The honeymoon did actually make it on Disney, compared to the earlier skipped episodes where they just think about having it...I guess because they're married?)

 

[Two Two's]

Duckman used to air on the Your Family Entertainment channel

 

[John Pannozzi]

The US version of Disney actually aired Smart Guy too, though with comparatively little editing and no skipped episodes compared to later seasons of Boy Meets World.

I think they also aired Brotherly Love. Plus, they aired Growing Pains, which sometimes had slightly racy humor.

 

[Surreal Kangaroo]

I think they also aired Brotherly Love. Plus, they aired Growing Pains, which sometimes had slightly racy humor.

Yes they as well as Sister, Sister.

 

[Moleoman]

Duckman used to air on the Your Family Entertainment channel

It also aired on Cartoon Network in Spain. In fact, UFA (one of CLT-UFA's precedessors, who distributed the show in continental Europe) apparently grouped it together with kids animation (page 11 of TBI's September 1994 issue): https://www.worldradiohistory.com/A...Television-Business-International-1994-09.pdf Because of this, when CLT-UFA sold its children library to RTV Family Entertainmetn (now YFE) in 2000, "Duckman" (along with "The Critic") was also included in the sale.

 

[Golden Geek]

Some of the anime aired in the original iteration of Toonami that would count:

The Big O: Aired on a premium channel in Japan, manga ran in a seinen magazine, and is a tribute to film noir and media of the 60s/70s. The only thing for kids here is giant robots, though it being fairly light on mature content made it easy enough to put on Toonami months before AS was a thing.
Outlaw Star: Anime aired at 1am in Japan, manga is a seinen with pretty explicit sex - this is probably their biggest feat in getting something to Y7 levels.
Tenchi Muyo!: No chance Japan was trying to sell an OVA harem series to kids. Funny enough, the later more obviously kiddy spinoffs like Magical Project S and Sasami: Magical Girls Club never made it on Toonami...though I did see the latter being sold on the Toys R' Us site at one point, along with Yu Yu Hakusho (the only two anime they had).

 

[ares]

"the simpsons" aired on cartoon network in the philippines, it even had a CN city bumper.

 

[RandomMe]

"the simpsons" aired on cartoon network in the philippines, it even had a CN city bumper.

They aired episodes from the turn of the millennium, around seasons 10-12, from eyewitness accounts I read. Like the tomacco episode

 

[Golden Geek]

I was looking at these old YTV schedules and noticed several - for example, how long Keeping Up Appearances was aired late at night, despite having pretty much no child appeal.

I had absolutely no idea what Yes Minister was, and a British political satire that was already 20 years old is...something.

Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married is another one that makes an appearance, that I knew about from a Limbo promo (here at 4:02) - even on a block for 12-17 year olds, it seems like a hard sell to get them to watch a British drama about women in their late 20s, and perhaps a little questionable to try to sell it to kids as young as 12 by promising there's "lots of skin."

 

[RandomMe]

I was looking at these old YTV schedules and noticed several - for example, how long Keeping Up Appearances was aired late at night, despite having pretty much no child appeal.

I had absolutely no idea what Yes Minister was, and a British political satire that was already 20 years old is...something.

Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married is another one that makes an appearance, that I knew about from a Limbo promo (here at 4:02) - even on a block for 12-17 year olds, it seems like a hard sell to get them to watch a British drama about women in their late 20s, and perhaps a little questionable to try to sell it to kids as young as 12 by promising there's "lots of skin."

YTV also aired Bonanza (which it had to remove after some time because of Michael Landon's growth over the first few seasons) and the Australian soap Home and Away in the early years.

 

[Red Arrow]

Jetix NL aired two episodes of The Simpsons in Dutch.

Ketnet aired season 1-2 of King of the Hill in English when the channel (or rather block) still tried to target age 2-16 instead of 2-12. It aired from September 12th 1998 until January 12th 2001.