the long-running Adult Swim series “The Venture Bros.” The series, created by Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer, started as a riff on old Hanna Barbera shows like “Johnny Quest,” following adult super-scientist Dr. Thaddeus “Rusty” Venture (James Urbaniak) as he tries to escape the shadow of his genius father and child stardom as a boy adventurer. Along with his bodyguard, the turbo-competent Brock Samson (Patrick Warburton), he’s also trying to raise his sons, Hank (Chris McCulloch) and Dean (Michael Sinterniklaas), who are hilariously earnest and sweet and disaster-prone. They faced off against Rusty’s nemesis, the Monarch (McCulloch), along with various other villains from the Guild of Calamitous Intent, for seven seasons before being pretty abruptly cancelled, leaving them with a pretty unsatisfying ending.
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In an interview with NPR, Hammer shared his feelings on the “ending” they were left with following the cancellation, which saw Hank leaving the family to go find himself out in the world. It was a perfect cliffhanger, but not the right kind of ending for a show with as much heart and focus on family as “The Venture Bros.” and Hammer explained why it felt so bitter.
