Adult-themed ‘toons attract young viewers

Cartoons used to be just kids’ stuff. Then came a new genre: adult-themed animation.

But ‘toons aimed at teens and older viewers are proving irresistible to children as well.

Ever-edgier shows are finding an audience among young viewers even though they offer sophisticated content and carry parental advisory warnings.

The latest proof: Fox’s “Family Guy.”

The animated series was canceled in 2002 after three seasons. But Fox revived it May 1, thanks to repeats on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim and DVD sales that built a cult following into a large and loyal fan base.

Since its return to Sundays at 9 p.m., “Family Guy” has ranked No. 18 with the advertiser-coveted 18-to-49 age group, and No. 2 with teens 12 to 17. Overall, it averages nearly 9 million viewers, 5.6 million of whom are ages 18 to 49.

And even though Fox puts a TV-14 advisory on the show, it has landed in the No. 5 spot among kids ages 2 to 11, averaging 900,000 viewers in that age group.

David Goodman, executive producer of “Family Guy,” won’t argue that the show is for kids.

“I think it’s absolutely for adults,” Goodman says. “I don’t let my kids watch it. They’re 8 and 6.

“We’re doing a show for us (the show’s 14 writers). Most are over 30, a few over 40, but we all remember what we found funny.

“Maybe we’re a little arrested,” he adds with a chuckle.

“Family Guy” offers poop jokes, sex gags, pop-culture references and baby Stewie, the big-faced, pompous, British-sounding, prone-to-cussing toddler who constantly plots how to kill his mother. Stewie (voiced by show creator Seth MacFarlane) has become a cult favorite.

“There’s a teen sensibility that a lot of people share,” Goodman says. “We’re not creating the culture. We’re tapping into what a lot of people find funny.”

“Family Guy” is on the Parents Television Council’s “Worst TV shows” list for 2005. On its Web site, the council cautions: “This animated series is decidedly not for children – though children may be tempted to watch. Nearly every second of the May 1 episode was offensive.”

To whomever finds the show offensive, Goodman says, “There’s an off button on the television. I don’t mean that lightly. Watching television is a choice; it’s not a right.”

Fox, he says, is aware of the concerns and monitors for material that will trigger complaints to the Federal Communications Commission.

“We’re in a constant discussion of what we can and can’t do,” he says.

Nickelodeon knows gross-out jokes tend to be timeless. The channel has announced it will bring back “The Ren & Stimpy Show” on Nicktoons starting July 31. It went off the air in 2002.

“It’s a classic,” says Nicktoons’ Keith Dawkins. Yet when it first aired in 1991, it too was criticized by parents’ groups.

Nicktoons’ audience is 6 to 14, Dawkins says. He hopes “Ren & Stimpy,” about a hyper Chihuahua and a dumb cat – once called a “deranged cartoon series” by The New York Times – will find a new audience.

“Kids are definitely more sophisticated these days,” Dawkins says. “They Google, they text (message), and they have lots more choices. You have to have a unique offering.”