Primal

Primal is an American animated series created and directed by Genndy Tartakovsky and produced by Cartoon Network Studios and Williams Street. The series is praised for its storytelling and emotion despite being devoid of any dialogue. The first half of season 1 aired on Adult Swim from October 7-11, 2019 and the second half aired from October 4, 2020 to November 1, 2020. The series was renewed for a 10 episode second season that premiered from July 21, 2022 to September 15, 2022.

The entire first season aired on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block on November 28, 2020 from 12:00-5:00 AM. Reruns of the first season returned to Toonami from May 14, 2022 to July 16, 2022, replacing Attack on Titan in the lineup. Season two aired on Toonami from July 23, 2022 to September 24, 2022. Reruns of Primal returned to Toonami from November 5, 2022 to May 20, 2023.

Plot
At the dawn of evolution, a caveman and a dinosaur on the brink of extinction bond over unfortunate tragedies and become each other's only hope of survival in a treacherous world.

Characters
Spear — A caveman whose tragedy begins when his mate and two children are attacked and devoured by a pack of horned theropods. Although he overcomes his initial urge to commit suicide, Spear is still learning to cope with the loss. Eventually, he develops a deep bond with Fang and is willing to make any personal sacrifice to protect her.

Fang — A medium-sized female Tyrannosaurus whose tragedy begins with the death of her hatchlings, caused by the same predators who killed Spear's loved ones. Initially, she attempts to assert her dominance over Spear, but eventually learns that it is far healthier to work in a partnership rather than with a pack mentality, and is willing to do anything to ensure his survival.

Broadcast History
The first 5 episodes of Primal premiered on Adult Swim the week of October 7-11, 2019. After a stealth premiere of the episode "Plague of Madness" on April Fools day 2020, the second half of the first season (5 episodes) aired on Sundays from October 4, 2020 to November 1, 2020.

During the panel for the series as part of the Television Critics Association's Winter Virtual Press Tour on February 14, 2022, it was announced by the TCA that Primal season 2 would premiere on Adult Swim in the Summer of 2022. The second season's premiere date was later revealed to be Thursday, July 21st, with reruns then airing on Toonami.


 * United States (Adult Swim) — October 7, 2019 - Present

Toonami Broadcast History
The entire first season aired on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block in a marathon on November 28, 2020 from 12:00-5:00 AM. Reruns of the first season began to air on Toonami on May 14, 2022 at 12:00 AM, replacing an airing of Naruto: Shippuden in the lineup. After the completion of the first season on July 16th, the second season began airing on Toonami with the first two episodes airing back-to-back on July 23rd from 12:00-1:00 AM. The season then premiered a new episode weekly from July 30-September 17, 2022 at 12:00 AM. After the completion of the season, a rerun of episode 15 "The Primal Theory" aired on September 24th and the series was subsequently removed from the lineup and replaced with Housing Complex C.

Reruns of Primal returned to Toonami on November 5, 2022 at 2:30 AM. Additionally, two extra episodes of Primal aired during the extra hour added by the end of daylight savings time on November 5th. A Christmas Eve marathon featuring the last 4 episodes of season two aired on December 24, 2022 from 12:00-2:00 AM. For one week only, two airings of the series moved to the 12:00 and 12:30 AM time slots on April 29, 2023. The following week (May 6th) the series was pre-empted by the premiere of Unicorn: Warriors Eternal but returned on May 13, 2023 and began airing at 12:30 AM. The series was removed from Toonami following the May 20, 2023 broadcast and was subsequently replaced in the lineup by Dr. Stone.


 * Toonami (United States) — November 28, 2020 ; May 14, 2022 - September 24, 2022; November 5, 2022 - May 20, 2023

Toonami Marathons
Primal has had two marathon appearances during its run on Toonami:
 * Primal: Season 1 Marathon on November 28, 2020
 * Primal Marathon on December 24, 2022