Cartoons aren’t just for children anymore.

These days, prime-time animation often includes scantily clad women, foul language and humor that could make adults turn shades of red.

Nevertheless, adult-oriented cartoons are the rage, and reaping large Nielsen rewards for such outlets as TNN, Comedy Central and the Cartoon Network.

“Cartoons are a safer way for a cable network to get into edgier fare and can help them prove they’re cutting-edge,” said TV historian Tim Brooks, a research director at Lifetime Television.

The goal of these shows is to suck in male viewers ages 18 to 34, who have itchy remote trigger fingers and the disposable income to make them prime targets for advertisers.

TNN, for example, was relaunched as a male-themed network with a handful of adult-flavored animated characters such as the busty superhero of “Stripperella,” a raunchy pair of house pets in “Ren & Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon” and a lawyer-turned-rodent comedy on “Gary the Rat.”

But TNN is far from alone.

Showtime is taking the same approach with a risque new cartoon, “Free for All,” developed from a comic strip of the same name by artist Brett Merhar.

The cartoon features two friends, Clay and Johnny G. Jenkins, who contend with a drug-addicted pet ferret, an alcoholic dad and a sexually active grandma who has a one-night stand with Eminem. The first episode airs Friday at 11 p.m. EDT.

“Showtime told us, push the envelope, and they haven’t reined us in yet,” said Merhar.

In a world where young adults are torn between television, the Internet, cell phones and other entertainment options, getting them to sit before the small screen can be a huge task, so programmers are taking a more targeted approach.

“Our sense in talking with guys about television was that they like animation,” said Kevin Kay, an executive vice president of programming at TNN.

“Guys who grew up on sexy videos and sexuality on TV accept that in animation too, but also want it to be funny.”

The Cartoon Network caught the wave a few years ago, but the network’s adult flavored late-night animation block, “Adult Swim,” has taken off of late.

“From our earliest days, we saw that one-third of our audience was ages 18 or older and we realized that viewers carry a taste for cartoons all their lives,” said Mike Lazzo, senior vice president of programming at Cartoon Network.

And there’s more to come:

MTV will launch an updated edition of “Spider-Man” on Friday at 10 p.m. EDT.

The Cartoon Network’s newest offering, “The Venture Brothers,” from New York-based Noodlesoup Prods., will begin on July 27.

In October, Comedy Central will begin airing “Kid Notorious,” a series based on the life and misadventures of film producer Robert Evans. It will be paired with “South Park.”

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AP-NY-07-09-03 0607EDT

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