Adult Swim’s tendency to eschew expectations and swing for the fences is practically the norm. In spite of over a decade’s worth of alternative series, Tropical Cop Tales is without a doubt one of the strangest things to ever grace the network. At its surface level the show lampoons basic cop procedurals, but it operates with such an exaggerated, unnerving tone. It’s as if a Tommy Bahama set up a location within David Lynch’s Black Lodge. It’s this extreme, uncomfortable energy that’s become a trademark of the show’s creators, Jim Hosking and Toby Harvard.

Hosking and Harvard have proven to be some of the most unusual emerging filmmakers of today. Their film, The Greasy Strangler is a uniquely strange endeavor, but the two are allowed to truly go nuts in their Adult Swim series. Tropical Cop Tales is certainly an acquired taste, but it demands to be seen and experienced. We had the opportunity to talk with the madmen behind the series, Jim Hosking and Toby Harvard, who help break down how this ambitious series came together and all of the slimy details.

DEN OF GEEK: For the ill informed, what would you say are the three most important rules or traits of a tropical cop?

TOBY HARVARD: Stay hydrated. I’d say that’s rule one.