Rick And Morty
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Rick and Morty'' is an American adult animated
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon for
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...
's nighttime programming block
Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as dult swimand s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...
. The series follows the misadventures of
Rick Sanchez Rick Sanchez is one of the two Title character, eponymous characters in the Adult Swim animated television series ''Rick and Morty'' and resulting Rick and Morty (franchise), multimedia franchise. Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, he i ...
, a cynical
mad scientist The mad scientist (also mad doctor or mad professor) is a stock character of a scientist who is perceived as "mad, bad and dangerous to know" or "insanity, insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabas ...
, and his good-hearted but fretful grandson
Morty Smith Mortimer Chauncey "Morty" Smith Sr. is one of the Title character, eponymous Character (arts), characters from the American animated television series ''Rick and Morty''. Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, and voiced by the former for the ...
, who split their time between domestic life and interdimensional adventures that take place across an infinite number of realities, often traveling to other planets and dimensions through portals and on Rick's
flying saucer A flying saucer, or flying disc, is a purported type of disc-shaped unidentified flying object (UFO). The term was coined in 1947 by the United States (US) news media for the objects pilot Kenneth Arnold UFO sighting, Kenneth Arnold claimed fl ...
. The general concept of ''Rick and Morty'' relies on two conflicting scenarios: domestic family drama and a misanthropic grandfather dragging his grandson into hijinks. Roiland voiced both Rick and Morty, with Ian Cardoni and Harry Belden taking over from him since the seventh season.
Chris Parnell Thomas Christopher Parnell ( ; born February 5, 1967) is an American actor and comedian. First breaking through as a performer with the Los Angeles comedy troupe The Groundlings, Parnell found wider success during his tenure as a cast member on ...
as Jerry,
Spencer Grammer Spencer Karen Grammer (born October 9, 1983) is an American actress best known for her roles as the voice of Summer Smith in the Adult Swim animated science-fiction series ''Rick and Morty'' and as Casey Cartwright in the Freeform (TV channel), A ...
as Summer and Sarah Chalke as Beth also star. The series originated from an animated short
parody film A parody film or spoof film is a subgenre of comedy film that lampoons other film genres or films as pastiches, works created by imitation of the style of many different films reassembled together. Although the subgenre is often overlooked by cri ...
of ''
Back to the Future ''Back to the Future'' is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. Set in 1985 ...
'' created by Roiland for Channel 101, a short film festival Harmon co-founded. A seventh season was confirmed as part of a long-term deal with Cartoon Network that ordered 70 new episodes, which renewed the series through to a tenth season. It was also announced that the series had been renewed through to a twelfth season in 2024. Adult Swim cut ties with Roiland in 2023 amid allegations of domestic abuse and recast his roles with soundalike actors in the seventh season which premiered on October 15, 2023. The eighth season premiered on May 25, 2025. Since its debut, the series has received critical acclaim for its writing, originality, creativity, and humor. It has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Animated Program and won the award in 2018 and 2020. The series has also received two
Annie Awards The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in American cinema and television. Origi ...
. At times, the series has been the most viewed television comedy for adults between 18 and 24. The popularity of ''Rick and Morty'' has made it a hundred-million dollar merchandising and media franchise.


Premise and main characters

The show revolves around the adventures of the members of the Smith household, which consists of parents Jerry and Beth, their children
Summer Summer or summertime is the hottest and brightest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, daylight hours are the longest and darkness hours are the shortest, with day ...
and Morty, and Beth's father,
Rick Sanchez Rick Sanchez is one of the two Title character, eponymous characters in the Adult Swim animated television series ''Rick and Morty'' and resulting Rick and Morty (franchise), multimedia franchise. Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, he i ...
, who lives with them as a guest. The family lives in a suburb outside of Seattle, Washington, with the characters traveling to other planets and dimensions through portals and Rick's flying saucer. Rick is an eccentric and alcoholic
mad scientist The mad scientist (also mad doctor or mad professor) is a stock character of a scientist who is perceived as "mad, bad and dangerous to know" or "insanity, insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabas ...
, who eschews many ordinary conventions such as school, marriage, love, and family. He frequently goes on adventures with his 14-year-old grandson, Morty, a kind-hearted but easily distressed boy, whose naïve but grounded moral compass plays counterpoint to Rick's Machiavellian ego. Morty's 17-year-old sister, Summer, is a more conventional teenager who worries about improving her status among her peers and sometimes follows Rick and Morty on their adventures. The kids' mother, Beth, is a generally level-headed person and assertive force in the household, though self-conscious about her professional role as a horse surgeon. She is dissatisfied with her marriage to Jerry, a simple-minded and insecure person, who disapproves of Rick's influence over his family. Different versions of the characters inhabit other dimensions throughout the show's
multiverse The multiverse is the hypothetical set of all universes. Together, these universes are presumed to comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describ ...
and their personal characteristics can vary from one reality to another. The show's original Rick identifies himself as "Rick Sanchez of Earth Dimension C-137", in reference to his original universe, but this does not apply to any other member of the Smith household. For instance, in the first-season episode " Rick Potion #9", after turning the entire world population into monsters, Rick and Morty move to a different dimension, leaving the original Summer, Beth and Jerry behind.


Episodes


Production


Development

''Rick and Morty'' was created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon. The duo first met at Channel 101, a non-profit monthly short film festival in Los Angeles co-founded by Harmon. At Channel 101, participants submit a short film in the format of a pilot, and a live audience decides which pilots continue as a series. Roiland, then a producer on reality programming, began submitting content to the festival a year after its launch, in 2004. His pilots typically consisted of shock value—"sick and twisted" elements that received a confused reaction from the audience. Nevertheless, Harmon took a liking to his humor and the two began collaborating. In 2006, Roiland was fired from working on a television series he regarded as creatively stifling, and funneled his creative energies into creating a webisode for Channel 101. The result was ''The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti'', an animated short starring parodies of Doc Brown and
Marty McFly Marty McFly is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Back to the Future (franchise), ''Back to the Future'' franchise. He is a high school student living in the fictional town of Hill Valley (Back to the Future), Hill Valley, California ...
, characters from the ''Back to the Future'' film trilogy. In the short, which Harmon would dub "a bastardization, a pornographic vandalization", Doc Smith urges Mharti to perform
oral sex Oral sex, sometimes referred to as oral intercourse, is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a person by another person using the mouth (including the lips, tongue, or teeth). Cunnilingus is oral sex performed on the vu ...
on him in order to go back in time. The audience reacted to it wildly, and Roiland began creating more shorts involving the characters, which soon evolved beyond his original intentions and their obvious origin within the film from which it was culled. Harmon would later create and produce ''
Community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...
'', an NBC sitcom, while Roiland would work primarily in voice acting for
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
's ''
Fish Hooks A fish hook or fishhook, formerly also called an angle (from Old English ''angol'' and Proto-Germanic ''*angulaz''), is a hook used to fishing, catch fish either by piercing and embedding onto the inside of the fish jaw, fish mouth (angling) or, ...
'' and
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...
's ''
Adventure Time ''Adventure Time'' is an American fantasy animated television series created by Pendleton Ward and co-produced by Frederator Studios for Cartoon Network. The series follows the adventures of a boy named Finn the Human, Finn (Jeremy Shada) and ...
''. In 2012, Harmon was briefly fired from ''Community''. Adult Swim, searching for a more prime-time, "hit" show, shortly afterward approached Harmon, who initially viewed the channel as unfit for his style. He was also unfamiliar with animation and his process for creating television focused more heavily on dialogue, characters, and story. Instead, he phoned Roiland to inquire if he had any ideas for an animated series. Roiland immediately brought up the idea of using the Doc and Mharti characters, renamed Rick and Morty. At first, Roiland wanted the show's run time to consist of one eleven-minute segment, but Adult Swim pushed for a half-hour program. Harmon felt the best way to extend the voices into a program would be to build a family around the characters, while Adult Swim development executive
Nick Weidenfeld Nicholas Rabb Weidenfeld (born September 26, 1979) is an American television producer and executive who led program development for Cartoon Network's Adult Swim and Fox's Animation Domination High-Def programming blocks. He won producing Emmy A ...
suggested that Rick be Morty's grandfather. Having pitched multiple television programs that did not get off the ground, Roiland was initially very unreceptive to others attempting to give notes on his pitch. Prior to developing ''Rick and Morty'', he had created three failed animated pilots for Fox, and he had begun to feel "burned out" with developing television. The first draft was completed in six hours on the
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
lot in Dan Harmon's unfurnished ''Community'' office. The duo had worked out the basics of the story that day, sold the pilot, and then sat down to write. Roiland, while acknowledging a tendency for procrastination, encouraged Harmon to stay and write the entire first draft. "We were sitting on the floor, cross-legged with laptops and I was about to get up and go home and he said, 'Wait, if you go home, it might take us three months to write this thing. Stay here right now and we can write it in six hours.' He just had a premonition about that," recalled Harmon. In the beginning, Adult Swim was unsure of Roiland doing both voices, partially due to the undeveloped nature of the character of Morty. Harmon wrote four short premises in which Morty took a more assertive role and sent it to Mike Lazzo. For the first season, Adult Swim placed a tamer-than-usual TV-14 rating on the program, which was initially met with reluctance from the show's staff. The network's reason behind the rating was that it would soon begin broadcasting in prime-time, competing with major programs. Many later episodes have received TV-MA ratings, with the first being the episode "Interdimensional Cable 2: Tempting Fate" in season 2. The theme song for ''Rick and Morty'' by Ryan Elder was originally used in a rejected Cartoon Network pilot Roiland made called "Dog World", which was referenced in the episode " Lawnmower Dog".


Writing

Harmon has noted that the writers' room at the show's studio bears a striking resemblance to the one used for ''Community''. In comparing the two, he noted that the writing staff of ''Rick and Morty'' was significantly smaller, and more "rough and tumble verbally". The first season writing staff consisted of Roiland, Harmon, Tom Kauffman, Ryan Ridley, Wade Randolph, and Eric Acosta, while writer's assistant Mike McMahan was also given writing credit. Described as a "very, very tiny little writers' room with a lot of heavy lifting from everybody," the show's writing staff, like many Adult Swim productions, is not unionized with the
Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is the name of two American labor unions representing writers in film, television, radio, and online media: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) is headquartered in New York City and is affiliated wit ...
, though in 2022 production staff at ''Rick & Morty'' filed a petition for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board in a bid to join The Animation Guild. The writing staff first meets and discusses ideas, which evolve into a story. Discussions often include anecdotes from personal life as well as thoughts on the science fiction genre. After breaking the story—which consists of developing its consistency and logical beginning, middle, and conclusion—a writer is assigned to create an outline. Roiland and Harmon do a "pass" on the outline, and from there the episode undergoes several more drafts. The final draft of the script is last approved by either of the co-creators. Harmon has admitted that his perfectionism can sometimes be disruptive and cause writing schedule delays. For the most part, this was the reason why the third season of the show consisted of only 10 episodes instead of 14, as was initially intended. Many episodes are structured with use of a story circle, a Harmon creation based largely on Joseph Campbell's monomyth, or The Hero's Journey. Its two-act structure places the act break at an odd location in the stages of the monomyth: after The Meeting with the Goddess, instead of Atonement with the Father. Roiland has stated his and Harmon's intentions for the series to lack traditional continuity, opting for discontinuous storylines "not bound by rules". He has also confirmed that the writers avoid revisiting old tropes from the show's past, "in fear of that coming off as disingenuous fan service." In producing the series' first season, episodes were occasionally written out of order. For example, "Rick Potion #9" was the second episode written for the series, but was instructed to be animated as the fifth, as it would make more sense within the series' continuity.


Animation and voice recording

Animation for the show is done using Toon Boom Harmony, a vector-based 2D
puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. Puppetry is an ancient form of theatre which dates back to the 5th century BC in anci ...
software, which is a more economical option than traditional hand-drawn animation. The post-production work is done in
Adobe After Effects Adobe After Effects is a digital visual effects, motion graphics, and compositing application developed by Adobe Inc.; it is used for animation and in the post-production process of film making, video games and television production. Amo ...
, and background art is done in
Adobe Photoshop Adobe Photoshop is a raster graphics editor developed and published by Adobe Inc., Adobe for Microsoft Windows, Windows and macOS. It was created in 1987 by Thomas Knoll, Thomas and John Knoll. It is the most used tool for professional digital ...
. Production of animation was handled by Bardel Entertainment in Vancouver, Canada for the first six seasons, and by Lighthouse Studios in Kilkenny, Ireland since the seventh season. Roiland's cartooning style is heavily indebted to ''The Simpsons'', a factor he acknowledged in a 2013 interview, while also comparing his style to that of Pendleton Ward (''
Adventure Time ''Adventure Time'' is an American fantasy animated television series created by Pendleton Ward and co-produced by Frederator Studios for Cartoon Network. The series follows the adventures of a boy named Finn the Human, Finn (Jeremy Shada) and ...
'') and J. G. Quintel (''
Regular Show ''Regular Show'' (known as ''Regular Show in Space'' during its Regular Show season 8, eighth season) is an American animated sitcom created by J. G. Quintel for Cartoon Network. It ran from September 6, 2010, to January 16, 2017, over the cours ...
''): "You'll notice mouths are kind of similar and teeth are similar, but I think that's also a stylistic thing that ... all of us are kind of the same age, and we're all inspired by ''The Simpsons'' and all these other shows we're kind of subconsciously tapping into." John Kricfalusi's ''
The Ren & Stimpy Show ''The Ren & Stimpy Show'', commonly referred to as simply ''Ren & Stimpy'', is an American animated Comedy film, comedy television series created by John Kricfalusi for Nickelodeon. The series follows the misadventures of Ren Höek, an emotion ...
'' was another strong influence for ''Rick and Morty'', which is why, according to Roiland, the small "w-shaped mouths" that the characters occasionally make is a reference to a similar expression that Ren frequently makes. Talking about the style guide the animators of the show have to follow, season three art director Jeffrey Thompson explained that the characters are often drawn with odd or asymmetrical features, in order to avoid looking "too normal to live in the ''Rick and Morty'' universe." When recording dialogue, Roiland does a considerable amount of improvisation, in order to make the characters feel more natural.


Roiland's firing

In January 2023, it was reported that Roiland was charged with felony domestic battery and
false imprisonment False imprisonment or unlawful imprisonment occurs when a person intentionally restricts another person's movement within any area without legal authority, justification, or the restrained person's permission. Actual physical restraint is n ...
in
Orange County, California Orange County (officially the County of Orange; often initialized O.C.) is a county (United States), county located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population ...
, in connection with an alleged incident in January 2020 toward an unnamed woman he was reportedly dating at the time. A hearing was scheduled for April 27, 2023. Following the public revelation of the indictment, allegations against Roiland's personal conduct regarding his behavior to minors on social media were made. The same month, Adult Swim announced that they had cut ties with Roiland and fired him from the show stating that the seventh season's production would continue and that his roles would be recast. In March 2023, the Orange County District Attorney's office dropped all criminal charges against Roiland due to insufficient evidence. During
San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...
2023, producer Steve Levy stated that Roiland's voice work will be replaced by "soundalikes" but there will otherwise be no changes in the characters. Adult Swim revealed the new voices of Rick and Morty with its seventh season trailer in September 2023, but the new actors were not announced until the season’s premiere in October. When the seventh season premiered on October 15, 2023, it was revealed that the new actors were Ian Cardoni as Rick and Harry Belden as Morty.


Themes and analysis


Comedic style

The general formula of ''Rick and Morty'' consists of the juxtaposition of an extremely selfish, alcoholic grandfather dragging his grandson along for interdimensional adventures, intercut with domestic family drama. Co-creator Dan Harmon has described the series as a cross between
Matt Groening Matthew Abram Groening ( ; born February 15, 1954) is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is best known as the creator of the television series ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), ''Futurama'' (1999–2003, 2008–2013, 2 ...
's two shows ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
'' and ''
Futurama ''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company and later revived by Comedy Central, and then Hulu. The series follows Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1 ...
'', balancing family life with heavy science fiction. Comparisons have been drawn to '' House of Cosbys'', a show created by Justin Roiland, for having similar bits such as characters announcing themselves ( Mr. Meeseeks/Curiosity Cosby). The series is inspired by British-style storytelling, as opposed to traditional American family TV stories. Harmon has stated that his inspiration behind much of the concept and humor for the series comes from various British television series, such as ''
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' is a Science fiction comedy, comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series), radio sitcom broadcast over two series on BBC ...
'' and ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
''. He figures that the audience will only understand developments from Morty's point of view, but stated "we don't want to be the companions. We want to hang out with
the Doctor The Doctor, sometimes known as Doctor Who, is the protagonist of the long-running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. An extraterrestrial Time Lord, the Doctor travels the universe in a time travelling spaceship called th ...
, we idolize the Doctor, but we don't think like him, and that's really interesting." Occasionally, characters will acknowledge an episode's narrative or hint at the presence of a
fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance dramatic convention, convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this "wall", the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. ...
, suggesting that they are aware of the fact that they are characters of a TV show. Thereunder, Troy Patterson of ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'' notes that ''Rick and Morty'' "supplies an artful answer to the question of what follows
postmodernism Postmodernism encompasses a variety of artistic, Culture, cultural, and philosophical movements that claim to mark a break from modernism. They have in common the conviction that it is no longer possible to rely upon previous ways of depicting ...
: a decadent regurgitation of all its tropes, all at once, leavened by some humanistic wistfulness." Sean Sebastian of '' Junkee'' says that the show can be both hilarious and deeply disturbing at the same time as it excels at the "intersection between big ideas, flippancy and wit."


Philosophy

The series addresses the insignificance of human existence as compared to the size of the universe, with no recognizable divine presence, as described by Lovecraft's philosophy of cosmicism. Genovesi (Bonn University) describes the series as exhibiting a nihilistic world-view. The characters of the show deal with cosmic horror and existential dread, either by asserting the utility of science over magic or by choosing a life in ignorant bliss. However, as Joachim Heijndermans of ''Geeks'' notes, none of them appear able to handle the absurd and chaotic nature of the universe, as Jerry gets by through
denial Denial, in colloquial English usage, has at least three meanings: * the assertion that any particular statement or allegation, whose truth is uncertain, is not true; * the refusal of a request; and * the assertion that a true statement is fal ...
, and Rick is a "depressed, substance-addicted, suicidal mess". Harmon describes Rick as a self-interested anarchist, who does not like being told what to do. He believes that the character's life on a larger scale has caused him
mental illness A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...
, and opines that "the knowledge that nothing matters—while accurate—gets you nowhere". Mental illness is a theme that is drawn on several times throughout the show, one scene in particular has Rick's therapist deliver a fiery explanation of his fundamental immaturity. Matthew Bulger of ''The Humanist'' notes that the creators of the series are trying to communicate the message that we need to focus on human relationships and not preoccupy our minds with unanswerable questions, in order to find a sense of purpose and live a better life. Eric Armstrong of ''The New Republic'' notes that Morty represents the audience, as he is "mostly there to react to Rick's deranged schemes". The character is transformed by the truths he discovers during his interdimensional adventures with his grandfather. Rather than sinking into depression, Morty accepts these truths that empower him to value his own life.


Release

''Rick and Morty'' is distributed internationally by Warner Bros. Television.


Broadcast

In May 2012, Adult Swim unveiled its development slate that included a ''Rick and Morty''
pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...
from Harmon and Roiland, which was eventually picked up to series in October 2012, as one of the network's first primetime original shows. The first season premiered in December 2013 and concluded in April 2014. It comprised eleven episodes (including the pilot), and aired Mondays at 10:30 pm ET/ PT. Two months earlier, in February 2014, the show had been renewed for a second season, with the press release noting that ''Rick and Morty'' consistently outperformed direct competition in its time slot. Season two aired Sundays at 11:30 pm ET/PT, from July to October 2015, and comprised ten episodes. In an interview with ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'', Roiland said that ''Rick and Morty'' will remain "a big priority above anything else" for him in the future, and expressed his intention to keep the show growing. Adult Swim renewed ''Rick and Morty'' for a third season in August 2015, shortly after a successful second-season premiere. The two co-creators and executive producers expressed their delight at the series' popularity. The season premiered unannounced on April 1, 2017, as part of an
April Fools' Day April Fools' Day or April Fool's Day (rarely called All Fools' Day) is an annual custom on the 1st of April consisting of practical jokes, hoaxes, and pranks. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fool " at the recipient. ...
prank. The remaining episodes began airing weekly almost four months later, continuing in the same time slot from season two, and the initial airing concluded in October 2017. Although it was originally intended for the season to consist of fourteen episodes, as a result of production delays it eventually comprised only ten. Following the conclusion of the show's third season, co-creators Harmon and Roiland wanted to have assurance that there would be many more seasons of ''Rick and Morty'' in the future, so that they would be able to focus on the show and minimize their involvement in other projects. Additionally, Harmon had expressed his wish for the upcoming fourth season to consist of more than ten episodes. In May 2018, after prolonged contract negotiations, Adult Swim announced a long-term deal with the creators, ordering 70 new episodes over an unspecified number of seasons. Roiland was confident that this big renewal deal would allow the creators to minimize the gaps between seasons to no more than a year, as they would be able to schedule their time around the show and "keep the machine going." In January 2023, it was confirmed that the long-term deal had renewed the series through to a tenth season. In January 2024, it was revealed that due to the recent Writers Guild strike, production was delayed and thus made it so the eighth season of the regular series would not be released until 2025, though an anime series would in 2024. At a
New York Comic Con The New York Comic Con is an annual New York City fan convention dedicated to comics, Western comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, cosplay, toys, Film, movies, and television. It was first held in 2006. With an attendance of 200,00 ...
panel in 2024, it was announced that the series had been renewed for an additional two seasons, through a 12th season. In May 2019, the fourth season of ''Rick and Morty'' was announced to debut in November 2019. The fourth season consisted of ten episodes split across two airings. The first five episodes began airing on November 10, 2019, while the remaining five episodes began airing on May 3, 2020. The sixth season premiered on September 4, 2022. The seventh season premiered on October 15, 2023. The eighth season premiered on May 25, 2025.


Streaming service and home media

The show is available to watch in its entirety on
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
in a number of countries, while the first four seasons are available to stream in the United States on both
Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
and
HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...
. Following the conclusion of the show's third season, Adult Swim made a livestream
marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...
of ''Rick and Morty'' available to watch on its official website in select regions, hoping to dissuade viewers from watching other illegal livestreams. In the United Kingdom, public-service broadcaster
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
outbid Netflix and began airing the series with season 4, which represents its first pickup by an international television channel. Season 4 was originally scheduled to premiere on Channel 4 in January 2020; viewer complaints resulted in the broadcaster moving the first episode forward to November 20 on E4. In Canada, the series initially premiered on
Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as dult swimand s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...
on January 10, 2016. In
Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
, it premiered on Télétoon's Télétoon la nuit block on May 18, 2018. The 10-episode third season, was released on DVD (2-disc set) and
Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
(single BD-50 disc) on May 15, 2018. Special features include exclusive commentary and animatics for every episode, "inside the episode", the origins of ''Rick and Morty'', and an exclusive "inside the recording booth" session. Uncensored versions of the show are also available to purchase on various digital platforms, including
iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
and
Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...
, with the digital releases of each season containing bonus material.


Reception


Critical response

''Rick and Morty'' has been met with critical acclaim. It holds an average approval rating of 90% on review aggregator website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
for the entire series. David Weigand of ''
San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...
'' described it as "offbeat and occasionally coarse... the take-away here is that it works". He praised the animation direction by James McDermott for being "fresh, colorful and as wacky as the script", and states that the series possesses "shades of ''
Futurama ''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company and later revived by Comedy Central, and then Hulu. The series follows Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1 ...
'', ''
South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand the ...
'' and even ''
Beetlejuice ''Beetlejuice'' is a 1988 American Gothic film, gothic dark fantasy comedy horror film directed by Tim Burton from a screenplay by Michael McDowell (author), Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren based on a story by McDowell and Larry Wilson (sc ...
''", ultimately opining that its humor felt "entirely original". Neil Genzlinger of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' praised the series and stated that it was "Grandparenting at its unhinged finest." In a review shortly after the second-season premiere, Sean Sebastian of ''Junkee'' said that although the crude animation and over-the-top voice acting might have discouraged some viewers from continuing to watch, ''Rick and Morty'' is "exceptionally well-made" and that "the more you dissect it, the more you find it has to say." Todd Spangler of '' Variety'' gave the series a lukewarm review; saying that though it "often seems … frenetic at the expense of being witty", it represents "a welcome attempt to dream just a little bigger". David Sims of '' The A.V. Club'' gave the series an "A−". In reviewing the first two episodes, he praised its "clean, simple style" of animation, and said the series has "a dark, sick sensibility". He praised its "effort to give each character a little bit of depth", and applauded Roiland's voice talent.


Ratings

''Rick and Morty'' has been a ratings hit since season one, with viewership doubling and tripling over their first six episodes. The third season ended with the best ratings in Adult Swim history, an 81 percent increase in overall viewers over the second season. According to a Nielsen poll, the third season was the most watched television comedy of adults between the ages of 18 and 24. The president of Adult Swim said that ''Rick and Morty'' "goes beyond just appealing to
millennials Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000s a ...
," with statistics suggesting that people of every age tune in to the show. The fourth season started relatively strong, with its premiere reaching 2.33 million viewers (the show's average is 2.51 million). However, interest soon appeared to taper off after the network decided to split the season in half causing a steep drop in the season's second half—about a 40% drop in viewership from the third season. The fourth episode of the fourth season saw 1.62 million viewers, which was noted to not be impressive in its own right, but in that it showed consistent viewership especially when competing against shows like '' The Walking Dead'' in the same time slot. The season five premiere episode was posted on YouTube and received 1.7 million views within the first 12 hours. The television premiere saw 1.9 million views. The premiere of season six was shown on September 4, 2022, and saw the highest ratings in telecast for women aged 18 to 24 and 18 to 34 and non-sports telecast for male viewers age 18 to 24 and 18 to 34. The episode was also the number two most-viewed non-sports program overall for viewers age 18 to 49.


Industry impact

Several former ''Rick and Morty'' storyboard artists and crew members proceeded to develop their own shows or work on major new productions. Creator Justin Roiland and
showrunner A showrunner is the top-level executive producer of a television series. The position outranks other creative and management personnel, including episode directors, in contrast to feature films, in which the director has creative control over th ...
Mike McMahan have gone on to co-create '' Solar Opposites'', an animated sci-fi sitcom that has been frequently compared to ''Rick and Morty''. McMahan also went on to create '' Star Trek: Lower Decks''. Writer Michael Waldron would go on to write for ''
Loki Loki is a Æsir, god in Norse mythology. He is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mythology), Laufey (a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to the goddess Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi (son of Lo ...
'', '' Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness'', '' Avengers: Doomsday'', and '' Avengers: Secret Wars'' and has said that he and his colleagues are "cashing in on our 'Rick and Morty' street cred." Show alumnus Jeff Loveness became a writer for '' Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania''. Erica Hayes, the show's storyboard writer and director, went on to work for Netflix's '' Big Mouth''. ''
Gravity Falls ''Gravity Falls'' is an American Mystery fiction, mystery television comedy, comedy animated television series created by Alex Hirsch for Disney Channel and Disney XD. The series follows the adventures of Dipper Pines (Jason Ritter) and his twi ...
'' creator Alex Hirsch, who worked on the episode " Big Trouble in Little Sanchez", would become an executive producer of ''Inside Job'', another show that has had comparisons drawn to ''Rick and Morty'' for being similarly themed. Pete Michels, director of over twenty ''Rick and Morty'' episodes, was also a director of two episodes of ''Inside Job''.


Awards and nominations


Other media and products

''Rick and Morty'' is part of a wider merchandising franchise.


Possible feature film

Show creator Justin Roiland said in 2019 that he would love to make an R-rated ''Rick and Morty''
feature film A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...
. In June 2021, producer Scott Marder confirmed that the creators and crew hope to eventually produce a feature film, with Roiland stating that it is more a question of "when", rather than "if". In 2022, American filmmaker
Zack Snyder Zachary Edward Snyder (born March 1, 1966) is an American filmmaker. He made his feature film debut in 2004 with ''Dawn of the Dead (2004 film), Dawn of the Dead'', a remake of the 1978 horror film Dawn of the Dead (1978 film), of the same name ...
expressed interest in directing a ''Rick and Morty'' science fiction movie.


Spin-off series

On May 20, 2021, Adult Swim announced a short spin-off series centred on the Vindicators team (Supernova, Vance Maxiumus, Alan Rails, Crocubot and Noob Noob) previously seen on the episode, " Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender" to be in development, alongside spin-offs from other Adult Swim shows like ''
Aqua Teen Hunger Force ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force'' (also branded with different #Alternative titles, alternative titles for seasons 8–11), is an American adult animated television series created by Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro for Cartoon Network's late night progra ...
'', ''
Robot Chicken ''Robot Chicken'' is an American adult animation, adult stop motion, stop-motion animated sketch comedy television series created by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich for Cartoon Network's nighttime programming block Adult Swim. The twelve-minute ...
'', and '' Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell''. The 10-episode series, ''Vindicators 2'' was released in July 2022. On May 18, 2022, Adult Swim announced there would be a full spin-off series based on the anime shorts, '' Rick and Morty: The Anime'', directed by Takashi Sano.


Cameos


Film

Rick and Morty, both voiced by Roiland, have a cameo in 2021's '' Space Jam: A New Legacy'', as they claim to have experimented on the
Tasmanian Devil The Tasmanian devil (''Sarcophilus harrisii''; palawa kani: ''purinina'') is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae. It was formerly present across mainland Australia, but became extinct there around 3,500 years ago; it is now con ...
but say they were disgusted by the results; thus, they voluntarily give him back to
LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. ( ; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and ...
and the
Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside its spin-off series ''Merrie Melodies'', during t ...
by dropping him on their rocket's windshield.


Television

Rick and Morty were featured in the couch gag at the beginning of " Mathlete's Feat", the final episode of the twenty-sixth season of ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
''. Said opening involved Rick accidentally killing the family when he crash-lands into their living room causing Morty to go on a mission to bring them back to life.


Comics

On April 1, 2015, a ''Rick and Morty'' comic book adaptation debuted with its first monthly issue, entitled "BAM!" The series was initially written by Zac Gorman and illustrated by CJ Cannon. Artist Tom Fowler wrote a multi-issue story arc that began in March 2016. Using the television series' established premise of alternate timelines, the first two volumes of the comic book expressly features the Rick and Morty (and supporting cast) of a different timeline, allowing the comics to tell stories without conflicting with the
canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...
of the show. From the third volume onwards, with the departure of Gorman as writer and his replacement with Kyle Starks, the series switched focus to display the off-screen adventures of the specific Rick and Morty of the television series, keeping in the canon of the show, with the Ricks and Mortys of different timelines forming the basis for backup stories. On August 29, 2018, a four-issue crossover comic with the fantasy tabletop role-playing game ''
Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical ...
'' was released. The series titled '' Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons'' is co-written by Jim Zub and Patrick Rothfuss, and art by
Troy Little Troy Little (born 7 March 1973) is a Canadian cartoonist working in comic books and animation. He began self publishing with ''Chiaroscuro (graphic novel), Chiaroscuro'', a graphic novel that was developed between 2000 and 2005 under his Meanwhile ...
. A sequel mini-series, titled ''Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons: Chapter II: Painscape,'' was published in September 2018. It was written by Jim Zub and Sarah Stern with art by
Troy Little Troy Little (born 7 March 1973) is a Canadian cartoonist working in comic books and animation. He began self publishing with ''Chiaroscuro (graphic novel), Chiaroscuro'', a graphic novel that was developed between 2000 and 2005 under his Meanwhile ...
. The ''Rick and Morty vs Dungeons and Dragons Deluxe Edition'', by Rothfuss, Zub, and Little, was nominated for the 2022 "Best Graphic Album—Reprint"
Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are awards for creative achievement in American comic books. They are regarded as the most prestigious and significant awards in the comic industry and often referred ...
.


Product tie-ins

McDonald's Szechuan Sauce returned to their menu nearly twenty years later after being referenced numerous times in " The Rickshank Rickdemption", the Season 3 premiere. The sauce was announced to return to all McDonald's stores on February 26, 2018 due to popular demand from ''Rick and Morty'' fans. On March 31, 2022, it once again returned to stores, featured as an app-only exclusive until April 4. Adult Swim and
Wendy's Wendy's International, LLC, is an American international fast food restaurant chain founded by Dave Thomas (businessman), Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio. Its headquarters moved to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. As of D ...
have collaborated to create commercials featuring the titular duo. They have also created Morty themed food trucks and restaurants. In 2022, Wendy's offered ''Rick and Morty''-inspired combo meals exclusively on Uber Eats and brought back their "Portal Time Lemon Lime" soft drink to promote the series' sixth season. The promotion also featured a giveaway of ''Rick and Morty'' merchandise. Adult Swim released a promotional video advertising '' Death Stranding''. The ad involves Rick and Morty traversing the world of Death Stranding to deliver packages to stations in order to rebuild human civilization while trying to avoid being harmed by hostiles.


Notes


References


External links

* * * * {{authority control 2010s American adult animated television series 2010s American animated comedy television series 2010s American black comedy television series 2010s American comic science fiction television series 2010s American satirical television series 2010s American sitcoms 2010s American surreal comedy television series 2013 American animated television series debuts 2020s American adult animated television series 2020s American animated comedy television series 2020s American black comedy television series 2020s American comic science fiction television series 2020s American satirical television series 2020s American sitcoms 2020s American surreal comedy television series Absurdist fiction Adult Swim animated television series Television shows about alcohol abuse American adult animated adventure television series American adult animated comedy television series American adult animated science fiction television series American adult computer-animated television series American animated sitcoms Animated adult television sitcoms Animated satirical television series Animated space adventure television series Animated television series about dysfunctional families Animated television series about extraterrestrial life Animated television series about parallel universes Animated television series set in Washington (state) Animated television series set on fictional planets Annie Award–winning television shows Emmy Award–winning programs American English-language television shows Self-reflexive television Shorty Award winners Television series about geniuses Television series based on Internet-based works Television series by Justin Roiland's Solo Vanity Card Productions! Television series by Williams Street Television series created by Dan Harmon Television series created by Justin Roiland Television shows about incest American teen animated television series Animated metafictional television series