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{{Infobox television , image = Rick and Morty title card (cropped).png , alt = , caption = , genre = {{Plainlist, *
Animated sitcom An animated sitcom is a subgenre of the sitcom that is animated instead of live action and is generally made or created for adult audiences in most cases. ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', ''The Simpsons'', ''South Park'', and ''Family Guy'' are four of ...
* Adult animation *
Science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
*
Black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to disc ...
*
Adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme ...
, creator =
Justin Roiland Mark Justin Roiland (born February 21, 1980) is an American voice actor, animator, writer, producer, and director. He is best known as the co-creator of Adult Swim's ''Rick and Morty'' and its subsequent franchise. He voices the show's titular ...
and
Dan Harmon Daniel James Harmon (born January 3, 1973) is an American writer, producer, and actor. He is best known as the creator and producer of the NBC/Yahoo! Screen sitcom ''Community'' (2009–2015), creator and host of the comedy podcast '' Harmontow ...
, developer = , voices = {{plainlist, * Justin Roiland *
Chris Parnell Thomas Christopher Parnell (; born February 5, 1967) is an American actor and comedian. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1998 to 2006 and played the role of Dr. Leo Spaceman on ''30 Rock''. In animation, he voices Cyril Figgis ...
*
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 ABC Family college come ...
*
Sarah Chalke Sarah Louise Christine Chalke (; born August 27, 1976) is a Canadian actress and model. She is known for portraying Elliot Reid on the NBC/ ABC comedy series '' Scrubs'', the second Becky Conner on the ABC sitcom ''Roseanne'', Stella Zinman on ...
*
Kari Wahlgren Kari Wahlgren (born July 13, 1977) is an American actress who has provided English-language voices for animated movies, TV series, and video games. She got her start in anime voice-overs as Haruko Haruhara in '' FLCL'', and would later land ma ...
, composer = Ryan Elder , country = United States , language = English , num_seasons = 6 , num_episodes = 61 , list_episodes = List of Rick and Morty episodes , executive_producer = {{plainlist, * Dan Harmon * Justin Roiland * James A. Fino (seasons 1–2) * Joe Russo II (seasons 1–2) *
Mike McMahan Mike McMahan is an American comedy writer and television producer. He is the creator of the animated comedies ''Solar Opposites'' (with Justin Roiland) and '' Star Trek: Lower Decks''. Career McMahan, a native of Chicago, first worked in pro ...
(season 4) * Scott Marder (season 6) , producer = {{plainlist, * J. Michael Mendel (seasons 1–4) * Kenny Micka (pilot) , runtime = 22 minutes , company = {{plainlist, *
Williams Street Williams Street Productions, LLC, d/b/a Williams Street and formerly known as Ghost Planet Industries, is an American animation and live action television production studio owned by the Warner Bros. Television Studios division of Warner Bros., ...
* Harmonious Claptrap * Starburns Industries (seasons 1–2) *
Justin Roiland's Solo Vanity Card Productions! Justin Roiland's Solo Vanity Card Productions! is an animation studio founded by animator and voice actor Justin Roiland. The studio is best known for producing ''Rick and Morty'' for Adult Swim, and ''Solar Opposites'' for Hulu. Productions *'' ...
* Rick and Morty, LLC. (seasons 2–3) * Green Portal Productions (seasons 4-present) , distributor =
Warner Bros. Television Distribution Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...
, network =
Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...
, picture_format =
HDTV High-definition television (HD or HDTV) describes a television system which provides a substantially higher image resolution than the previous generation of technologies. The term has been used since 1936; in more recent times, it refers to the g ...
1080i 1080i (also known as Full HD or BT.709) is a combination of frame resolution and scan type. 1080i is used in high-definition television (HDTV) and high-definition video. The number "1080" refers to the number of horizontal lines on the scree ...
, audio_format = , first_aired = {{Start date, 2013, 12, 2 , last_aired = {{End date, present , related = ''Rick and Morty'' is an American
adult animated An adult is a human or other animal that has reached full growth. In human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social and legal concepts. In contrast to a " minor", a legal adult is a person who has attained the age of major ...
science-fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...
created by
Justin Roiland Mark Justin Roiland (born February 21, 1980) is an American voice actor, animator, writer, producer, and director. He is best known as the co-creator of Adult Swim's ''Rick and Morty'' and its subsequent franchise. He voices the show's titular ...
and
Dan Harmon Daniel James Harmon (born January 3, 1973) is an American writer, producer, and actor. He is best known as the creator and producer of the NBC/Yahoo! Screen sitcom ''Community'' (2009–2015), creator and host of the comedy podcast '' Harmontow ...
for
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, ...
's nighttime programming block
Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...
. It is distributed internationally by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. The series follows the misadventures of 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 "insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabashedly am ...
Rick Sanchez Rick Sanchez is one of the two eponymous characters from the Adult Swim animated television series ''Rick and Morty'' and resulting franchise. Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon and voiced by the former, Sanchez is a misanthropic alco ...
and his good-hearted but fretful grandson
Morty Smith Mortimer Chauncey "Morty" Smith, Sr. is one of the eponymous characters from the American animated television series ''Rick and Morty''. Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, and voiced by the former, Morty is a 14-year-old boy loosely in ...
, who split their time between domestic life and interdimensional adventures that take place across an infinite number of realities, often travelling to other planets and dimensions through portals and on Rick's
flying saucer A flying saucer (also referred to as "a flying disc") is a descriptive term for a type of flying craft having a disc or saucer-shaped body, commonly used generically to refer to an anomalous flying object. The term was coined in 1947 but has ...
. The general concept of ''Rick and Morty'' relies on two conflicting scenarios: domestic family drama, and an alcoholic grandfather dragging his grandson into hijinks. Roiland voices the eponymous characters, with
Chris Parnell Thomas Christopher Parnell (; born February 5, 1967) is an American actor and comedian. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1998 to 2006 and played the role of Dr. Leo Spaceman on ''30 Rock''. In animation, he voices Cyril Figgis ...
,
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 ABC Family college come ...
, and
Sarah Chalke Sarah Louise Christine Chalke (; born August 27, 1976) is a Canadian actress and model. She is known for portraying Elliot Reid on the NBC/ ABC comedy series '' Scrubs'', the second Becky Conner on the ABC sitcom ''Roseanne'', Stella Zinman on ...
voicing the rest of Rick and Morty's family. The series originated from an animated short
parody film A parody film or spoof film is a subgenre of comedy film that parodies 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 crit ...
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 Channel 101 is a non-profit monthly short film festival in Los Angeles, which has a sister festival in New York City, Channel 101 NY. Channel 101 is a creation of Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab in which participants submit a short film in the format ...
, a short-film festival cofounded by Harmon. Since its debut, the series has received critical acclaim for its 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 cinema and television. Originally des ...
. The series has several times been the most viewed television comedy of adults. The popularity of ''Rick and Morty'' has made it a billion-dollar merchandising and media franchise. The fifth season premiered on June 20, 2021, and consisted of ten episodes. The sixth season started airing on September 4, 2022. A seventh season was confirmed as part of a long-term deal with Cartoon Network that ordered 70 new episodes.{{Cite web , last=Spry , first=Jeff , title=Here's exactly when you can watch 'Rick and Morty' Season 6 Episode 2 on Adult Swim , url=https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/rick-morty-season-6-episode-2-release-date-time-plot-cast-adult-swim , access-date=2022-09-11 , website=Inverse , language=en


Premise and main characters

{{see also, List of Rick and Morty 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 is the hottest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, the earliest sunrise and latest sunset occurs, daylight hours are longest and dark hours are shortest, wit ...
and Morty, and Beth's father,
Rick Sanchez Rick Sanchez is one of the two eponymous characters from the Adult Swim animated television series ''Rick and Morty'' and resulting franchise. Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon and voiced by the former, Sanchez is a misanthropic alco ...
, who lives with them as a guest. According to Justin Roiland, the family lives outside of
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...
,
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
. The adventures of ''Rick and Morty'', however, take place across an infinite number of realities, with the characters travelling 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 "insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabashedly am ...
, 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 a hypothetical group of multiple universes. Together, these universes comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describe them. The dif ...
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-
137 137 may refer to: *137 (number) 137 (one hundred ndthirty-seven) is the natural number following 136 and preceding 138. In mathematics 137 is: * the 33rd prime number; the next is 139, with which it comprises a twin prime, and thus 137 is ...
", 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.


Production


Development

{{multiple image , align = right , direction = horizontal , total_width = 360 , footer = Creators Dan Harmon (left) and Justin Roiland (right) , image1 = Dan Harmon by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg , image2 = Justin Roiland, XOXO 2015 (cropped).jpg ''Rick and Morty'' was created by
Justin Roiland Mark Justin Roiland (born February 21, 1980) is an American voice actor, animator, writer, producer, and director. He is best known as the co-creator of Adult Swim's ''Rick and Morty'' and its subsequent franchise. He voices the show's titular ...
and
Dan Harmon Daniel James Harmon (born January 3, 1973) is an American writer, producer, and actor. He is best known as the creator and producer of the NBC/Yahoo! Screen sitcom ''Community'' (2009–2015), creator and host of the comedy podcast '' Harmontow ...
. The duo first met at
Channel 101 Channel 101 is a non-profit monthly short film festival in Los Angeles, which has a sister festival in New York City, Channel 101 NY. Channel 101 is a creation of Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab in which participants submit a short film in the forma ...
, 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 Shock value is the potential of an image, text, action, or other form of communication, such as a public execution, to provoke a reaction of sharp disgust, shock, anger, fear, or similar negative emotions. In advertising Shock advertising or Sh ...
—"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 intensely 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 Martin Seamus "Marty" McFly is a fictional character and the protagonist of the ''Back to the Future'' franchise. He is portrayed by Canadian actor Michael J. Fox in all three films. McFly also appears in the animated series, where he was voice ...
, characters from the ''Back to the Future'' film trilogy.{{cite web , url=http://splitsider.com/2013/11/dan-harmons-rick-and-morty-premieres-on-adult-swim-on-dec-2/ , title=Dan Harmon's ''Rick and Morty'' Premieres on Adult Swim on Dec. 2 , work=Splitsider , publisher=The Awl , date=November 12, 2013 , access-date=November 26, 2013 , last=Czajkowski , first=Elise , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702121402/http://splitsider.com/2013/11/dan-harmons-rick-and-morty-premieres-on-adult-swim-on-dec-2/ , archive-date=July 2, 2017 , url-status=dead In the short, which Harmon would dub "a bastardization, a pornographic vandalization", Doc Smith urges Mharti that the solution to all of his problems is 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) and the throat. Cunnilingus is oral sex p ...
on him.{{Cite news , first=Alan , last=Sepinwall , date=March 24, 2014 , title=Mega Dan Harmon interview, part 3: 'Rick and Morty' , url=http://uproxx.com/sepinwall/mega-dan-harmon-interview-part-3-rick-and-morty/ , publisher=
HitFix HitFix, or HitFix.com, was an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information, and reviews and critiques of film, music, and television. In mid-2010 HitFix crossed the 1,00 ...
, access-date=February 21, 2018 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180227231747/https://uproxx.com/sepinwall/mega-dan-harmon-interview-part-3-rick-and-morty/ , archive-date=February 27, 2018 , url-status=live
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.{{Cite news , first=Yvonne , last=Villarreal , date=March 5, 2014 , title=Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland talk bringing absurd to 'Rick and Morty' , work=
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
, url=https://articles.latimes.com/2014/mar/05/entertainment/la-et-st-dan-harmon-justin-roiland-on-bringing-the-absurd-to-adult-swims-rick-and-morty-20140304 , access-date=October 18, 2014 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141005042531/http://articles.latimes.com/2014/mar/05/entertainment/la-et-st-dan-harmon-justin-roiland-on-bringing-the-absurd-to-adult-swims-rick-and-morty-20140304 , archive-date=October 5, 2014 , url-status=live
Harmon would later create and produce ''
Community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, t ...
'', an
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
sitcom, while Roiland would work primarily in voice acting for
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
's ''
Fish Hooks ''Fish Hooks'' is an American animated television series created by Noah Z. Jones for Disney Channel and Disney XD. The show ran for three seasons from September 3, 2010 to April 4, 2014, airing a total of 59 episodes. Plot The series revolves ...
'' and
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, ...
's ''
Adventure Time ''Adventure Time'' is an American fantasy animated television series created by Pendleton Ward for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. The series follows the adventures of a boy named 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 also was 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. Roiland initially wanted the show's run time to consist of one eleven-minute segment, but Adult Swim pushed for a half-hour program.{{Cite news , first=Fred , last=Topel , date=December 2, 2013 , title=Exclusive Interview: Dan Harmon & Justin Roiland on 'Rick and Morty' , publisher=
CraveOnline Mandatory (formerly CraveOnline Media) is a lifestyle website based in Los Angeles with sales offices in New York City, Chicago and San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Fran ...
, url=http://www.craveonline.com/tv/interviews/612291-exclusive-interview-dan-harmon-justin-roiland-on-rick-and-morty , access-date=October 18, 2014 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141026042114/http://www.craveonline.com/tv/interviews/612291-exclusive-interview-dan-harmon-justin-roiland-on-rick-and-morty , archive-date=October 26, 2014 , url-status=live
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 Aw ...
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 is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
lot in Dan Harmon's unfurnished ''Community'' office.{{Cite AV media notes , work=Rick and Morty season 1 , title=Commentary for the episode "Pilot" , first=Dan , last=Harmon , year=2014 , medium=Blu-ray Disc , publisher=Warner Bros. Home Entertainment The duo had broken the story that day, sold the pilot, and then sat down to write.{{Cite AV media notes , work=Rick and Morty season 1 , title=Commentary for the episode "Pilot" , first=Justin , last=Roiland , year=2014 , medium=Blu-ray Disc , publisher=Warner Bros. Home Entertainment 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. Adult Swim was initially 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 Michael Lazzo (born April 10, 1958) is a retired American television producer and the former executive vice president in charge of the Adult Swim programming block of Cartoon Network, and its production arm, Williams Street. Life and career Laz ...
. Adult Swim placed a tamer
TV-14 The TV Parental Guidelines are a television content rating system in the United States that was first proposed on December 19, 1996, by the United States Congress, the television industry and the federal communication commission (FCC), and went ...
rating on the program, which initially was 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. 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 "Lawnmower Dog" is the second episode of ''Rick and Morty''. It premiered on Adult Swim on December 9, 2013, was written by Ryan Ridley, and directed by John Rice. In the episode, Rick gives Jerry a device to enhance the dog's intelligence while Ri ...
".{{Cite AV media , url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN61CU3njsE%2F , title=How One Guy Scored 'Rick and Morty', TV’s Weirdest Cartoon , type=
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
, people=Ryan Elder , publisher=Great Big Story , date=August 1, 2017 , access-date=August 3, 2017 , archive-date=March 25, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210325174837/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN61CU3njsE%2F , url-status=live


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 Mike McMahan is an American comedy writer and television producer. He is the creator of the animated comedies ''Solar Opposites'' (with Justin Roiland) and '' Star Trek: Lower Decks''. Career McMahan, a native of Chicago, first worked in pro ...
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 is the joint efforts of two different US labor unions representing TV and film writers: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), headquartered in New York City and affiliated with the AFL–CIO * The Writers Gu ...
, 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 Joseph John Campbell (March 26, 1904 – October 30, 1987) was an American writer. He was a professor of literature at Sarah Lawrence College who worked in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work covers many aspects of the ...
's
monomyth In narratology and comparative mythology, the hero's journey, or the monomyth, is the common template of stories that involve a hero who goes on an adventure, is victorious in a decisive crisis, and comes home changed or transformed. Earlie ...
, 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 Toon Boom Animation Inc. is a Canadian software company that specializes in animation production and storyboarding software. Founded in 1994 and based in Montreal, Quebec, Toon Boom develops animation and storyboarding software for film, televi ...
, a vector-based 2D
puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods or strings to move ...
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., and used in the post-production process of film making, video games and television production. Among other things, After Eff ...
, and background art is done in
Adobe Photoshop Adobe Photoshop is a raster graphics editor developed and published by Adobe Inc. for Windows and macOS. It was originally created in 1988 by Thomas and John Knoll. Since then, the software has become the industry standard not only in rast ...
. Production of animation is handled by
Bardel Entertainment Bardel Entertainment, Inc. is a Canadian animation studio founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1987. The studio's name comes from its founders, Barry Ward and his wife Delna Bhesania. Bardel is involved in the acquisition, developmen ...
in Vancouver, Canada. 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 Ward Taylor Pendleton Johnston (born September 23, 1982), known professionally as Pendleton Ward or simply Pen Ward, is an American animator, screenwriter, producer, director, and voice actor who has worked for Cartoon Network Studios, Frederat ...
(''
Adventure Time ''Adventure Time'' is an American fantasy animated television series created by Pendleton Ward for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. The series follows the adventures of a boy named Finn (Jeremy Shada) and ...
'') and
J. G. Quintel James Garland Quintel is an American animator, voice actor, director, writer, producer, and storyboard artist. He is best known as the creator of the Cartoon Network series ''Regular Show'' (2010–2017), in which he voiced Mordecai and High Fi ...
(''
Regular Show ''Regular Show'' (known as ''Regular Show in Space'' during its 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 course of eight seasons a ...
''): "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 Michael John Kricfalusi ( ; born September 9, 1955), known professionally as John K., is a Canadian illustrator, blogger, voice actor and former animator. He is the creator of the animated television series ''The Ren & Stimpy Show'', which was ...
's ''
The Ren & Stimpy Show ''The Ren & Stimpy Show'' (also known as ''Ren & Stimpy'') is an American animated television series created by Canadian animator John Kricfalusi. Originally produced by Spümcø for Nickelodeon, the series aired from August 11, 1991, to Dece ...
'' 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.{{Cite AV media , url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANE1Bz7Qk0c%2F , title=Rick and Morty Panel SDCC 2014 , type=
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
, time=20:43 , people=Justin Roiland , publisher=Adult Swim , date=July 31, 2014 , access-date=November 15, 2017 , archive-date=July 9, 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709193705/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANE1Bz7Qk0c%2F , url-status=live
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.


Broadcast and ratings


Episodes

{{main, List of Rick and Morty episodes {{:List of Rick and Morty episodes In May 2012, Adult Swim unveiled its development slate that included a ''Rick and Morty'' pilot 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 Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...
'', 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 All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which may ...
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.{{cite magazine , url=https://ew.com/tv/2017/09/26/rick-morty-dan-harmon-interview/ , title='Rick and Morty' Co-Creator Answers Our Burning Season 3 Questions , last=Hibberd , first=James , magazine=Entertainment Weekly , date=September 26, 2017 , access-date=October 1, 2017 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001121546/http://ew.com/tv/2017/09/26/rick-morty-dan-harmon-interview/ , archive-date=October 1, 2017 , url-status=live 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 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.{{Cite web, url=https://www.deadline.com/2022/07/rick-and-morty-season-six-september-adult-swim-1235078808/amp/, title='Rick And Morty' Season 6 Gets September Premiere Date On Adult Swim, last=Evans, first=Greg, date=July 27, 2022, access-date=August 1, 2022, archive-date=July 29, 2022, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220729210219/https://deadline.com/2022/07/rick-and-morty-season-six-september-adult-swim-1235078808/amp/, url-status=live


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.{{Cite web , author=Tom Huddleston Jr. , date=October 1, 2017 , title=Millennials' Favorite TV Show Is Adult Swim's 'Rick and Morty' , url=http://fortune.com/2017/09/30/why-adult-swims-rick-and-morty-is-millennials-favorite-tv-show/ , url-status=live , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127112734/http://fortune.com/2017/09/30/why-adult-swims-rick-and-morty-is-millennials-favorite-tv-show/ , archive-date=January 27, 2018 , access-date=March 8, 2018 , website=
Fortune Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (1931 film) ...
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 Western 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 20 ...
," 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 consist viewership especially when competing against shows like '' The Walking Dead'' in the same time slot. The season five premier episode was posted on YouTube and had 1.7 million views within the first 12 hours. The television premier saw 1.9 million views. The premier of season six was shown on September 4, 2022, and saw the highest ratings in telecast for women age 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.


Streaming service and home media

The show is available to watch in its entirety on
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
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 streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television series ...
and
HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Ne ...
. 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 , 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 are also wheelchair div ...
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 network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
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 (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...
on January 10, 2016; and in
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...
, it premiered on
Télétoon Télétoon (styled as TĒLĒTOON) is a Canadian French language specialty channel owned by Teletoon Canada, Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment. Its name is a portmanteau of " télévision" and "cartoon". As of 2013, along with its Englis ...
's
Télétoon la nuit Télétoon la nuit (branded as TÉLÉTOON la Nuit; formerly Le détour sur Télétoon and Télétoon Dechaîne!, then Télétoon Détour) is a Canadian French language late night programming block that targets older teen and adult audiences whic ...
block on May 18, 2018. The 11-episode first season was released by
Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Vide ...
on DVD (2-disc set) and
Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...
(single BD-50 disc) on October 7, 2014. Special features include commentary and animatics for every episode, deleted scenes, behind the scenes featurette and commentaries by special guests
Matt Groening Matthew Abram Groening ( ; born February 15, 1954) is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is the creator of the comic strip ''Life in Hell'' (1977–2012) and the television series ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), ''Fut ...
,
Robert Kirkman Robert Kirkman (; born November 30, 1978)Löchel, Ingo"The Walking Dead: Die Comic-Serie – Robert Kirkman" Zauberspiegel. Retrieved February 17, 2013. is an American comic book writer, screenwriter and television producer. He is best known ...
,
Pendleton Ward Ward Taylor Pendleton Johnston (born September 23, 1982), known professionally as Pendleton Ward or simply Pen Ward, is an American animator, screenwriter, producer, director, and voice actor who has worked for Cartoon Network Studios, Frederat ...
,
Al Jean Alfred Ernest Jean III (born January 9, 1961) is an American screenwriter and producer. Jean is well known for his work on ''The Simpsons''. He was raised near Detroit, Michigan, and graduated from Harvard University in 1981. Jean began his wri ...
and others. The 10-episode second season was released on DVD (2-disc set) and Blu-ray (single BD-50 disc) on June 7, 2016. Special features include behind the scenes, commentary and animatics for every episode, deleted animatic sketches and a "Plumbus Owner's Manual" booklet. The 10-episode third season, was released on DVD (2-disc set) and
Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...
(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. On February 12, 2019, a set containing seasons 1–3 was released on DVD and Blu-ray. Uncensored versions of the show are also available to purchase on various digital platforms, including
iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...
and
Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...
, with the digital releases of each season containing bonus material.{{cite web , url=https://www.inverse.com/article/30322-rick-and-morty-on-netflix-streaming-watch-hulu , title=Here's When 'Rick and Morty' Is Probably Coming to Netflix , last=Plante , first=Corey , date=April 14, 2017 , website=Inverse , access-date=December 25, 2017 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171226130358/https://www.inverse.com/article/30322-rick-and-morty-on-netflix-streaming-watch-hulu , archive-date=December 26, 2017 , url-status=live The digital release of the first season includes the 2013 ''Rick and Morty''
Comic-Con A comic book convention or comic-con is an event with a primary focus on comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events hosted at co ...
panel, the digital release of the second season includes the 2015
ATX Television Festival ATX Television Festival is an annual event based in Austin, Texas, that celebrates and showcases the past, present, and future of the television industry. Screenings, Q&As, cast reunions, and industry panel discussions take place over four days an ...
panel, and the digital release of the third season includes commentary on every episode, as well as seven more short videos featuring co-creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland.


Themes and analysis


Comedic style

The general formula of ''Rick and Morty'' consists of the juxtaposition of two conflicting scenarios: an extremely selfish, alcoholic grandfather dragging his grandson along for interdimensional adventures, intercut with domestic family drama. Co-creator
Dan Harmon Daniel James Harmon (born January 3, 1973) is an American writer, producer, and actor. He is best known as the creator and producer of the NBC/Yahoo! Screen sitcom ''Community'' (2009–2015), creator and host of the comedy podcast '' Harmontow ...
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 the creator of the comic strip ''Life in Hell'' (1977–2012) and the television series ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), ''Fut ...
's two shows ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...
'' and ''
Futurama ''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of the professional slacker Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1000 years ...
'', balancing family life with heavy science fiction.{{Cite news , first=Bradford , last=Evans , date=December 2, 2013 , title=Talking to Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland About Their New Adult Swim Show, 'Rick and Morty' , publisher=
Splitsider ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker'' ...
, url=http://splitsider.com/2013/12/talking-to-dan-harmon-and-justin-roiland-about-their-new-adult-swim-show-rick-and-morty/ , access-date=October 18, 2014 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023015809/http://splitsider.com/2013/12/talking-to-dan-harmon-and-justin-roiland-about-their-new-adult-swim-show-rick-and-morty/ , archive-date=October 23, 2014 , url-status=live
The series is inspired by British-style storytelling, as opposed to traditional American family TV stories.{{Cite news , first=Ivan , last=Cohen , date=January 24, 2014 , title=Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland on Rick and Morty, How Community Is Like Star Trek, and Puberty , work=
Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...
, url=https://vulture.com/2014/01/rick-and-morty-dan-harmon-and-justin-roiland-interview.html , access-date=October 18, 2014 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140706120428/http://www.vulture.com/2014/01/rick-and-morty-dan-harmon-and-justin-roiland-interview.html , archive-date=July 6, 2014 , url-status=live
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'' (sometimes referred to as ''HG2G'', ''HHGTTG'', ''H2G2'', or ''tHGttG'') is a comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a 1978 radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, it ...
'' and ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...
''. 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, we idolize the Doctor, but we don't think like him, and that's really interesting."{{cite web , url=http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2013/11/dan-harmon-rick-and-morty-will-be-the-doctor-who-of-adult-swim-cartoons.html , title=Dan Harmon: ''Rick and Morty'' will be the ''Doctor Who'' of Adult Swim cartoons , work=From Inside the Box , publisher=Zap2it , date=November 25, 2013 , access-date=November 26, 2013 , last=Schwartz , first=Terri , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131130024125/http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2013/11/dan-harmon-rick-and-morty-will-be-the-doctor-who-of-adult-swim-cartoons.html , archive-date=November 30, 2013 Occasionally, characters will acknowledge an episode's narrative or hint at the presence of a
fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance 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. From the 16th cen ...
, 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 weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' notes that ''Rick and Morty'' "supplies an artful answer to the question of what follows
postmodernism Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by skepticism toward the " grand narratives" of modern ...
: a decadent regurgitation of all its tropes, all at once, leavened by some humanistic wistfulness." Sean Sebastian of ''
Junkee Junkee is an Australian popular culture and news website run by new media company Junkee Media. It covers various topics including film, university, food, TV, politics, travel, career, health and Internet culture. Its target demographic is 18- to ...
'' 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."{{cite web , url=http://junkee.com/the-mad-genius-of-adult-swims-rick-and-morty/62141 , title=The Mad Genius of Adult Swim's 'Rick And Morty' , last=Sebastian , first=Sean , date=July 28, 2015 , website=Junkee , access-date=August 14, 2018 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180814104116/http://junkee.com/the-mad-genius-of-adult-swims-rick-and-morty/62141 , archive-date=August 14, 2018 , url-status=live


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 Cosmicism is the literary philosophy developed and used by the American writer H. P. Lovecraft in his fiction. Lovecraft was a writer of philosophically intense horror stories that involve occult phenomena like astral possession and alien mi ...
. 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 ordinary English usage, has at least three meanings: asserting that any particular statement or allegation is not true (which might be accurate or inaccurate); the refusal of a request; and asserting that a true statement is not true. ...
, 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, and opines that "the knowledge that nothing matters—while accurate—gets you nowhere". 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. However, instead of sinking into depression, Morty accepts these truths that empower him to value his own life.


Reception


Critical reception

{{Television critical response , link1 = Rick and Morty (season 1)#Reception , rotten_tomatoes1 = 96% (28 reviews) , metacritic1 = 85 (8 reviews) , link2 = Rick and Morty (season 2)#Reception , rotten_tomatoes2 = 91% (13 reviews) , metacritic2 = , link3 = Rick and Morty (season 3)#Reception , rotten_tomatoes3 = 96% (10 reviews) , metacritic3 = , link4 = Rick and Morty (season 4)#Reception , rotten_tomatoes4 = 94% (31 reviews) , metacritic4 = 84 (5 reviews) , link5 = Rick and Morty (season 5)#Reception , rotten_tomatoes5 = 95% (22 reviews) , metacritic5 = 89 (5 reviews) , link6 = Rick and Morty (season 6)#Reception , rotten_tomatoes6 = 95% (47 reviews) , metacritic6 = 86 (4 reviews) ''Rick and Morty'' holds an average approval rating of 95% on review aggregator website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American 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, and Stephen Wan ...
for the entire series.{{cite web, url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/rick-and-morty/, title=Rick and Morty, website=
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American 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, and Stephen Wan ...
, publisher=
Fandango Media Fandango Media, LLC is an American ticketing company that sells movie tickets via their website as well as through their mobile app, as well as a provider of television and streaming media information through its subsidiary Rotten Tomatoes. ...
, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190710091815/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/rick-and-morty/, archive-date=July 10, 2019, url-status=live, access-date=September 8, 2022
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 Michael H. de Young. The pa ...
'' 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. The series follows the adventures of the professional slacker Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1000 years ...
'', ''
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 ...
'' and even ''
Beetlejuice ''Beetlejuice'' is a 1988 American fantasy horror comedy film directed by Tim Burton, written by Michael McDowell, Larry Wilson, and Warren Skaaren, produced by The Geffen Company, distributed by Warner Bros., and starring Alec Baldwin, ...
''", ultimately opining that its humor felt "entirely original".{{Cite news , url=http://www.sfgate.com/tv/article/Rick-and-Morty-review-Funny-and-edgy-5011147.php , title=''Rick and Morty'' review: Funny and edgy , work=San Francisco Chronicle , date=November 26, 2013 , access-date=November 26, 2013 , last=Weigand , first=David , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131126071924/http://www.sfgate.com/tv/article/Rick-and-Morty-review-Funny-and-edgy-5011147.php , archive-date=November 26, 2013 , url-status=live
Neil Genzlinger Neil Genzlinger is an American playwright, editor, book reviewer, and theatre and television critic who frequently writes for ''The New York Times''. Family Genzlinger is a grandson of the late '' The Philadelphia Bulletin'' columnist Don Rose. ...
of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' praised the series and stated that it was "Grandparenting at its unhinged finest."{{Cite news , url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/02/arts/television/rick-and-morty-on-adult-swim.html , title=A Warm and Fuzzy Grandpa? Well, Not Exactly: 'Rick and Morty' on Adult Swim , work=The New York Times , date=December 1, 2013 , access-date=December 7, 2013 , last=Genzlinger , first=Neil , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207163251/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/02/arts/television/rick-and-morty-on-adult-swim.html , archive-date=December 7, 2013 , url-status=live 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 to continue watching, ''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 Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' 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".{{Cite journal , url=https://variety.com/2013/tv/reviews/rick-and-morty-tv-review-cartoon-network-adult-swim-1200883197/ , title=TV Review: ''Rick and Morty'' , last=Spangler , first=Todd , journal=Variety , date=December 1, 2013 , access-date=December 1, 2013 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131201172010/http://variety.com/2013/tv/reviews/rick-and-morty-tv-review-cartoon-network-adult-swim-1200883197/ , archive-date=December 1, 2013 , url-status=live 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.{{Cite news , url=https://avclub.com/review/dan-harmons-new-series-is-a-warped-take-on-the-doc-106087 , title=Dan Harmon's new series is a warped take on the Doc Brown/Marty McFly dynamic , work=The A.V. Club , date=December 2, 2013 , access-date=December 3, 2013 , last=Sims , first=David , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203134639/http://www.avclub.com/review/dan-harmons-new-series-is-a-warped-take-on-the-doc-106087 , archive-date=December 3, 2013 , url-status=live


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 (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also the ...
Mike McMahan have gone on to co-create '' Solar Opposites'', an animated sci-fi sitcom that has been frequently compared to ''Rick and Morty''.{{Cite web , last=Jones , first=Marcus , date=2022-10-13 , title=What Exactly Made ‘Rick and Morty’ One of Hollywood’s Most Influential Writers Rooms , url=https://www.indiewire.com/2022/10/rick-and-morty-writers-avengers-star-trek-1234771086/ , access-date=2022-11-21 , website=
IndieWire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Holl ...
, language=en
McMahan also went on to create ''
Star Trek: Lower Decks ''Star Trek: Lower Decks'' is an American adult-oriented animated television series created by Mike McMahan for the streaming service CBS All Access (later rebranded as Paramount+). It is the ninth '' Star Trek'' series and was launched in 20 ...
''. Writer Michael Waldron would go on to write for '' 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 '' Avengers: The Kang Dynasty''. Erica Hayes, the show's storyboard writer and directer, went on to work for Netflix's '' Big Mouth''.
Alex Hirsch Alexander Robert Hirsch (born June 18, 1985) is an American voice actor, animator, writer, storyboard artist, and producer. He is the creator of the Disney Channel series ''Gravity Falls'', for which he provided the voices of Grunkle Stan, Soos ...
, 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 Pete Michels is an American animation director who is the supervising director of ''Future-Worm!'' on Disney XD. Prior, he was a supervising director on seasons 1 and 2 of ''Rick and Morty'', an animation and supervising director on ''Family Guy'' ...
, directer of over twenty ''Rick and Morty'' episodes, was also a director of two episodes of ''Inside Job''.


Awards and nominations

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; width:99%;" , - ! Year ! Award ! Category ! style="width:38%;" , Nominee(s) ! Result ! class=unsortable, {{Abbr, Ref., Reference , - , style="text-align:center;", 2014 , IGN Awards , Best TV Animated Series , rowspan="5" , ''Rick and Morty'' , {{nom , style="text-align:center;", , - , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;", 2015 ,
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 cinema and television. Originally des ...
, Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production , {{nom , style="text-align:center;", {{cite web , title=42nd annual Annie Awards categories and nominees , url=http://annieawards.org/nominees/ , website=annieawards.org , author=Staff , access-date=December 14, 2014 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141214091232/http://annieawards.org/nominees/ , archive-date=December 14, 2014 , - , IGN Awards , Best Animated Series , {{won , style="text-align:center;", , - , rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;", 2017 ,
Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards is an annual awards show that airs on the Fox television network. The awards honor the year's biggest achievements in music, film, sports, television, fashion, social media, and more, voted by viewers living in the United ...
, Choice Animated TV Show , {{nom , style="text-align:center;", , - , rowspan="5" , IGN Awards , TV Series of the Year , {{nom , style="text-align:center;", {{cite web , url=https://ign.com/wikis/best-of-2017-awards/TV_Series_of_the_Year , title=TV Series of the Year — Best of 2017 Awards — IGN , website=IGN , access-date=January 16, 2018 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180114175324/http://www.ign.com/wikis/best-of-2017-awards/TV_Series_of_the_Year , archive-date=January 14, 2018 , url-status=live , - , Best TV Episode , "
The Ricklantis Mixup "The Ricklantis Mixup" (also known as "Tales from the Citadel") is the seventh episode of the third season of ''Rick and Morty'', and the twenty-eighth episode of the series overall. It premiered on Adult Swim on September 10, 2017. It was writte ...
" , {{nom , style="text-align:center;", {{cite web , url=https://ign.com/wikis/best-of-2017-awards/Best_TV_Episode , title=Best TV Episode — Best of 2017 Awards — IGN , website=IGN , access-date=January 16, 2018 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227001242/http://www.ign.com/wikis/best-of-2017-awards/Best_TV_Episode , archive-date=December 27, 2017 , url-status=live , - , Best Animated Series , rowspan="2" , ''Rick and Morty'' , {{won , style="text-align:center;", {{cite web , url=https://ign.com/wikis/best-of-2017-awards/Best_Animated_Series , title=Best Animated Series — Best of 2017 Awards — IGN , website=IGN , access-date=January 16, 2018 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117090440/http://www.ign.com/wikis/best-of-2017-awards/Best_Animated_Series , archive-date=January 17, 2018 , url-status=live , - , Best Comedy Series , {{nom , style="text-align:center;", {{cite web , url=https://ign.com/wikis/best-of-2017-awards/Best_Comedy_Series , title=Best Comedy Series — Best of 2017 Awards — IGN , website=IGN , access-date=January 16, 2018 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117131135/http://www.ign.com/wikis/best-of-2017-awards/Best_Comedy_Series , archive-date=January 17, 2018 , url-status=live , - , Best Comedic TV Performance ,
Justin Roiland Mark Justin Roiland (born February 21, 1980) is an American voice actor, animator, writer, producer, and director. He is best known as the co-creator of Adult Swim's ''Rick and Morty'' and its subsequent franchise. He voices the show's titular ...
, {{won , style="text-align:center;", {{cite web , url=https://ign.com/wikis/best-of-2017-awards/Best_Comedic_TV_Performance , title=Best Comedic TV Performance — Best of 2017 Awards — IGN , website=IGN , access-date=January 16, 2018 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117083359/http://www.ign.com/wikis/best-of-2017-awards/Best_Comedic_TV_Performance , archive-date=January 17, 2018 , url-status=live , - , rowspan="8" style="text-align:center;", 2018 , Critics' Choice Television Awards , Best Animated Series , ''Rick and Morty'' , {{won , style="text-align:center;", , - , rowspan="2" ,
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 cinema and television. Originally des ...
, Best General Audience Animated Television/Broadcast Production , "
Pickle Rick "Pickle Rick" is the third episode of the third season of the Adult Swim animated television series ''Rick and Morty''. Written by Jessica Gao and directed by Anthony Chun, the episode premiered on August 6, 2017. In "Pickle Rick", the eccentric ...
" , {{won , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;", , - , Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production , Ryan Ridley, Dan Guterman {{nowrap, (for "
The Ricklantis Mixup "The Ricklantis Mixup" (also known as "Tales from the Citadel") is the seventh episode of the third season of ''Rick and Morty'', and the twenty-eighth episode of the series overall. It premiered on Adult Swim on September 10, 2017. It was writte ...
") , {{won , - , Golden Reel Awards , Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Animation Short Form , Hunter Curra, Kailand Reily, Andrew Twite, Joy Elett, Jeff Halbert and Konrad Pinon {{nowrap, (for "
Pickle Rick "Pickle Rick" is the third episode of the third season of the Adult Swim animated television series ''Rick and Morty''. Written by Jessica Gao and directed by Anthony Chun, the episode premiered on August 6, 2017. In "Pickle Rick", the eccentric ...
") , {{nom , style="text-align:center;", , - ,
Saturn Awards The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...
, Best Animated Series or Film on Television , rowspan="2" , ''Rick and Morty'' , {{nom , style="text-align:center;", , - ,
Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards is an annual awards show that airs on the Fox television network. The awards honor the year's biggest achievements in music, film, sports, television, fashion, social media, and more, voted by viewers living in the United ...
, Choice Animated TV Show , {{nom , style="text-align:center;", , - , rowspan="2" ,
Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
, Outstanding Animated Program ,
Dan Harmon Daniel James Harmon (born January 3, 1973) is an American writer, producer, and actor. He is best known as the creator and producer of the NBC/Yahoo! Screen sitcom ''Community'' (2009–2015), creator and host of the comedy podcast '' Harmontow ...
,
Justin Roiland Mark Justin Roiland (born February 21, 1980) is an American voice actor, animator, writer, producer, and director. He is best known as the co-creator of Adult Swim's ''Rick and Morty'' and its subsequent franchise. He voices the show's titular ...
, Delna Bhesania, Barry Ward, Keith Crofford,
Mike Lazzo Michael Lazzo (born April 10, 1958) is a retired American television producer and the former executive vice president in charge of the Adult Swim programming block of Cartoon Network, and its production arm, Williams Street. Life and career Laz ...
, Ryan Ridley,
Dan Guterman Dan Guterman is a Canadian television writer and producer based in the United States. He was a writer for the satirical website '' The Onion'' between 1999 and 2010. He has also worked on '' The Colbert Report'', '' Community'', and ''Rick and Mo ...
,
Mike McMahan Mike McMahan is an American comedy writer and television producer. He is the creator of the animated comedies ''Solar Opposites'' (with Justin Roiland) and '' Star Trek: Lower Decks''. Career McMahan, a native of Chicago, first worked in pro ...
, Tom Kauffman,
Ollie Green Ollie Green is an American producer and production manager. She has won five Primetime Emmy Awards and been nominated for nine more in the categories Outstanding Animated Program and Outstanding Short Form Animated Program for her work on the ...
, J. Michael Mendel,
Jessica Gao Jessica Gao (born January 2, 1984) is an American television writer and producer, who was creator and head writer of the TV series '' She-Hulk: Attorney at Law''. She also worked on the third season of ''Rick and Morty'', writing the episode " P ...
,
Wes Archer Wes Archer is an American television animation director and storyboard artist. Career Archer was one of the original three animators (along with David Silverman and Bill Kopp) on ''The Simpsons'', Tracey Ullman shorts, and subsequently direc ...
, Anthony Chun and Nathan Litz {{nowrap, (for "
Pickle Rick "Pickle Rick" is the third episode of the third season of the Adult Swim animated television series ''Rick and Morty''. Written by Jessica Gao and directed by Anthony Chun, the episode premiered on August 6, 2017. In "Pickle Rick", the eccentric ...
") , {{won , rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;", , - , Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media within a Scripted Program , " Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality" , {{nom , - , style="text-align:center;", 2020 ,
Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
, Outstanding Animated Program , Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Mike McMahan, Scott Marder, Keith Crofford, Rick Mischel, Richard Grieve, Mike Lazzo, Rob Schrab, James Siciliano, Wes Archer, Michael Waldron, Nick Rutherford, Lee Harting, Ollie Green, Sydney Ryan, J. Michael Mendel, Jacob Hair, Nathan Litz,
Jeff Loveness Jeff Loveness is an American screenwriter, television producer, actor, and comic book writer who has worked on the television series ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' and ''Rick and Morty,'' as well as the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe films '' Ant-M ...
and Albro Lundy {{nowrap, (for " The Vat of Acid Episode") , {{won , - , rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;", 2021 , rowspan="2" ,
Critics' Choice Super Awards The Critics' Choice Super Awards is an awards show presented annually by the Critics Choice Association to honor the finest in genre fiction film, television and home media releases, including action, superhero, horror, science fiction, fanta ...
, Best Animated Series , ''Rick and Morty'' , {{nom , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;", , - , Best Voice Actor in an Animated Series , Justin Roiland , {{nom , - ,
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 cinema and television. Originally des ...
, Best General Audience Animated Television/Broadcast Production , ''Rick and Morty'' {{nowrap, (for " The Vat of Acid Episode") , {{nom , align=center, , - ,
American Cinema Editors Awards Founded in 1950, American Cinema Editors (ACE) is an honorary society of film editors that are voted in based on the qualities of professional achievements, their education of others, and their dedication to editing. Members use the post-nominal ...
, Best Edited Animation (Non-Theatrical) , Lee Harting {{nowrap, (for "
Rattlestar Ricklactica "Rattlestar Ricklactica" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the Adult Swim animated television series ''Rick and Morty''. The 36th episode overall, it was written by James Siciliano and directed by Jacob Hair, and was broadcast on Dece ...
") , {{won , align=center, , - ,
Saturn Awards The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...
, Best Animated Series on Television , ''Rick and Morty'' , {{nom , align=center, , - , rowspan="4", {{center, 2022 ,
American Cinema Editors Awards Founded in 1950, American Cinema Editors (ACE) is an honorary society of film editors that are voted in based on the qualities of professional achievements, their education of others, and their dedication to editing. Members use the post-nominal ...
, Best Edited Animation (Non-Theatrical) , Lee Harting (for "Gotron Jerrysis Rickvangelion") , {{nom , style="text-align:center;", , - , Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards , Best Broadcast Network or Cable Animated Series or Television Movie , ''Rick and Morty'' , {{won , align="center", , - ,
Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
, Outstanding Animated Program , Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Scott Marder, Keith Crofford, Ollie Green, Walter Newman, Richard Grieve, Rob Schrab, James Siciliano, Jeff Loveness, Sydney Ryan, J. Michael Mendel, Anne Lane, Albro Lundy, Nick Rutherford, Steve Levy, Lee Harting, David Marshall, Jacob Hair, Nathan Litz, and Wes Archer (for "
Mort Dinner Rick Andre "Mort Dinner Rick Andre" is the premiere episode of the fifth season of the Adult Swim animated television series ''Rick and Morty''. It is the 42nd episode of the series overall. Written by Jeff Loveness and directed by Jacob Hair, the episode ...
") , {{nom , align="center", , - , Artios Awards , Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Animated Series , Ruth Lambert, Robert McGee , {{pending , align="center", , -


Other media and products


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 is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
. 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 film director, producer, screenwriter, and cinematographer. He made his feature film debut in 2004 with '' Dawn of the Dead'', a remake of the 1978 horror film of the same name. Since t ...
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 ''Vindicators'' is a one or two player arcade game released by Atari Games in 1988. Home ports were by Tengen. ''Vindicators'' was not licensed by Nintendo and used an alternate chip to defeat the 10NES lockout system. Ports were planned for th ...
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 known by various alternative titles), sometimes abbreviated as ''ATHF'' or ''Aqua Teen'', is an American adult animated television series created by Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro for Cartoon Network's late ni ...
'', '' Robot Chicken'', and ''
Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell In Modern English, ''you'' is the second-person pronoun. It is grammatically plural, and was historically used only for the dative case, but in most modern dialects is used for all cases and numbers. History ''You'' comes from the Proto- ...
''. 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, 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. Until recently, it was only found on the island state of Tasmania, but it has been reintroduced to New South Wales in ...
but say they were disgusted by the results; thus, they voluntarily give him back to LeBron and the Looney Tunes by dropping him on their rocket's windshield. Notably, they are the only characters featured from any property held by producer Warner Bros. (under its Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics division since 2019) through subsidiary
Turner Broadcasting Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (alternatively known as Turner Entertainment Networks from 2019 until 2022) was an American television and media conglomerate. Founded by Ted Turner and based in Atlanta, Georgia, it merged with Time Warner (lat ...
, one that would hold a variety of animated characters through Adult Swim,
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, ...
, or any affiliation or collaboration with them.


Television

Rick and Morty were featured in the
couch gag The opening sequence of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' is among the most popular opening sequences in television. It is accompanied by " ''The Simpsons'' Theme", one of television's most recognizable theme songs. The fi ...
at the beginning of "
Mathlete's Feat "Mathlete's Feat" is the twenty-second and final episode of the twenty-sixth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'', and the 574th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United Stat ...
", the final episode of the twenty-sixth season of ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...
''. Said opening involved Rick accidentally killing the family when he crash-lands into their living room. He then requested that Morty take care of the cloning process while he fools around at the Simpson household, poorly playing Lisa's saxophone, taking at least one of Homer's Duff beers from their fridge, and freezing Ned Flanders when he comes by to check on them. The clones end up as half-Rick monstrosities since Rick had previously cleaned the DNA vials with his own saliva, a decision he realized would occur and regretted anyway. As he and Morty fly away, the clone of Bart exclaims "No more guest animators, man!", ending the opening.


Comics

{{Main, Rick and Morty (comics) On April 1, 2015, a ''Rick and Morty'' comic book adaptation debuted with its first monthly issue, entitled "BAM!"{{cite web , url=http://www.comicbookdb.com/issue.php?ID=332793 , title=Rick and Morty (2015) - #1 , publisher=Comicbookdb , access-date=April 8, 2015 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414034652/http://www.comicbookdb.com/issue.php?ID=332793 , archive-date=April 14, 2015 , url-status=live The series was initially written by Zac Gorman and illustrated by CJ Cannon.{{cite web , url=https://comicbook.com/2015/01/22/rick-and-morty-comic-book-preview-revealed/ , title=Rick and Morty Comic Book Preview Revealed , publisher=Comicbook.com , date=January 22, 2015 , access-date=April 8, 2015 , last=Steinbeiser , first=Andrew , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416031032/http://comicbook.com/2015/01/22/rick-and-morty-comic-book-preview-revealed/ , archive-date=April 16, 2015 , url-status=live 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 conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...
of the show. From the third volume onwards, with the departure of Gorman as written 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.{{cite web , last=Johnston , first=Rich , date=September 23, 2019 , title=The ''Rick and Morty'' Comic Series to End With #60 , url=https://bleedingcool.com/comics/rick-and-morty-comic-series-60 , access-date=September 23, 2019 , website=
Bleeding Cool Bleeding Cool is an Internet news site, focusing on comics, television, film, board games, and video games. Owned by Avatar Press, it was launched by Rich Johnston on March 27, 2009. Avatar Press also publishes an associated magazine, ''Bleeding ...
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 (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical Studies Rules ...
'' was released. The series titled '' Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons'' is co-written by
Jim Zub Jim Zubkavich, known professionally as Jim Zub, is a Canadian comic book writer, artist, and art instructor best known for creating comics ''Skullkickers'' (2010), '' Wayward'' (2014), ''and Glitterbomb'' (2016) for Image Comics, and writing on ...
and
Patrick Rothfuss Patrick James Rothfuss (born June 6, 1973) is an American author. He is best known for his duology ''The Kingkiller Chronicle'', which has won him several awards, including the 2007 Quill Award for his debut novel, ''The Name of the Wind''. Its ...
, and art by
Troy Little Troy Little (born 7 March 1973) is a Canadian cartoonist working in comic books and animation. He is known for ''Chiaroscuro'', a graphic novel whose first volume (out of three) was developed between 2000 and 2005 under his Meanwhile, Studios impr ...
. 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 Jim Zubkavich, known professionally as Jim Zub, is a Canadian comic book writer, artist, and art instructor best known for creating comics ''Skullkickers'' (2010), '' Wayward'' (2014), ''and Glitterbomb'' (2016) for Image Comics, and writing on ...
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 is known for ''Chiaroscuro'', a graphic novel whose first volume (out of three) was developed between 2000 and 2005 under his Meanwhile, Studios impr ...
. 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 prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...
.


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 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In tempera ...
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 is an American international fast food restaurant chain founded by Dave Thomas (1932–2002) on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio. Its headquarters moved to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. As of December 31, 2018, Wendy's was t ...
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 Uber Eats is an online food ordering and delivery platform launched by Uber in 2014. Meals are delivered by couriers using cars, scooters, bikes, or on foot. It is operational in over 6,000 cities across 45 countries as of 2021. The process of ...
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 ''Death Stranding'' is a 2019 action game developed by Kojima Productions and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. It is the first game from director Hideo Kojima and Kojima Productions after their split from Kona ...
''. The ad involves Rick and Morty traversing the world of Death Stranding and to deliver packages to stations in order to rebuild human civilization while trying to avoid being harmed by hostiles.{{cite web, last=Brayson, first=Johnny, date=2019-11-06, title=Rick And Morty Meets Death Stranding In Hilarious Crossover Video, url=https://www.looper.com/173614/rick-and-morty-meets-death-stranding-in-hilarious-crossover-video/, access-date=2021-11-12, website=Looper.com, language=en-US, archive-date=November 12, 2021, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211112222550/https://www.looper.com/173614/rick-and-morty-meets-death-stranding-in-hilarious-crossover-video/, url-status=live


Notes

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References

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External links

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