The rise of Cartoon Network’s late-night alternative came at a time in which “adult animation” was itself a unique categorization, and not an entire subgenre filled with multiple shows that’ve aired for over a decade. Adult Swim cultivated and debuted many strange, experimental comedies over the course of the early-21st century, including the philosophically-charged science fiction epic The Venture Bros. and the superhero spoof Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. Nearly all of these shows waged a constant battle to avoid cancellation, but longevity was never in doubt for Rick and Morty, the one series that crossed over into mainstream popular culture. Rick and Morty was once fresh, but its currently-running ninth season has indicated that the fad hasn’t lasted.
Why Rick and Morty resonated when so many other Adult Swim shows remained niche can be explained by a few reasons. Showrunner and creator Dan Harmon had already developed a passionate following based on his work on Community, in which he debuted his “story circle” theory about the eight steps necessary within any narrative; that this "story circle” wasn’t much different than the “hero’s journey” imagined by Joseph Campbell didn’t matter, because Harmon’s frequent podcast appearances and panel showcases promoted the idea that his work was a more thoughtful version of a medium produced in mass. Rick and Morty also had the benefit of colorful, lightly-stylized animation that split the difference between the more avant-garde Adult Swim shows and traditional animated sitcoms, like Family Guy or Futurama. Rick and Morty originated as a parody of Back to the Future, but its genre-hopping, fast-paced intergalactic adventures have more in common with Jonny Quest and DuckTales.
Rick and Morty’s title is in reference to the two protagonists; the genius-level, narcissistic mad scientist Rick Sanchez ended up on the coach of his daughter’s family, and recruited his clumsy teenage grandson Morty Smith to aid in his experiments and adventures. The key to Rick and Morty’s success, at least initially, was its blend of creative sci-fi premises and cynicism. Each standalone episode managed to take a familiar cartoon set-up, mostly involving some sort of gimmick villain or subversive worldbuilding, and twist it into complicated directions before Rick’s brutal disregard for chivalry saves the day. Complex isn’t the same thing as nuanced, but the number of ideas produced by Rick and Morty within each installment was impressive, especially considering how starkly opposed it was to the status quo. The issue with long-running animated sitcoms, even brilliant ones like South Park and The Simpsons, is that nothing significant enough can happen that would alter the age of the characters, design of the environment, or basic premise, because the series are designed to be accessible for those who don’t watch from the beginning. Rick and Morty has found ways to reset itself, but not without costs. Even when ignoring the multiverse within the series that has given the characters any opportunity to return to the past, Rick and Morty has expressed skepticism that any acts of heroism will have a long-lasting impact on society at large.
The number of callbacks and unusually recurrent characters in Rick and Morty made it the ultimate “in-the-know” series; Harmon’s streamlined narrative style and detached sense-of-humor ensured that even unsubstantiated developments felt intentional. That Rick and Morty is now on its ninth season is a testament to the foundation formed early on by Harmon, even though he’s only served as a creative executive producer since the end of the show’s third year. Original voice actor Justin Roiland, who portrayed both of the titular characters, was fired after the sixth season after a reported domestic abuse and sexual impropriety emerged. Writers have circled in and out, and the public reputation of the Rick and Morty fanbase has plummeted; thanks to a vocal segment of viewers who spoke condescendingly about the show’s genius, Rick and Morty became the laughingstock of freshman philosophy.
Rick and Morty has become cleaner and less interesting. It was the response to The Simpsons that helped coined the term “Flanderization,” which was a reference to how the character of Ned Flanders steadily transformed from Homer’s kind-hearted neighbor to an exaggerated stereotype of a Bible-thumping, overbearing evangelical Christian. A majority of the supporting characters in Rick and Morty have suffered the same fate, with Rick’s daughter Beth (who’s also Morty’s mother) and her husband Jerry the most glaring examples. Initially, Jerry’s relative lack-of-ambition was seen as a compromise made by Beth after years spent growing up in the household of an inattentive father who was constantly whisked away on different space operas; the friction in their marriage was a result of different experiences, and it presented a notion that being unhappy together was preferable to searching for other partners late in life. By the time of Season 9, Jerry’s a caricature of a slovenly middle-aged man, and Beth’s function is to scold the two other men in her life.
The ninth season premiere, episode “There’s Something About Morty,” epitomizes what Rick and Morty’s recurring strengths and weaknesses are. The existence of Morty’s evil clone, who’s blackmailed Rick with the threat of destroying his family from existence, is a high-stakes premise, but one that’s purpose is to indicate the significance of the “real” Morty. The possibilities of the multiverse, while intriguing, are useful for speculation, and not reality; Morty’s a stabilizing force within his grandfather’s life, and his capacity to grow has given Rick a reason to be rooted in reality. The immediate profundity of this development is cast aside for the sake of a serialized storyline, in which the Evil Morty has searched for an equally “Evil” version of Rick to handle their reign of doom.
That nothing ever ends is the philosophy that all sitcoms are based on, but for Rick and Morty to reiterate that notion would be an acceptance of defeat. Recently, an announcement was made that a Rick and Morty film was in the works, and would presumably see Harmon in the role of the screenwriter. Cinematic releases for South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut and The Simpsons Movie helped their respective shows find a new creative resurgence, but Rick and Morty’s theatrical event might be better suited to be a grand finale.