Adult Swim’s brand of alternative comedy has not always appealed to everyone, but recently they seem to have found significant mainstream success. Although barely scratching the surface of its sophomore season, it seems we have confirmation that more Rick and Morty is on the way.
Based on the almost immediate success of the current season, Adult Swim just announced that the zany animated comedy would indeed receive a third. Created by Dan Harmon (Community) and Justin Roiland (Adventure Time), Rick and Morty follows the adventures of mad scientist Rick Sanchez and his grandson Morty across time and space – among other sci-fi realms.
Ever since its premiere last year, Rick and Morty has experienced an immense surge in popularity. The Season 2 premiere alone saw a vast improvement of viewership compared to the series premiere, and weekly audiences have continued to climb with each passing week. If things hold steady, Season 3 could establish Rick and Morty as one of the most popular modern TV shows in existence.
Co-creator Dan Harmon joked about the success:
“It's an honor to see Rick and Morty join the exclusive club of shows with over nineteen episodes … It's time to demand that the network allow us to draw the characters going to Hawaii.”
Rick and Morty seems to have struck a serious chord with viewers for its combination of high-concept sci-fi storylines and unforgivingly dark human drama. The show could easily have succeeded by lazily ripping off the Doc Brown and Marty McFly dynamic from Back to the Future – of which it obviously shares DNA – but it has struck out into its own territory in its short life to great effect. Rick and Morty has established a delicate balance, regularly doing send-offs of iconic pop culture – see: Inception, The Fantastic Voyage – but just as often adding to that zeitgeist with wholly original characters like Mr. Meeseeks. The show only continues to establish its voice, and Season 3 will no doubt bring a new combination of parody and ingenuity.
While consistently hilarious, Rick and Morty also consistently leaves viewers with some unsettling questions, including but not limited to: can we justify preventing murder if we don’t know the whole story? And is free will right for everyone? This last week even saw Rick attempt suicide – an act only prevented by his inability to remain conscious due to overwhelming inebriation. Such unrelenting somberness works because Harmon and Roiland imbue the show with so much more heart than the average cartoon that we emotionally invest in the outcome of such moments. At this stage we know very little about what Season 3 will bring, but as the show continues to establish its universe, it will almost assuredly bring new inventive new laughs, as well as tears.
We still have plenty of Rick and Morty to get through this season, but we can rest easy to know that Season 3 is still on the way. Rick and Morty airs at 11:30 PM on Sundays.
