The heightened craze of Rick and Morty fandom is approaching levels similar to those The Simpsons had back in its prime. Thankfully, there's not an ounce of bad blood between the two creative teams, as they've collaborated in the past for a couch gag that could one day be looked at as a ceremonial torch passing between two great animated shows. Now, The Simpsons is throwing another awesomely specific reference in next episode's opening credits that pays homage to the Szechuan Sauce craze:
Leave it to Maggie Simpson to be in the possession of the one item that would bring any Rick and Morty fan to their knees. For those that have been living under a rock-shaped alien, Szechuan Sauce has become a form of liquid gold in the pop culture community, with the masses having hounded McDonald's to bring back the temporarily marketed sauce ever since Rick Sanchez mentioned it in the opening episode of Season 3. Since then, McDonald's did indeed bring the sauce back in a Rick and Morty-less promotion that turned into a complaint-heavy debacle that went so poorly, the fast food giant is bringing back the sauce for real this winter to apologize for the first event.
Given that, it would come as little surprise if showrunner Al Jean's screenshot in this blurry tweet was currently up for auction on eBay for $1,000. Jokes aside, the saucy nod shows some love for the Rick and Morty crowd, and it might nudge a few of those fans to catch up on The Simpsons. With as long as it could take Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland to make Season 4, it's a legitimate possibility one could catch up on both shows by the time it hits Adult Swim.
As far as whether or not Rick and Morty will return the love from The Simpsons team when it returns for Season 4, we can only hope. The obvious nod would be to feature The Simpsons' resident aliens Kang and Kodos in the background of a universe that Rick Sanchez and his grandson Morty visit, although one would think the writing staff would try to aim a little higher with a reference. Perhaps Rick could con a universe of aliens into building a monorail, or become a good luck charm for the town's baseball team?
We'll have to see how things go, as Season 4 of Rick and Morty isn't appearing anytime soon, although that sweet reference will be seen on The Simpsons on Sunday, November 5th, at 8 p.m. ET. For more on either series, be sure to read up on the ratings milestone Season 3 of Rick and Morty hit, or how a guy dressed as Milhouse stole the show at a recent NBA game. This type of fandom can only be the result of fall programming coming back in season, and those without the slightest clue on where to catch the hottest shows should visit our fall premiere guide for all the details.
