As weird as it may seem to think about, there have only been 31 episodes of Rick and Morty to show for the past 4 years. That's partly because every interval between seasons has been a lengthy one, with no end to that trend in sight. In fact, it looks like we might not get shwifty again until late 2019. Saying that there's no visible forward progress happening on the creative front, Rick and Morty writer Ryan Ridley explained this potentially depressing scenario:
As far as I know, no one's working on the show, and I'm certainly not. So I don't know what's going on, I haven't heard anything. They really take their time. I never understood why everybody -- all parties, Dan, Justin and Adult Swim -- didn't get their shit together and make the show fast. I just don't get it. It doesn't make any sense to me. I'm sure they all have their reasons. . . . I highly doubt there won't be [a Season 4]. I'm just shocked that it's taking [so long]. We got done writing Season 3 in November of last year, and here we are eleven months later. And then I know how long the show takes to write, let alone animate, so I would be surprised if there was a fourth season on the air any sooner than 2019, than late 2019.
So we hope you that you really, really enjoyed the adventures of Pickle Rick and that hilarious courtroom reenactment that the folks behind Rick and Morty brought us (even if the courtroom thing ended somewhat sadly), because that might be some of the only Rick and Morty that we're going to get for quite a while. For reasons that haven't been made entirely clear, nobody has yet pounced at the chance to get to work on Season 4, which means the show probably won't return for close to a year and a half, to account for the writing and animation processes. It's almost as if Mr. Poopy Butthole was onto something in that Season 3 finale.
In all honesty, Ryan Ridley's comments, made during his appearance on The Detroit Cast, shouldn't necessarily surprise anyone who has kept up with the behind-the-scenes lifespan of Rick and Morty over the years. Even with the assumed promise of more episodes next season, it doesn't change the fact that the wait for Season 3 was borderline torturous for many -- with the surprise Season 3 premiere in April only whetting our collective appetite even further after it was realized the rest of the season was coming much later.
Meanwhile, all of us will be sitting here waiting for Season 4 like Pickle Rick waiting for Beth, Morty, and Summer to return from family therapy so he can return to his human form.
CinemaBlend will bring you more information concerning Season 4 of Rick and Morty as new details on the beloved sci-fi comedy are made available to us. As for shows that are going to debut much sooner, make sure to take a glance at our midseason premiere guide and listen to the most recent episode of The Cord Cutter Podcast!
