Back in 2018, it felt like Rick And Morty was set up to run forever. In the wake of the show's third season, Adult Swim opted to make a long term commitment to the sci-fi comedy series by ordering 70 more episodes, and the end of that deal seemed an eternity away. Six years later, however, the show has now aired its seventh season, which means there are only three guaranteed seasons left.
Fans find themselves wondering what the future of Rick And Morty looks like once the 2018 contract is fulfilled... and it's a mystery.
During a recent interview with series co-creator Dan Harmon, Variety asked about where things stand with the show in relation to its epic renewal. Because episodes are written faster than they are aired, the finish line is now in sight for the Rick And Morty's writers and animators. Harmon explained,
We’re in the homestretch. We’re always one to two seasons ahead of what’s happening on screen in the writers’ room. Roughly it’s around ten episodes left to write before we will be done with the 70. So, my job right now is to be working on the final 10 of that order. As for the question of what has everybody seen, where are they at? I think that puts them at 20 left.
You may note that timing puts the filmmakers of Rick And Morty in an interesting place. If the end of the 70-episode renewal (a.k.a. Season 10) is going to be the last run of the Adult Swim show, that means that the final 10 episodes will have a certain amount of pressure on them to wrap things up in a satisfying way. But if there is hope to continue on and make a Season 11, the assignment is completely different.
For what it's worth, it doesn't seem like Dan Harmon is feeling much pressure.
Dan Harmon Teases That The Future Of Rick And Morty Remains Open-Ended
The trade publication specifically asked what the plan is beyond the 70-episode order of Rick And Morty, and while Dan Harmon couldn't make any kind of specific comment about a plan, his chosen words make it sound like the series finale isn't coming up relatively soon. Said Harmon,
Plenty of time to figure it out. With something this satisfying for this many people, conversations like that happen all the time. And I would anticipate an announcement one way or the other about the future at some point in the future... I don’t want to get in trouble! But there will probably be news to come.
As noted in the interview, Dan Harmon is currently splitting most of his time working on Rick And Morty and Community: The Movie, which got the green light from Peacock about two years ago (and no, it's not Donald Glover's fault that development is taking so long). Rick And Morty Season 8 is on the way and likely coming in late 2024, but an official premiere date has not yet been announced.
You can keep track of all the shows that are set to launch between now and the end of the year with our 2024 TV Premiere Calendar.
