The Man Who Really Saved Rick And Morty (No, Not Dan Harmon)
"Rick and Morty" is about to return for its seventh season, just over a year after season six hit the airwaves in September of 2022. For most shows, that wouldn't be all that remarkable, but in this case, it truly is. The wildly popular Adult Swim animated series had to weather replacing series co-creator Justin Roiland following various accusations of inappropriate behavior, which could have dismantled many shows. But for the first several years of the show's existence, its production schedule was highly irregular. Now? It's more or less like clockwork. That's largely thanks to one man: Scott Marder.
Coming aboard as showrunner in season 5, Marder brought a sense of order to the series that hadn't existed when Dan Harmon, of "Community" fame, was running the show alongside the previous showrunners. According to a new profile of Harmon in The Hollywood Reporter, Marder "brought a level of professionalism and structure to a production that sorely needed it." It also allowed Harmon to relax his grip on the show a bit. For what it's worth, since Marder took over, we've had a new season of "Rick and Morty" every year. Prior to that, it was roughly two years between seasons.
Marder's appointment as "a real showrunner" came about after the series scored a massive 70-episode renewal back in 2018. With a commitment like that, the show needed order, and Marder brought it. "Rick and Morty" writer Rob Schrab, a longtime friend of Harmon's, had this to say about Marder's role in the show's continued success:
"Dan is great as the person that's going to sit on top of the mountain demanding quality, but the day-to-day management of the show needs to be done by somebody with a very special skill set. Honestly, I don't think there'd still be a Rick and Morty if it weren't for Scott Marder."
Saving the show from itself
In the age of streaming dominance, TV show schedules are not as rigid as they once were in the days of network TV supremacy. Previously, a show was on the air with a new season once per year with remarkable regularity. There were only very rare exceptions to that rule. While that's mostly still the rule of thumb, it's no longer always the case. Be that as it may, "Rick and Morty" was, at the time of that renewal, wildly popular and airing on Cartoon Network, as part of their late night Adult Swim block. An annual schedule is far more desirable in this case. Luckily, Marder was able to make that happen despite enduring a pandemic and the Roiland scandal. It's impressive.
Dan Harmon, on the other hand, has a bit of a reputation for making the creative process difficult too. "He's preternaturally gifted, but he's also a lunatic," an anonymous source said in the THR piece, while another added, "I'm surprised he never got himself canceled." That's all very telling. So if Harmon is able to focus on being the talent, and Marder is able to focus on actually keeping a TV show running like it needs to, it feels like this show can endure for years to come, well beyond the upcoming season 7.
As it stands, only 30 episodes of that 70-episode renewal have aired, with 10 more on the way in season 7. So at the very least, we can expect 30 more before the brass at the network needs to evaluate whether or not to keep it going longer.
"Rick and Morty" season 7 premieres on October 15, 2023, on Adult Swim.