Justin Roiland Isn't Looking To End Rick And Morty Anytime Soon
The Adult Swim staple "Rick and Morty" is gearing up to release its sixth season on September 4, 2022, and the series shows no signs of slowing down. Originally premiering in December of 2013, "Rick and Morty" has since gone on to only increase in popularity with the release of each new season. Even though there were sometimes two-year delays between seasons, interest in the show hardly ever waned.
Those long waits between seasons only made anticipation and expectations skyrocket for the episodes to come. Thankfully, the animation, storytelling, and performance quality didn't wane, either. If anything, co-creators Justin Roiland, Dan Harmon, and the rest of the team behind the series have continued to hone their craft and make the show progressively better. "Rick and Morty" not having a significant drop in quality makes what Justin Roiland says about the longevity show easier to handle. "Rick and Morty" still has another four seasons left after this upcoming premiere, and if things continue to go well, the show may very well last long past that current episode order.
'A show that has legs'
/Film participated in a recent interview with Roiland, in which the conversation turned to the remaining episodes left in the "Rick and Morty" renewal contract. When explicitly asked if there was any endgame in mind with the 40 episodes that would be left after the yet-to-release sixth season ends, Roiland said:
"We'll see. I mean, we're definitely working. That's the nice thing about an order like that is that you can plan some stuff here and there. I guess we'll just see. It'll become a conversation down the road with Discovery Network, apparently ... But I would imagine those talks will probably start during the production of season 10, or maybe even season 9, just because they take so damn long to figure that stuff out. But yeah, I've always seen this show as a show that has legs. This show could really go for a really, really long time."
"Rick and Morty" took the world by storm during its initial first season, becoming one of the defining adult animated comedies of the 2010s. It makes sense that it would follow in the footsteps of the long-running animated shows that helped pave the way for its success, such as "South Park" or "The Simpsons." Moreover, the premise of "Rick and Morty" lends itself to be a series with the potential of lasting for a very long time.
A multiverse worth of seasons
Part of the charm of "Rick and Morty" is its ability to blend its lowbrow humor with high-concept sci-fi thrills. The multiverse has been a crucial aspect of the later seasons, and the endless possibilities that come with a concept like a multiverse could lead to helping the show with its longevity. Roiland says as much in the same interview:
"This show could really go for a really, really long time. And as long as we've got folks that are passionate about it and a fan base that wants to see more of this family and this crazy sci-fi multiverse that we've set up, I think we could do this for a long time."
The beauty of the medium of animation is that it allows for a sense of timelessness while staying fresh and exciting with new concepts and stories. If "Rick and Morty" can tap into its vast multiverse potential to bring more of the high-quality humor seen in its past seasons, there's no reason not to go past the current episode order. As Roiland says, as long as there is a passion for the series, there's always room for more "Rick and Morty."