Anna Daniels
Rick and Morty has had an inconsistent journey when it comes to new seasons arriving on Adult Swim. It took a year and a half to get season three on air in 2017 after the second season finale in 2015, and it was over two years before the fourth season arrived on Adult Swim following the third season finale. Even when the new episodes for season four started airing last fall, Adult Swim split the fourth season into two five-episode chunks with the second batch of episodes picking back up earlier this month. But if series co-creator Justin Roiland had his way, he’d keep shaking up how the show is distributed to the masses. In fact, he’s even suggested the idea of releasing just one new Rick and Morty episode each month.
Recently, we had the chance to speak with Justin Roiland in support of his new Hulu animated series Solar Opposites (read our review), and our discussion eventually turned to the future of Rick and Morty. With the fourth season being split, I asked Roiland if we can expect a similar release format for the fifth season and beyond. He said:
“I think it’s largely dependent on how quick the episodes can get produced. I know season five is mostly in the can. They’re still gonna be reworking when the animatics come back, so that can extend the process. I believe if they have the full ten episodes, they’ll release them without a split, but I honestly have no idea. That’s kind of a question that’s outside of my jurisdiction. They do what they think is best for the show.”
The split wasn’t nearly as frustrating as the previous longer hiatuses for the series, especially since fans know that there are plenty of Rick and Morty episodes already ordered by Adult Swim. The break in the middle of season four was something that Roiland was actually happy about. He added:
“I’m glad that they did the split because I’m always looking at some kind of alternate, new media way to release the show since it is mostly binged. I think most people binge the show after it’s online somewhere. That’s pretty standard for the way things are nowadays. It’s not like appointment television. Some people still do that, but most people are like, ‘When is it available for me to watch on my schedule?’”
In fact, Roiland has an even more radical idea for how to release Rick and Morty and bring a little excitement back to television. Roiland said:
“I’ve been saying we should drop an episode each month, just make it a big event. I like the idea of thinking outside the box with how any show is delivered to the masses. If you do one a month, the show is alive the whole year and you’re still buying us all the time we need to make them as good as they need to be. I’m not saying that’s ever gonna happen, but I have brought that up in the past. That just goes to the point that I have no idea what the plan is for season five. I’m sure whatever it is will be the right decision.”
Would you be annoyed if Rick and Morty was released in such a staggered way? With 70 episodes ordered by Adult Swim, meaning there are 60 episodes left for Justin Roiland to make with co-creator Dan Harmon, that would keep fans tuning in for one night each month for the next five years. Of course, with five seasons worth of episodes, audiences will still be watching for the next five years anyway, but in much smaller spurts across 10 weeks. Honestly, no matter when Rick and Morty premieres, fans are going to tune in, so maybe Adult Swim could mix things up and see what works best.
Cool Posts From Around the Web: Written by: Slash
