Perhaps the most popular animated sci-fi show today, and arguably ever, is Adult Swim’sRick and Morty. Resembling a more explicit and ridiculous Doc and Marty duo fromBack to the Future, the show follows the careless, yet superiorly intelligent scientist Rick Sanchez as he traverses across space and dimensions with his clumsy grandson Morty Smith.
Rick and Mortyseason 7 is on its way at a time that’s to be determined. However, there was a major setback behind the scenes that deeply affects the future of the show; an unforeseen circumstance that will challenge the writers and producers of the beloved animated series to continue what it has so strongly already established as a story.
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Rick and Morty Season 7’s Biggest Change
Rick and Mortywas co-created in 2013 by Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland. The two had already established themselves as skilled writers up to that point; Dan Harmon created the sitcomCommunitywhich ran for six seasons (and possibly a movie), while Justin Roiland had associations with classic shows likeAdventure TimeandGravity Falls. However, Roiland will not be returning toRick and Mortyseason 7, and most likely ever.
Earlier in 2023,Roiland was charged with domestic violence. Although the charges were eventually dropped, both Adult Swim and Hulu made their decision to cease working with Roiland, thus forcing him to leave bothRick and Mortyand his Hulu original seriesSolar Opposites.
While losing the cooperation with a co-creator actually happens fairly often with shows, Roiland’s exit provides for additional challenges. A major challenge is that Roiland was the voice for both Rick and Morty, among many, many other side characters throughout the six seasons of the show. The studio has already started conducting voice auditions to take over Roiland’s roles, but no one has been selected yet. Recasting for shows is nothing new, and it’s hard to say whether recasting an actor or a voice actor is more difficult. However, viewers tend to be more accepting of a different face playing a pre-existing role than hearing a different voice come out of the same character.
Rick and Morty Season 7 Can Evolve Without Justin Roiland
Although it may prove to be difficult for the writers and producers,Rick and Mortyhas every bit of potential to carry on from Roiland and move forward with the same charm and tenacity that has made the show what it is thus far. Not to mention, the remaining crew for the series is more than capable of doing what they’ve been doing for ten years without the assistance from Roiland.
For one, Dan Harmon has nothing more to prove as a writer and show creator after makingCommunity. The iconic sitcom was beyond clever and managed to incorporate so much cultural relevance – with its abundance of socialawareness and utilization of pop culture– that it very clearly carried over into the themes and writing ofRick and Morty, and can make perhaps even more of an impact in the show’s future. He is the co-creator, after all.
In addition, the show’s producer, Steve Levy, spoke with theLos Angeles Timesabout how his team responded to Roiland’s departure. He said, “We had a rug pulled from underneath us. The only people we could lean on were each other. It would have been very easy to just say, ‘I’m done, and I don’t want to do anything with this show anymore.’ But our crew said, ‘No, we’re not going to let one person drag down all of our hard work.’”
“This show is created by this team,” Levy added, “this family of incredibly hardworking people, and we are going to push through and show the world that we aren’t going to miss a beat. The work that we’re doing across the board has only gotten better. When the new season comes out, we’ll focus on how amazing it all turned out. We hope the fans will realize that this is the same old show, maybe even better!”
Rick and Morty Season 7 Should Balance Silliness and Sincerity
Part of what makesRick and Mortyso good is its ability to make the viewer care about the characterswhile being utterly and hilariously ridiculous at times. The bond between Rick and Morty has only grown stronger throughout the six seasons, but the later seasons as a whole haven’t been as successful in pulling the heartstrings while making viewers cry laughing, with the exception of select individual episodes.
This is mainly in result of the duo’s relationship changing after the season 3 finale, “The Rickchurian Mortydate”. Since then, both Rick and Morty don’t seem like they’re enjoying themselves nearly as much as they did in the first three seasons. While this concept is okay in the sense that they are growing and Rick is starting to see Morty as more of a companion than an inferior, it somewhat hindered their ability to have fun as much as they used to, which is what pulled viewers in more and made them care about them on a human level.
All this is not to say the show has lost its humor or sincerity entirely. The series is still incredible and has done a great job atevolving the charactersas they follow their own arcs both together and separately. Not to mention carrying on certain intriguing storylines effectively like Evil Morty and Prime Rick.
Rick and Mortyseason 7 can be an opportunity for the two to embark on more classic Rick and Morty adventures where they can actually enjoy each other’s company a bit more than they have been as of late. Their relationship is the core ofRick and Mortyand having them more on their own can make way for more enjoyable and funnier adventures, which will make those heartfelt moments they inevitably share that much more meaningful.
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