AlthoughRick and Morty’s latest spinoff was a major letdown, this did illuminate a difficult truth about the series. It is admirable thatRick and Morty’s creators haven’t done everything possible to expand the franchise and capitalize on its popularity.Rick and Mortyseason 7’s endingwas one of the show’s most highly rated episodes in years and this is due in part to the focus that went into the outing. WhileRick and Morty’s spinoff comics are generally well-liked, the show’s decision to avoid countless spinoffs ensures that the brand hasn’t been diluted by a plethora of weaker adventures.
However, beforeRick and Mortyseason 8arrives in 2025, the show has complicated this. August 2024 saw the arrival ofRick and Morty: The Anime, an anime series that takes place in an alternate version of the show’s universe after the events of season 5’s finale.Rick and Morty: The Animeis technically not the firstRick and Mortyspinoff since 2022 saw the arrival ofThe Vindicators. However, this web series consisted of a few clips that were only a few minutes long, and the superhero parody had little overlap withRick and Morty’s characters and world.
I Can’t Believe Rick And Morty Has Never Done This Type Of Episode All Other Sitcoms Have
Rick and Morty has never indulged in one sitcom staple that seems uniquely well suited to the series, and I can’t wait for the show to finally do so.
Rick & Morty’s Anime Confirms These Characters Don’t Work Outside The Show
Rick and Morty Haven’t Successfully Transitioned To Other Mediums
In contrast, the disappointingRick and Morty: The Animewas a failed attempt to translateRick and Morty’s appeal to another medium.Rick and Morty: The Animeearned reviews that ranged from disinterested to outright bad, but the response from the show’s fan base was overwhelmingly negative. The consensus was thatRick and Morty: The Animefelt like a thin retread of the original series, aRick and Mortyclone that didn’t recapture its unique sense of humor, pacing, or storytelling style. This leads to the question of whetherRick and Mortycan work in other media.
Rick and Mortyis firmly TV-MA, but the two title characters appeared in a children’s movie.
At the time, the negative reaction toRick and Morty’s infamousSpace Jam 2cameoseemed like a response to the franchise’s family-friendly pivot.Rick and Mortyis firmly TV-MA, but the two title characters appeared in a children’s movie. This seemed to signal an attempt to make the brand more PG. However, it has now become clear that the issue ran deeper thanSpace Jam 2’s target demographic.Rick and Morty’s couch gag crossover withThe Simpsonsdidn’t earn anywhere near as much ire, so it seems likely that the problem is the characters don’t adapt well.
Rick and Mortyseason 8 is due to premiere sometime in 2025.
One Of Rick & Morty’s Worst Moments Also Happened On A Separate Project
Space Jam 2’s Rick and Morty Cameo Didn’t Work
Space Jam 2’sRick and Mortycameo didn’t work because the characters didn’t feel at home in the movie, much likeRick and Morty: The Animefailed to transfer the protagonists into an anime milieu. While some fans and reviewers tried to blame the spinoff’s failure onRick and Morty: The Animebreaking the rulesof the show by utilizing time travel, this ignores the fact thatRick and Mortyitself featured time travel years earlier. The problem is not related to content, but form. This issue killed both the show’s attempts to branch out.
Rick and Morty has a style that feels adaptable but, in reality, has proven entirely unique to the series.
Rick and Morty: The Animecouldn’t transplant the show’s characters into an anime any more than theirSpace Jam 2cameo could make the show’s snarky, self-aware cynicism fit the world ofLooney Tunes.Rick and Mortyhas a style that feels adaptable but, in reality, has proven entirely unique to the series. Blockbusters that tried to replicateRick and Morty’s playful silliness have been critically slated, and co-creator Justin Roiland’s other seriesSolar Oppositesneeded a more experimental, less poignant tone than its predecessor to succeed. Put simply,Rick and Mortydon’t work in any context but their own.
Rick and Morty: The Anime feels like an anime, but this means it doesn’t work as Rick and Morty.
Why It’s So Difficult To Bring Rick & Morty To Other Media
A Unique Style Makes Rick and Morty Tough To Translate
The reason it is so hard to adapt the characters of the series to another medium is becauseRick and Morty’s style only fits the original show.Rick and Morty: The Animefeels like an anime, but this means it doesn’t work asRick and Morty. TheSpace Jam 2cameo works fine as a surprising Easter egg, but it inherently sanitizes two distinctly family-unfriendly characters. The show’s brief crossover withThe Simpsonsworked precisely because the couch gag feels more like aclassicRick and Mortyepisodethan a collaboration with the long-running sitcom.
In the couch gag, Rick and Morty accidentally gruesomely kill the Simpson family by crashing into their home. As Morty panics helplessly, Rick improvises by attempting to clone the family and inadvertently creates a group of grotesque Simpson/Rick hybrids. The sequence is gross, uncompromising, and darkly hilarious, and it is to the couch gag’s credit that it doesn’t feel anything like a regular scene fromThe Simpsons. This was early, prescient proof of just how muchRick and Mortycan’t adapt to other media the way some shows can.
