Well, wubba lubba dub dub, Rick and Morty fans. The hit series is not only coming back for more episodes on Adult Swim, it’s coming back for quite a few more seasons, thanks to a huge, 70-episode renewal.
Series co-creator Justin Roiland made the official announcement of the show’s renewal via a photo posted on Twitter. The image features illustrations of the show’s titular lead characters, Rick Sanchez and his grandson, Morty, with the promise of 70 more episodes of the popular animated series.
More Rick and Morty coming. Looking forward to all the tweets asking where it is! #theydrawingit pic.twitter.com/KZild3B9rP
— Justin Roiland (@JustinRoiland) May 10, 2018
With the last few episodes of season 3 setting the stage for future adventures, fans have been eager for news on the future of the series since the season 3 finale aired in October 2017. That future has remained fairly uncertain until now, though, with Adult Swim and the show’s creators — Roiland and Dan Harmon — suggesting for months that another season isn’t a lock for the series.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Rick and Morty renewal was described as a “long-term deal” by those involved with it, and will put the show just past the 100-episode mark in total, allowing it to qualify for syndication. That suggests that Rick and Morty will still be on the air in some form even after the show reaches its conclusion.
The question now shifts to season 4 and its premiere date. With fans of the series waiting almost two years between the second and third season, there’s no indication that the wait will be any shorter for the first of those 70 new episodes to air.
Although the animated series is often perceived as having a niche audience, it’s actually one of the top-performing shows on television. It reportedly ranked as television’s most-watched comedy on both cable and broadcast TV among millennial audiences in 2017, and is ranked ahead of such popular Emmy-winning series as The Big Bang Theory and Modern Family among adults 18-24 and 18-34.
Adult Swim is celebrating the return of Rick and Morty with a national tour for the Rickmobile, a pop-up shop, and an entertainment event themed around the series, which will begin this month in Atlanta. The Rickmobile will eventually make its way to San Diego for another panel at Comic-Con International in July.
