Rick and Morty is one of the most popular shows on Turner’s Adult Swim. The animated comedy series from Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon was a hit right out of the gate and has built an even larger audience over the second season. With season 3 now in development, Roiland, Harmon, writer Ryan Ridley and the rest of the cast — Chris Parnell, Spencer Grammer and Sarah Chalke – made a pit stop at San Diego Comic Con to discuss what’s next.
For those who haven’t watched the show (which is incredibly witty and extremely binge-worthy), the premise is a simple yet ingenious setup. Rick Sanchez (voiced by Roiland) moves in with his daughter Beth’s (Chalke) family after being MIA for 20 years. Beth’s husband, Jerry Smith (Parnell), isn’t happy about the family reunion, especially after Rick sets up a lab in the garage to create all types of sci-fi gadgets. With the ability to travel throughout the universe (and beyond), Rick takes his grandson Morty (Roiland) and, occasionally, his granddaughter Summer (Spencer) with him.
While the adventures of Rick and Morty are a focal point, the show also explores the family dynamic of the Smiths, as well as tackling richer topics about the very construct of reality itself. In addition, like Dan Harmon’s sitcom Community, everything is layered in hilarious spoofs of pop culture. The mix of styles has allowed the showrunners to explore all sorts of wacky topics, with more jokes per minute than pretty much anything on TV.
Season 3 will consist of 14 episodes (the first season had 11 and the second had 10), so that means more laughs for all, as well as more poignancy, according to the cast. The show has added more writers to the staff, promising more complex storylines and depth to the characters. As for specifics for season 3, Roiland hinted during the panel that a third installment of the show’s beloved Interdimensional Cable sketch is in the works, among other hints. In addition, the cast talked extensively about the Rick and Morty VR game coming out in the near future.
The creators also showed an early animatic sketch from the upcoming season featuring Rick as a pickle trapped in the sewers, where he must battle rats – equipping himself with cockroach and rat parts to become a lethal fighting machine. This idea came from a road trip and, as per usual, things got out of hand quickly once the creative team’s imagination started to run.
With a promise of more crazy adventures and themes that are even darker and more complex, fans are anxiously awaiting Rick and Morty’s third installment.