Rick and Morty Cuts Ties With Justin Roiland

Rick and Morty was co-created by comedians Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon. Harmon had previously created and written the successful comedy Community. Roiland voiced several characters in animated shows such as Adventure Time as the fan favorite Earl of Lemongrab and Disney’s Fish Hooks. Both were veterans to the animated-comedy scene, and together, established one of the most impactful popular culture titans of the 2010s: Rick and Morty.

The show received praise in its earlier seasons. The titular duo, a genius, seemingly apathetic scientist and his compassionate, dim-witted grandson, was praised for their comedic dynamic. Both have been voiced by Roiland for the past decade, since the show’s inception in 2013.

There was a large gap between the second and third seasons, with a wait of nearly two years. Generally, animated comedies roll out one season every year, however, the production of Rick and Morty has proven to be a different, inconsistent process, since the show has no seasonal airing pattern.

When season three came out, it received unanimous praise and set records for the show’s success. The fan base was at its peak, especially with the popular “Szechuan Sauce” obsession and the show’s most popular episode, “Pickle Rick.” In this episode, the titular character turns himself into a pickle to avoid family therapy, a premise so ridiculous that it could only be done by Rick and Morty’s whimsical sci-fi universe.

This became the policy for future seasons, as they evolved to become more and more absurd. After the longest gap the show had seen between seasons, the fourth season started airing over two years after the end of the third. The show re-entered with a bang, and the fourth season was met with general success, although critical and fan reception had noted the show was becoming different than it once was, with more outlandish concepts and less-cohesive storylines.

The show had generated controversy since it’s fifth season for jokes such as the “giant space incest baby,” a concept so absurd yet exactly as disturbing as it sounds, without explanation. More humor started to rely on shock-value and the waters were tested to see how far the show could go in season five, which is why the reception was negative for most episodes. The season ended on a high note, with an emphasis on tying in the show’s loose continuity and wrapping up long-standing arcs while bringing up new ones.

The sixth season received relatively more acclaim, and was significantly less risqué. Still, most fans of the first three seasons had shifted away from the show due to its tonal changes and its lack of “Classic Rick and Morty Adventures.” Despite conflicting opinions, the show has retained its success in its brilliant formula: a family sitcom with strong character development infused with wacky science fiction premises and rapid-fire jokes.

This ties back into Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, who have continued to write and work on the show since its earliest days. Backed by talented writers such as Rob Schwab and the series’s composer Ryan Elder, Rick and Morty continues to have a strong developing staff. This, however, has been disrupted as of late.

On Tuesday January 24, 2022, Adult Swim, a facet of Cartoon Network targeted to mature audiences, announced that they had severed ties with Justin Roilan following his domestic abuse and predatory allegations. They issued a simple statement: the show would continue without Roiland and season seven was still in progress as scheduled. Adult Swim additionally did not allow comments on the social media posts with the announcement, so as to avoid direct discourse. At this time, it seems Adult Swim and the entire staff of Rick and Morty are assessing the situation and planning the best course of action going forward.

Domestic abuse and predatory behaviors are unacceptable in any form, and evidence against Roiland has ultimately suggested that the best decision for the show was to cut ties with him. Roiland has also lost access to all of his other properties. He resigned from the company Squamish Games, a video game developer that he was heavily involved in, and will likely also have to leave another show he co/created and voiced, Solar Opposites.

Since Roiland voices both of the titular protagonists, both must be recast, which presents a major challenge unseen in modern animation: the two lead characters must be replaced. Several shows have substituted other voices for more minor characters with success, however, the iconic duo has been recognizably voiced by Roiland, and is undoubtedly one of the main faces of the series.

Yet, I strongly believe that the show has the capacity to continue on its current trajectory moving forward without Justin Roiland. Dan Harmon, who has in the past faced controversy himself, worked with Roiland to plan the overarching story of Rick and Morty, which Harmon will likely take over along with the rest of the writers. The show’s writing will likely remain virtually unchanged with the absence of Roiland due to the talent behind it, and the recasting of both characters will allow the show to return with a fresher start. I have no doubt that Adult Swim will take this decision into high account, as Rick and Morty is still one of their defining shows and is currently ordered out for another forty episodes.

I will continue to watch Rick and Morty. When this news came out, I was essentially admitting to myself that I would never watch the show again, and it would never be the same. And perhaps that’s true, I may not want to watch the show again, and things will certainly never be the same without one of its co-creators. However, I can’t see how I would be deterred from the show at this point, as it has become, as it is one of my most favorite. While there will be challenges ahead, it will be very exciting to see how the show moves forward.

I hope that other fans will give the show a chance, and realize that, despite losing its main voices, there is still a lot of talent and effort behind the team. The other stellar voices of the smith family, Spencer Grammer, Chris Parnell, and Sarah Chalke, will remain as strong as ever. Additionally, the writers and composers behind the show will likely give it their all as they have in previous seasons. I implore everyone to step back and give the show a chance. Change is hard, however, creativity still survives through the voices of others. Whether that be the actual “voices” of a cartoon character, or those of the writers.