“Rick and Morty” is expected to fulfill its 70-episode order despite Adult Swim’s recent decision to cut ties with creator Justin Roiland, who has been charged with felony domestic violence related to an incident that first surfaced in a January 2020 criminal complaint.
An individual with knowledge of the matter told TheWrap that Roiland has been less involved in the series in recent years, but affirmed that not only is “Rick and Morty” moving forward, the series also is not expected to cut short its expansive episode order. There are 40 episodes left to produce and air from the initial 70-episode order.
Roiland has voiced both titular characters since the series premiered back in 2013, though the source noted that those roles will be recast moving forward.
In January, Adult Swim confirmed that the cast and crew are hard at work on the long-running adult-animated comedy’s seventh season. In an interview with TheWrap held prior to the allegations surfacing, Roiland said “Rick and Morty” was designed to be ongoing for years and could run as long as 1000 episodes.
While Roiland and co-creator Dan Harmon ran the series for its first two seasons, Mike McMahan served as showrunner for Season 3 and from Season 4 onward, Scott Marder has been the “Rick and Morty” showrunner.
In an interview with TheWrap last August, Harmon said the show’s more regular schedule was due to Marder taking over showrunning duties.
“This is the strangest thing I’ve ever said about the show and it still feels unreal to say it, but we’ll be doing a season a year now,” Harmon said last year. “I still don’t understand how that’s possible. But that’s why it never happened on my watch. [Showrunner] Scott [Marder] is able to keep us on a schedule that mostly involves being so ahead of schedule that we can actually release things in a timely manner.”
The Emmy-winning, half-hour show follows a sociopathic genius scientist who drags his inherently timid grandson on insanely dangerous adventures across the universe.
Rounding out the rest of the main “Rick and Morty” cast is Sarah Chalke (“Scrubs”), Chris Parnell (“Saturday Night Live”) and Spencer Grammer (“Greek”). Co-creator Dan Harmon now serves as the sole executive producer.
In addition to “Rick and Morty,” the 20th Television Animation and Hulu Original shows “Solar Opposites” and “Koala Man” will continue without Roiland’s involvement. Roiland was a co-creator on “Solar Opposites,” which was renewed for a fifth season in October 2022, and an executive producer on “Koala Man,” which premiered on Jan. 9.
News of Roiland’s lessened creative involvement in recent years was first reported by THR.
