Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon has reflected on appreciating the show for what it is.
Season 6 of the dimension-jumping cult sitcom recently premiered on Adult Swim, but while chatting to Digital Spy and other press, Harmon (also behind Community) was tasked with explaining if boozy inventor-grandpa Rick Sanchez's fifth season honesty will potentially propel the show into new realms.
"Rick is a changed man, but he keeps changing, and he doesn't really want to," he said. "So we get enough of a dose.
"We continue to take whacks at him. As we move forward, Morty becomes less and less just a punching bag or a foil, and is becoming more and more of a partner to Rick. Which may destroy the show."
Related: Rick and Morty season 6 just changed Morty forever
Further along, Harmon referenced how "the broadcast era" and "modular storytelling" of his childhood was just "based on commerce", with titles like Mork & Mindy, Family Ties and Happy Days all weakening through their inclusion of a 'To Be Continued...' card.
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"You're like, 'Uh-oh. Somebody's reaching'. Or they're being a little self-indulgent," he said. "Maybe they're at their peak, and they're like, 'OK, let's get real serious about this, and spread this story'.
"I just have this distaste for it. I think it's so much more difficult to do 1,000 episodes that each stand alone. I'm realising as I get older that that was a craft based on commerce. It was based on time slots and advertising."
"It wasn't based on anything that made anything better than a Netflix show that gets picked up for 10 episodes, and you're supposed to watch them together, and they were all shot at the same time, and why isn't that television?
"Why isn't that good television? It can be."
Related: Rick and Morty spin-off boss explains big change from the main show
Scott Marder, who's been an executive producer on Rick and Morty since 2020, chipped in with: "I'd say I come at it from the other way. I think Harmon and I are a good blend.
"For me, a really well-balanced season has a few big dogs that knock you over with canon, but then mostly just a lot of one-offs and fun stuff that people come to expect from the show.
"When it's all said and done, those make really good seasons for me."
Rick and Morty airs on Adult Swim in the US, and on E4 and All 4 in the UK.
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Reporter, Digital Spy
Dan is a freelance entertainment journalist. Beginning his writing career in 2014, Dan's work first graced the pages of cult publications Starburst magazine and Little White Lies before moving onto Total Film, Digital Spy, NME and Yahoo Entertainment.
In the film and TV universe, he kneels at the altar of Jim Carrey, Daniel Plainview, Mike Ehrmantraut and Paulie Walnuts.
After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.
Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends.
As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound.
