Rick and Morty will seemingly live on forever, at least according to the series showrunner. There was a time when the show had lengthy delays between seasons, regularly taking two to three years to release new adventures between the titular characters. Now, in an interview with Inverse, showrunner Scott Marder and producer James Siciliano say a new season of the show will release every year.
Marder was brought on the series at the tail end of season 4, primarily tasked with helping with the day-to-day production of season 5. He's known for his work on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, writing for many series episodes across multiple seasons while serving as an executive producer. He's proven he can be consistent with his writing and his release schedule, something the Rick and Morty co-creators desperately needed.
During their interview with Inverse, Siciliano says, "There's an unbelievable amount that we have going on. I don't know how much we could talk about, but as far as the production, we have Season 6 coming out, and Season 7 in production." In addition, he says, "We have the writers' room for Season 8 going. So that's about 20 episodes in some form of production, and the new season that we're breaking." Marder reiterates his statement, saying, "I've created a high-class problem for us, but we'll have a season of the show every year from this point forward." Fans can only hope the show's quality matches the first few seasons, as the production time is quickly getting faster and faster.
Rick and Morty's Showrunner Says Season 6 Will Start a New Storyline
Rick and Morty have seen several overarching storylines across the first five seasons. However, the ever-present 'evil' Morty variant seems to be the series' primary antagonist. He first made his way into the show on the season 1 episode, Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind, following that with an appearance in seasons 3, 4, and the finale of season 5. Finally, at the end of the fifth season, Evil Morty destroyed the Citadel and Rick's portal gun technology, leaving fans questioning where Rick and Morty goes from here.
During their Inverse interview, Marder discussed their new direction and the second half of a "larger story" beginning in season 6.
"The breaking of 6.01 was a really arduous process because 510 was a huge finale. It left us with a ton of homework and a lot to live up to. We actually had a few different versions of the episode that were completely different. We ultimately weren't happy with it and scrapped it and found this one that you guys are getting now. I feel like it closes that book, but at the same time, opens up a new one. There was a clear and present danger that was always there that so naturally emerged coinciding with Evil Morty to begin the second half of a larger story."
Rick and Morty always seems to surprise fans with exciting takes on storylines and beautiful, color-popping animation to go with it. The sixth season should be no different, so look out for the return of Rick and his grandson Morty as they adventure through countless universes on Sunday, Sept. 18.