Even in a multiverse full of infinite possibilities, it’s tough to imagine a world without Rick and Morty. But don’t worry, it looks like you won’t have to, at least not for quite some time.
Rick and Morty writer Cody Ziglar has confirmed via Twitter that the writing is now finished for season seven, which means season six must be coming sooner rather than later, right?
Since 2018, when Adult Swim bought 70 new episodes of the animated sitcom, we’ve known about Rick and Morty season 6. This should last us till season 10, because the show typically releases 10 episodes per season. Even though it has been confirmed, we are still unsure of the precise release date for the new season.
There hasn’t been a formal announcement, and the show’s creators haven’t said anything about a potential return. In fact, producer Rob Schrab has revealed further information regarding Rick and Morty seasons 7 and 8, which are now being written.
Back in 2018, Adult Swim ordered 70 more episodes of Rick and Morty. SEVENTY. Some of these episodes have since aired, but if the show continues with 10 installments each season, that would take us all the way up to season 10.
To hold us over, Adult Swim has also announced that a Rick and Morty anime spin-off will be coming soon. Additionally, San Diego Comic-Con attendees will get a first look at the brand-new digital spin-off series Rick and Morty: The Vindicators.
That’s a long way of saying that Rick and Morty season six has long been confirmed, and it looks like work on that chapter is already near completion. Earlier this year, writer Alex Rubens teased fans on Twitter by saying: “Am I allowed to say we started writing Rick and Morty Season 7? (If not we didn’t and I’m not).”
While we may not yet know the exact release date for Rick and Morty season 6, we have looked at past trends in release dates as well as all the information that has been confirmed so far regarding the most recent season. Read on for our comprehensive guide to the new season, which includes our top hypotheses and a list of the cast members.
Rick and Morty season 6 release date: When will it arrive?
UPDATE
Rick and Morty fans rejoice! The wait is almost over. Adult Swim has announced that Rick and Morty Season 6 will premiere on September 4. The new season will pick up right where we left off, with Rick and Morty worse for wear but still ready for more adventures. According to the official logline, the duo will be faced with some of their toughest challenges yet, but we know they’ll be up for the task. So mark your calendars and set your DVRs, because Rick and Morty is coming back for more on September 4.
All indications point to a 2022 release date for Rick and Morty season 6. Seasons 4 and 5 of the animated series ended in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Right?
Now that the creators are free to develop new episodes without waiting for a renewal, it looks like Rick and Morty’s release schedule could fall into a more regular pattern.
During Rick and Morty’s exclusive panel at the Adult Swim Festival 2021 in November, the broadcaster confirmed a 2022 premiere was planned (via ScreenRant). That’s as close as we came to an actual date, but season six could feasibly arrive a year after season five finished airing, so around summer 2022.
So let’s hope. While we are unable to foresee how COVID (and other circumstances) may affect the production, we do know that season 6 of Rick and Morty’s script is well under way, if not already finished.
Seasons six and seven are currently in production, Dan Harmon announced at Adult Swim Con in 2020. Harmon stated at the time, “We’ve got all these writers out to script season 6, and we’ve spent the last few months talking to new writers about season 6.”
2022’s Adult Swim Block Party promises even more essential info, with confirmation (via ComicBook) that we’ll get our first look at season six during the in-person event.
If you can’t make it over to Philadelphia from August 5-7, fear not! The event will be streamed on YouTube, though it’s not certain that the footage will make it online over the weekend.
So don’t bet all your schmeckles on a summer release, especially with the first footage coming in August. It’s possible Adult Swim might surprise us with an Christmas release, or even switch things up so that episodes are released more sporadically. Co-creator Justin Roiland once suggested airing each chapter a month apart to give his team more breathing space.
“This show has a reputation for keeping everyone behind schedule, so it’s a crazy scenario to be in. For scripts, the artists have always been waiting. Finally, as we move forward, we’re attempting to alter that game so that they constantly have something to draw. So, we’re already there.”
Writer Cody Ziglar tweeted in August 2021 that production on season seven had concluded, indicating that at least some of Rick and Morty season six had already been completed.
Even during the Interdimensional RSS podcast, producer Scott Marder provided an update on the status of season six (via ComicBook.com (opens in new tab)). We’re currently nearing the finish of writing season 7, he stated. The show has really picked up steam now, but that just means that season 6 is animating and everything is still in the works.
All of this is reminiscent of what Jerry’s voice actor Chris Parnell stated to us in 2020: “There’s going to be less of a wait,” Parnell said of the pauses between upcoming seasons.
We may anticipate the sixth season to premiere in mid- to late 2022 given the expedited pace compared to prior years and using the previous two seasons as a barometer. The most likely time period for the large comeback is between September and November. Thanks to the Adult Swim order, the show is finally reaching a consistent rhythm and won’t be back on our screens for much longer than 12 months. Add in the fact that Rick and Morty will be participating in a panel at Adult Swim’s Block Party in August (H/T ComicBook.com (opens in new tab)), and we might just be a few months away from learning the show will be returning.
Cast of Rick and Morty season 6
As far as we know, Season 6 of Rick and Morty will feature the return of the regular cast. That implies that Justin Roiland is reprising his roles as both Rick and Morty, maybe to the detriment of his vocal cords. Together with Chris Parnell as Jerry and Spencer Grammer as Summer, Sarah Chalke should make a comeback as Beth.
Other guest actors who could reappear in season 6 include:
- Kari Wahlgren as Jessica.
- Keith David as the President of the United States.
- Dan Harmon as Birdperson/Phoenixperson and also Mr Nimbus.
- Alison Brie as Planetina.
- Christina Ricci as Princess Poñeta, the princess of the CHUD.
- Darren Criss as Bruce Chutback.
In recent years, the show has begun to employ guest stars more frequently. Elon Musk, Taika Waititi, and Steve Buscemi, among others, have made appearances during the last two seasons. Considering how well-liked the program is, we may anticipate more of the same quality in Rick and Morty season 6 even if none have been revealed as of this writing.
Dan Harmon still hasn’t given his last cult hit, Community, the proper respect it deserves. With a few exceptions, the majority of the study group characters from Greendale appeared in Rick and Morty.
Jim Rash, Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs, and Alison Brie contributed to the series. Danny Pudi and Yvette Nicole Brown would not be far behind, but Donald Glover is more difficult to secure.
The sixth season of Rick and Morty explains how the program has changed.
Usually, the season finale of Rick and Morty challenges the status quo. The show has already introduced Space Beth, killed off Birdperson, and imprisoned Rick in space. Somehow, season five outdid everything before, and it might be paving the way for either a wilder or more restrained sixth season. The fact that both of those events are equally likely illustrates the show’s absurd concept.
Do you need a review? The Central Finite Curve and The Citadel were both destroyed by Evil Morty as the fifth season came to a close. Ricks walled off any realities and worlds that didn’t have a version of Rick who wasn’t the smartest person in that universe using that just invented construct.
No season-six plot details have been revealed just yet, but we live in hope that future stories will be more like ‘Mortyplicity’ and less like ‘Rickdependence Spray’, which remains perhaps the dumbest episode of Rick and Morty yet.
The season-five finale certainly suggested that things could head in this direction. Rick and Morty tends to go harder on canon towards the end of each season, but this show has never leaned as much into serialised storytelling as it did at the end of season five.
Not only did ‘Rickmurai Jack’ bring back Evil Morty, but it also revealed Rick’s true backstory, which essentially confirmed that his wife and daughter were indeed killed by another Rick. A season-three flashback already suggested this some time ago, but now that we know this really is the truth, don’t be surprised if the show starts to reveal more canon moving forward.
In addition to being destroyed, Evil Morty has created a universe in which Rick isn’t the dominant force. What might he discover there? It’s not going to be good, and “our” Rick and Morty aren’t going to catch up to him very soon either.
That’s because there’s a very real possibility that Rick C-137 won’t be able to freely hop across the multiverse due to the portal fluid utilized in Evil Morty’s grand scheme. That applies to all of the Ricks that have been in the show.
The modification brings a great deal of closure to a show that frequently defies reason and brushes aside any meaningful repercussions. Rick doesn’t get a second chance this time, so he may have to walk on eggshells for the foreseeable future.
Rick and Morty season 6 plot: What will it be about?
Not only is this what the fans want, but it also bodes well for Rick and Morty’s future too. While humour and escapism are key to this show, crazy hijinks and squanch plot twists aren’t always enough if you don’t care about the characters. Let’s just hope that season six finds a way to balance the show’s inherent absurdity with these game-changing character beats moving forward.
And while we’re breaking down what we hope to see next, how about more of Jessica and Space Beth, two fascinating characters who were left by the wayside for most of season five? Evil Morty could also return, perhaps with a glimpse of what lies beyond the Central Finite Curve…
We also know that a new spin-off based on the Vindicators is soon heading to Adult Swim. Expect to see superheroes like Supernova, Vance Maximus, Alan Rails, Crocubot and Noob Noob kick ass and take names across the universe. And presumably, it will be set before the season-three episode where this team all died.
Evil Morty, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. Since we now know that even Rick’s portal-hopping shenanigans in previous seasons were essentially boxed off by the Central Finite Curve, his exploits contain an unlimited amount of possibility, even though they are unlikely to be the focus of the upcoming season.
The world will return to normal by the second minute of the season six premiere, or else everything will have become a meta joke given the show’s propensity to do so.
What we hope to see in the upcoming season of Rick and Morty
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: we’d love to see more canon included into the stories of Rick and Morty. Over the course of the last season or so, Rick’s past has already been established, Beth’s identity has been made known, and Evil Morty’s grand scheme has finally been carried out.
All of these are aspects the program must keep in mind as it develops. Rick is a wounded, severely flawed man who does harm to others around him. Although Rick and Morty is still a comedy, it excels when it can strike both the serious and humorous beats at the same time.
We anticipate the Rick and Morty series to treat canon more cautiously going forward in light of the season 5 conclusion. Standalone episodes should (and will) take precedence, but if necessary, it’s possible to return to that source.
The apparent dearth of Mountain Dew-aside fluid to fuel Rick’s portal pistol might possibly cause the pair’s outrageous exploits to decelerate a bit. Rick may have to keep items on the ground if they are unable to travel between universes until they are able to switch between dimensions once more.
Speaking of switching through universes, we wouldn’t object if Interdimensional Cable and Morty’s Mind-Blowers made a comeback.
