AlthoughRick and Morty’s spinoff was blamed for breaking a major rule of the original show, the series itself already got away with breaking this same infamous rule earlier.Rick and Morty: The Animewas released in August 2024 and theRick and Mortyspinoff earned a dispiriting reception.Rick and Morty: The Anime’s failurecould be chalked up to the differences between the anime adaptation’s sense of humor and the original show’s unique comedy style. However, it didn’t help thatRick and Morty: The Animealso wasn’t a traditional spinoff in terms of its premise and main characters.
While its first episode didn’t pick up whereRick and Mortyseason 7’s endingleft off,Rick and Morty: The Animedoes share the same main characters as the original show. Most successful spinoffs, fromFrasiertoYoung Sheldon, take a character or two from the original show and transplant them into a new setting. In contrast,Rick and Morty: The Animefeatures Rick, Morty, Jerry, Beth, and Summer as its heroes. This similarity made the show too similar to its predecessor to feel original, but too tonally different to feel like an organic offshoot ofRick and Morty.
I Can’t Believe Rick And Morty Has Never Done This Type Of Episode All Other Sitcoms Have
Rick and Morty has never indulged in one sitcom staple that seems uniquely well suited to the series, and I can’t wait for the show to finally do so.
Rick and Morty: The Anime Isn’t Rick and Morty’s First Time Travel Plot
The Series Famously Refused To Do Time Travel Stories But Season 4 Features One
Although some critics noted thatRick and Morty: The Anime’s first episode broke one of the original show’s cardinal rules, this particular criticism is not quite fair.Rick and Mortyfeatured a time travel storyline beforeRick and Morty: The Anime’s first episode, despite its creators and Rick claiming the show would never engage with the infamously convoluted sci-fi staple. In season 4, episode 5, “Rattlestar Ricklactica,” Rick and Morty were forced to resort to time travel to stop sentient snakes from taking over the galaxy and rewriting history. This absurd plot provesRick and Mortyoccasionally includes time travel.
Rick and Morty’s co-creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland both claimed the series wouldn’t explore time travel.
Rick and Morty’s co-creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland both claimed the series wouldn’t explore time travel, since the sci-fi story staple had been historically overused in the genre. As such,Rick and Morty: The Animebeginning with an exploration of the theme seemed to prove the disparity between the two shows. However, it is only fair to note thatRick and Mortyitself also played fast and loose with this rule. Manyclassic episodes ofRick and Mortywork precisely because they play with the show’s usual formula, and “Rattlestar Ricklactica” is no different in this regard.
Why Rick and Morty: The Anime’s Time Travel Story Was Less Successful
Rick and Morty’s Spinoff Failed To Recapture The Original Show’s Tone
“Rattlestar Ricklactica” embraces the silliness and inherent contradictions of time travel stories, never taking itself too seriously and using most of the episode’s story to point out the problems with other time travel plots. In contrast,Rick and Morty: The Anime’s time travel plot was a more straightforward example of the sci-fi subgenre. This goes some way to explaining whyRick and Morty’s spinoff failed to replicate the original show’s critical success.Rick and Mortymight break its own rules from time to time, but the show still knows how to hold onto a consistent, unique tone despite this.
