Solar Opposites is the latest animated series from Mike McMahan and Justin Roiland, the latter of whom is one of the minds behind Rick & Morty, the controversial but no less endearing show about the madcap adventures of a drunken mad scientist and his erstwhile assistant and grandson. Solar Opposites trades hapless humans for hopeless Schlorpians, a species whose planet has been destroyed, an event which forced one desperate family to land on Earth and make a go of living in smalltown USA.

Fans of Rick & Morty aren’t yet convinced that the new series, which is only in its first season, can possibly live up to its infamous success, especially since it lifts plenty of inspiration. They may find that it excels precisely because it takes the best elements of that series and ditches the bad, or because it charts new territory and doesn’t try to compete despite the fact that comparisons are inevitable.

10 SOLAR OPPOSITES: The Ensemble Cast

Each character in Solar Opposites is made to be unique and stand out, and they’re also voiced by different voice actors, unlike on Rick & Morty where Justin Roiland voices both Rick and Morty, and the series focuses mainly on their adventures.

The ensemble cast of Solar Opposites all sound different enough to untrained ears to make each character recognizable, despite all Schlorpians looking more or less alike, and they all have different adventures unique to each of them.

9 RICK & MORTY: The Unlimited Settings

One of the strongest components of Rick & Morty is its world-building. There is no setting the series can’t possibly take place in, freeing up the creators to concoct whatever bizarre and weird adventure they want.

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Solar Opposites is set on Earth, and while the planet does provide a variety of different environments, it can never compete with the sheer magnitude of quantum realms that Rick & Morty can take place in.

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8 SOLAR OPPOSITES: Simplicity

The dynamic of Solar Opposites is akin to Family Guy and 3rd Rock From The Sun, and in the spirit of dysfunctional family comedies, it has a simplistic and straightforward approach that Rick & Morty does not.

The premise of a Schlorpian family crash-landing on Earth avails itself to many different storylines, all while working towards an end to the series that’s an effective throughline for the plot; either Korvo will fix their ship and they can leave, or the Pupa is going to evolve and terraform Earth into Schlorp 2.0.

7 RICK & MORTY:  The Humor

Rick & Morty has emerged as one of the funniest series, animated or otherwise, available in the last decade. Its humor is often touted as highly subversive and intellectual despite being about nihilism and butts.

Some viewers are hard-pressed to find one thing to laugh at during Solar Opposites’ entire first season. Whether the jokes aren’t landing or the material isn’t humorous enough, it’s frantic pace can’t hide the fact that its humor doesn’t resonate with viewers.

6 SOLAR OPPOSITES: The Wall

Identified as the “C plot” of the series, The Wall is a place where Yummyulack and Jessie put shrunken humans who have upset them. Once inside, the humans form their own dystopian community with toothpicks and bubble gum wrappers.

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Rick & Morty doesn’t have anything nearly as strong that doesn’t involve Rick and/or Morty, much less anything that makes viewers care after only a few episodes.

5 RICK & MORTY: Memorable Characters

From the very first episode of the very first season, Rick & Morty had memorable characters who resonated with fans. It may have taken viewers a while to get used to their unique behavioral traits, but their idiosyncrasies were embraced long before Season 1 wrapped.

By contrast, each character being broken down into distinct archetypes caused Solar Opposites to struggle in its premier season, ultimately making viewers care very little about any of its characters.

4 SOLAR OPPOSITES: Uplifting Entertainment

Solar Opposites may seem frenetic and juvenile, but the outlandish adventures of the Schlorpians are fueled by a communal response to their circumstances, and they work together as a family. Since most episodes end on a positive note, viewers can participate in some light-hearted escapism.

By comparison, Rick & Morty often focuses on the negative connotation of any given episode, with an existential crisis or a nihilistic paradox the impetus behind most of its humor. After a binge session of just one season, viewers are inclined to have a more pessimistic view of the world.

3 RICK & MORTY: Totally Unique

The comparisons to Back to the Future aside, Rick & Morty is a totally unique series with its own brand of humor, distinct characters, and not to mention its hallmark animation style. It’s so unique it’s become ripe for parody, cementing it as a pioneer of its time.

Solar Opposites not only comes off at times like a shameless imitation of Rick & Morty, it takes its inspiration from everything from The Simpsons to every animated series in the Seth McFarlane filmography.

2 SOLAR OPPOSITES: Self-Deprecating

When in doubt, the best animated series poke fun at their distributors and Solar Opposites is no exception. Like Family Guy or The Simpsons would frequently rip on FOX, Solar Opposites gives Hulu a good grilling.

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The best example occurred in the opening five minutes of the first episode, in which a character who looks eerily like Justin Roiland gets garroted by Funbucket while wearing a Hulu shirt.

1 RICK & MORTY: Controversial Content With Purpose

Rick & Morty is known for its use of blood, gore, and sexual innuendos to punctuate its humor and its plots. Everything it does is for some greater purpose and never feels unnecessary or gratuitous (except by viewers who already avoid the series for being distasteful).

Solar Opposites often seems to use the same components in its episodes simply because it can. Often the violence and bloodshed feel excessive and counterproductive.

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About The Author


Kayleena Pierce-Bohen
(1344 Articles Published)

Kayleena has been raised on Star Wars and Indiana Jones from the crib. A film buff, she has a Western collection of 250+ titles and counting that she’s particularly proud of. When she isn’t writing for ScreenRant, CBR, or The Gamer, she’s working on her fiction novel, lifting weights, going to synthwave concerts, or cosplaying. With degrees in anthropology and archaeology, she plans to continue pretending to be Lara Croft as long as she can.

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