Why Rick and Morty Will Avoid Why Old Simpsons Fans Stopped Watching

How will Rick and Morty avoid what made old Simpsons fans stop watching? The Adult Swim sci-fi comedy from creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland recently finished its fifth season. Given the game-changer that was season 5, episode 10, “Rickmurai Jack,” many are desperate to see where season 6 will take the story.

Perhaps it wouldn’t be too off the mark to call Rick & Morty the Simpsons of this younger generation. Many viewers, however, feel that the overall quality of The Simpsons has declined over the years. What was once a beloved family sitcom is now almost universally agreed to be a shell of its former self. The Simpsons has had episodes on almost every plot imaginable for the cast of characters, and the overall quality of the show’s later comedy writing has been heavily criticized.

However, it seems unlikely that Rick and Morty will suffer the same downfall as The Simpsons, even if the show were to run for the hundred years the pilot episode suggested it may. While The Simpsons‘ story has always been confined to a certain level of realism due to its setting – and is generally focused on satirizing America – Rick & Morty‘s sci-fi premise grants the writers much more freedom in where they choose to take the story. From Rick and Morty‘s time travel episode, to a storyline about parasites that implants themselves in the characters’ memories, the show has explored a plethora of inventive and mind-bending sci-fi concepts since its debut all the way back in 2013. While early seasons of The Simpsons were praised for their biting satire, emotional depth, and relatable characters, there are only so many plotlines and jokes a team of writers can come up with within the context of suburban American life until they start recycling ideas or jumping the shark.

Even beyond setting and genre, Rick and Morty and The Simpsons differ on a more fundamental level; in their approach to storytelling. As season 5 has demonstrated, Roiland and Harmon are open to a certain level of serialization, which we can see in Rick and Morty’s evil Morty storyline. While most animated sitcoms stick to an episodic format, avoiding major changes that would transform the status quo irrevocably, Rick & Morty’s writers are more than happy to indulge in big shifts. Whether it’s season 1, episode 6, “Rick Potion n.9,” which literally saw our titular characters hopping from one dimension to another and burying their own dead bodies in the garden; or, season 2, episode 10, “The Wedding Squanchers,” in which multiple supporting characters are either killed off, or revealed to be agents of the Galactic Federation. This periodic mixing up of the format keeps the show feeling fresh for its viewers who never know exactly where the writers will take things.

That being said, with the apparent end of Rick and Morty‘s multiverse, the show may be forced to reinvent itself once again, possibly disappointing many who have grown attached to such an integral part of its universe. Nonetheless, it remains unlikely that Rick and Morty will suffer the same fate as The Simpsons. While Fox’s long-running classic has shown the limits of its formula over the course of 33 seasons, Rick and Morty‘s writers appear determined to not fall prey to the same mistakes; constantly reinventing what the show can be, and successfully keeping viewers on their toes.

About The Author