While Rick and Morty season 7 will face a lot of challenges, the Adult Swim hit can’t afford to repeat season 6’s worst mistake. Rick and Morty season 7 will have a hard time outshining the controversy that currently surrounds the adult animated comedy. Justin Roiland, the voice actor who plays both title characters, was let go from the hugely successful series back in January 2023 when allegations of domestic abuse surfaced against him. While Adult Swim announced that production of Rick and Morty season 7 would continue, it is not yet clear how the series will handle this scandal.
The many ways that Rick and Morty can handle Roiland’s exit all have their upsides and drawbacks, but this is not the only problem that the series faces. While replacing both of its lead characters is a major issue for any series, Rick and Morty season 7 was already facing a major plot problem before this controversy came to light. After the Rick and Morty season 5 finale threw the world of the series into disarray, the season 6 premiere started strong with an episode full of shocking canon revelations. However, this approach soon proved a problem later in Rick and Morty season 6.
Rick & Morty Season 6 Ruined Its Serialized Premiere
Rick and Morty season 6, episode 1, “Solaricks” explained that Rick Prime was Morty’s biological grandfather, the original antihero of the series. This bombshell revelation had huge implications which the rest of the season then promptly proceeded to ignore. Opening Rick and Morty season 6 with a lore-heavy, dramatic premiere, only to follow this with a string of inconsequential adventures, left many viewers frustrated. This approach meant that many of Rick and Morty’s season 6 episodes felt like padding designed to briefly divert viewers from the unsolved questions around Rick Prime and Evil Morty. For much of Rick and Morty season 6, it was as if the events of season 5 finale and “Solaricks” never happened.
For Rick and Morty season 7 to solve this problem, the series must avoid repeating season 6’s biggest mistake. Front-loading the outing with such a dramatic episode left viewers expecting more of the same, which made the string of silly adventures that followed feel like these episodes lacked narrative momentum. However, if Rick and Morty season 6 had begun with these lighter episodes, viewers could have enjoyed them for the fun, self-contained outings they were. Then, Rick and Morty season 6 could have gradually ratcheted up tension with later, more dramatic episodes—which is exactly what season 7 should now try.
Rick & Morty Season 7 Must Add Stakes Gradually
Of the 10 episodes in Rick and Morty season 6 10, at least 6 were standalone comedy adventures that had little impact on the character’s arcs or the show’s larger story. Rick and Morty season 6, episode 3, "Bethic Twinstinct," episode 4, "Night Family," episode 5, "Final DeSmithation," episode 6, "Juricksic Mort," episode 7, "Full Meta Jackrick," and particularly episode 9, "A Rick in King Mortur’s Mort," all felt like they belonged in a version of the series where Rick Prime’s true identity had not yet been revealed. While Rick and Morty wasted Dr. Wong’s cameo, season 6, episode 8, “Analyze Piss,” at least fleshed out Rick’s neuroses.
However, even that darker outing didn't contribute to the overarching story of the series. For Rick and Morty season 7 to avoid this tonal inconsistency, the series needs to build up its stakes gradually. Each new episode should grow progressively more serious and darker, while the storyline surrounding Rick Prime and Evil Morty should not be mentioned until the second half of the season. This approach would also have the fringe benefit of allowing Rick and Morty’s new lead voice actors to grow accustomed to the role in a series of episodes that feel closer in tone to the show’s earlier, sillier seasons.
Rick & Morty's Recast Problem Means Season 7 Must Avoid Big Mistakes
Rick and Morty season 7 can’t use its premiere to drop a huge twist, then ignore this revelation until the finale. Instead, season 7 should address Rick and Morty’s lore gradually throughout the season, slowly building up a cohesive arc. While Rick and Morty’s most hated episode was reviled for its Giant Incest Baby joke, this gag at least set up a joke that become an important plot point later in the season. Rick and Morty season 7 needs more of this type of storytelling if the series is to avoid repeating the season 6 premiere’s cheap injection of drama before the rest of the outing reverted to business as usual.