Rick and Morty season 6, episode 9 sees a whopping five cameos appear in a single episode, breaking a common trend with it comes to celebrity cameos. Season 6 served as something of a soft reset for the show, allowing it to focus back on Rick and Morty having episodic adventures without having to remove all the developments that have come before it. This change centers the show back around playing with comedy, sci-fi, and animation tropes, which goes some way to explain Rick and Morty's season 6, episode 9 cameos.
Celebrity cameos have long been the stuff of bated breath when it comes to audiences, as there's a tendency for them to feel shoehorned in, or to otherwise derail the show - evidenced perhaps best by The Simpsons' infamously poor received cameos of Elon Musk and Lady Gaga. As such, the fact that the five Rick and Morty season 6, episode 9 cameos all fit in perfectly without feeling jarring or contrived shows just how much the show breaks this unfortunately celebrity trend. Admittedly, the voice cameos being Jack Black, Matt King, David Mitchell, Daniel Radcliffe and Robert Webb also helps, as their collective comedic timing works perfectly in the show.
Why Rick & Morty's Season 6, Episode 9 Cameos Work So Well
Every famous voice cameo in Rick and Morty season 6, episode 9 showcases actors with both experience and talent in the field of comedy. This makes it borderline inevitable that their appearance in the show would work so well, as it's not simply a matter of wanting famous voices for the novelty value, but rather about allowing the show to have fun surprising people with its casting, while also making sure said casting works for the episode in its own right. Rick and Morty season 6 involving the likes of Jack Black and the Peep Show starring duo was a pretty solid way to ensure this would be the case.
It's also worth note that while also the celebrity cameos play some important roles in the episode, the episode isn't about them. While they get their moments in the sun, the focus of the plot is still more on Morty than their shared antics. This also plays a vital role in making sure Rick and Morty doesn't fall into the same pitfalls other shows do when having famous faces appear, as it's clear they're there to accentuate the comedy of the series, not derail it or make an episode about them.
Rick & Morty Proves It Will Never Copy The Simpsons' Cameo Problem
With the show scheduled to release at minimum another 40 episodes after Rick and Morty season 6 is finished, it's safe to say there's a fair few seasons left for the series. Rick and Morty could run for even longer after this scheduled episode number - and likely will, given the positive reception to the series. With this long future in mind, it would have been easy for the show to simply make its famous cameos an episode's premise. The fact it doesn't proves the series knows to avoid the pitfalls that created things like cameo issues for The Simpsons - and hopefully ensure it remains a strong show throughout its run.