Although viewers may have been surprised by the Rick and Morty season 5 hiatus, the move saved the finale. After a mixed season, the shocking two-part ending concluded the fifth installment on a high note, revealing some major background information about Rick and rebooting the show's basic format. Although the exact reasons why the Rick and Morty season 5 finale was delayed are unconfirmed, the short break was beneficial to the show.
The Rick and Morty finale began with episode 9 "Forgetting Sarick Mortshall," which confronted the toxic nature of the titular leads' dynamic head-on. The second episode, "Rickmurai Jack," continued the story of Rick and Morty's "breakup," culminating in a massive showdown against Evil Morty at the Citadel of Ricks. The events of the episode were exciting and set a new bar for the Adult Swim series going forward.
The Rick and Morty season 5 finale breaks from the show's basic format, suggesting a new standard for the series going forward. This is a positive sign for the show's future — made even better by the delay between episodes 8 and 9. The weekend before the final two episodes aired, Adult Swim released a series of live-action Rick and Morty promos that featured Christopher Lloyd as Rick Sanchez and Jaeden Martell as Morty; the short clips quickly went viral, building up anticipation for the show's final two episodes.
Adult Swim's live-action promos for Rick and Morty no doubt raised interest in the show, saving the finale after several controversial episodes. The fifth installment of the animated series was a mixed bag — Rick and Morty season 5, episode 4 is hated in particular, and ratings for the series dropped after it aired [via ShowBuzzDaily]. The final two episodes saw an uptick in viewership, and although those episodes weren't the highest rated in the season, it was a clear improvement over the previous two. It's not unusual for a season's viewership to peak at the beginning, gradually drop off, and then get a slight bump toward the end; however, given the obvious hype around the Rick and Morty live-action promos, it's reasonable to assume that the additional attention led to a boost in viewership.
It's impossible to determine how much, if any, impact the live-action Rick and Morty teasers had on viewership numbers for the finale; however, the hype saved the season 5 finale regardless. The popularity of the Adult Swim promos is a testament to how much fun they are, and by releasing them — after a brief pause — Adult Swim changed the conversation around Rick and Morty season 5. It's unknown if the hiatus was required in order to produce the clips or not, but the break certainly gave some much-needed space after some divisive episodes.