The first half of Rick and Morty season 4 has officially concluded - but when will the next batch of episodes be released and what can fans expect? Created by Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland, Rick and Morty debuted on Adult Swim back in 2013. Immediately garnering widespread acclaim and popularity for its originality, creativity, and humor, Rick and Morty aired two more subsequent, intermittent seasons. After a 2-year wait, Rick and Morty season 4 was officially released.
As well as co-creating Rick and Morty, Roiland voices both the cynical mad scientist, Rick, and his fretful grandson, Morty. With their time split between domestic troubles and intergalactic adventures, Rick and Morty often savagely send up numerous elements of real-life and pop culture. So far in season 4, the homages and parodies have come thick and fast - with everything from heist movies, Netflix, and elements of the Marvel Cinematic Universe targeted. Rick and Morty season 4 has also seen a number of new guest-stars - including Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi, Matthew Broderick, and, yes, even the real Elon Musk playing Elon Tusk.
The latest Rick and Morty episode expertly deconstructed the tropes of time-travel movies. After Morty attempted to make up for killing a space snake, he inadvertently altered a whole species evolutionary path. As a result, various snakes and other creatures repeatedly came back through time to either destroy or protect Morty. Along the way, Rick was forced to intervene further - even venturing through time himself in order to restore balance. Everything from Terminator to Time Cop received a nod, with the latter even seeing Keegan Michael Key’s Rick and Morty season 2 character return. Fans, however, are already looking to the future and wondering what comes next when Rick & Morty season 4 returns.
When Rick & Morty Season 4 Returns
The remainder of Rick and Morty season 4 has yet to receive an official release date. However, similar to BoJack Horseman, though the new episodes have been not long released, work is already underway on producing the second batch as soon as possible. As co-creator, Harmon previously stated that the gap between Rick and Morty episodes will never again be as long as it was after Rick and Morty season 3. Though he couldn’t clarify how quickly they would be able to produce the new episodes, Harmon promised that the hiatus will not be of ridiculous length. Equally, Spencer Grammer, who voices Summer, revealed that the cast is recording the Rick and Morty season 4 finale. As such, it’s a safe bet that the new Rick and Morty episodes will be released in early-to-mid 2020.
How Many Episodes Rick & Morty Season 4 Has Left
As previously conveyed by the official Rick and Morty season 4 trailer, the latest string of episodes make up half the season. Therefore, given that Rick and Morty season 4 was confirmed to be 10 of Rick and Morty’s huge 70-episode renewal at Adult Swim, there remain five more wild and insane Rick and Morty adventures to come. Harmon also confirmed this in the not-too-distant past, reiterating statements from the trailer. “The opening five [episodes] was half the season the fans deserve but all the season they could manage.”
What To Expect From The Rest Of Rick & Morty Season 4
Details for the remainder of Rick and Morty season 4 are predictably scarce. It’s unknown which famous voices fans can expect in the future Rick and Morty episodes. Equally, it’s unclear just what madcap scraps the titular characters will find themselves embroiled in or what elements of pop culture will be savagely skewered next. Harmon teased, however, that fans will be blown away by what’s to come - especially the overall Rick and Morty season 4 finale. “The season finale of season 4 is really good,” Harmon expressed. “We get canonical. We get serialized.”
Fellow co-creator, Roiland, served to further emphasize such potential excitement with comments of his own. “We have a tag in season 4 that’s gonna tease some s**t up in season 5,” he revealed. The fact that Rick and Morty will be a tad more serialized in the future will no doubt please many fans. Especially if those stories ultimately pay off some previously established threads - such as the recurring, ever-popular Evil Morty character. Rick and Morty season 5 is currently being written, even as work on Season 4 continues. Fans’ focus, however, will surely be on the latter as they remain eager to see for themselves what comes next. Even just based on what little is currently known, speculation will no doubt rage until Rick and Morty season 4 officially returns.
More: Rick & Morty Season 4 Gave Rick Some Genuine (& Personal) Character Development
