Dan Harmon Believed the End of "Rick and Morty" Was Inevitable After Justin Roiland's Firing
The co-creator considered Roiland the "heart of the show," but the writers convinced him to continue the series for the sake of the team and the audience.
Dan Harmon admitted that he initially couldn't imagine "Rick and Morty" continuing without the show's co-creator, Justin Roiland. After his colleague's dismissal from Adult Swim in January 2023, Harmon was convinced the show would have to be canceled.
In an interview with The Daily Beast's Obsessed podcast, the writer called this reaction automatic. He considered Roiland the "heart of the show" because he was involved in its creation and voiced both main characters.
Harmon's opinion changed after meeting with about twenty members of the "Rick and Morty" team. The writers and other staff stated that they were ready to continue working and did not want to tie the project's fate to one person's decisions:
"One of the writers asked, 'What? Why should this be his decision? What does what happened have to do with the show, the fans, and the characters? Now everything should collapse around him, like a temple around Samson? Should he be the one to decide this?'"
Colleagues urged Harmon to take responsibility for the show's future and think about the people who continued to work on it:
"The main thought was: 'Be the adult in this room.' It was crazy and ironic that this role fell to me. I was told to think about everyone else – the fans and the staff. Then I said, 'Okay.'"
After Roiland's dismissal, the roles were split between two actors. Rick Sanchez began to be voiced by Ian Cardoni, and Morty Smith by Harry Belden. Sarah Chalke, Chris Parnell, and Spencer Grammer retained their roles as Beth, Jerry, and Summer, respectively.
Adult Swim ended its collaboration with Roiland after allegations of domestic violence and unlawful imprisonment emerged. In March 2023, the case was closed due to lack of evidence. Later, new allegations of inappropriate behavior appeared in the media.
The ninth season of "Rick and Morty" concluded on July 26, 2026. Adult Swim has already renewed the series for a twelfth season, and Harmon and his team are simultaneously working on the script for a feature film. In addition, the franchise received a spin-off, "President Curtis," which premiered on July 27 and has already been renewed for a second season.
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