Rick and Morty will officially return for season 4, but the latest run is so much shorter than the others - here's why. Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, Rick & Morty follows the insane adventures of mad scientist Rick Sanchez and his worrisome grandson Morty. The animated series debuted on Adult Swim back in 2014, garnering a ionate fanbase and widespread acclaim. It has since aired three seasons of insane, Morty-mind-blowing adventures. Roiland also serves as the voice for both titular characters.
Fans were initially worried when Adult Swim neglected to renew the popular show within the usual time frame. Harmon later clarified, however, that the delay was due to difficult contract negotiations. Soon after, it was announced that The first official season 4 trailer was released earlier in the month, promising the series' usual blend of madcap adventures and pop-culture references. The trailer also clarified that the first episode would air November 10 and that the new run will only be comprised of 5 episodes, half the usual length.
If there is one thing that fans of Rick and Morty love, however, it's asking why? That and limited edition re-released packets of McDonalds Szechaun sauce, of course. The latest of such questions - "why is season 4 so short?" - is likely a direct response to a previous one. After all, one of the biggest criticisms from fans is the long wait between seasons. The gap between season 1 and 2, and then 2 and 3, was typically a couple of years. Although some fans understood the waiting time, given the level of detail and insanely outlandish plots often eclipsing both similarly animated shows like South Park. Still, others couldn't get past it being a far cry from their turnaround. The latest move on behalf of the showrunners is no doubt their way of combating such a fierce, often impatient demand and subsequent vocal disappointment.
Though fans are now lamenting the truncated run, the wait between these batch of episodes and the one to follow will no doubt by far less than 2 years. In fact, it will likely be 2020 - whether those episodes serve as the second half to season 4 or new season in its own right. Harmon and Roiland, after all, previously confirmed that Rick's daughter, Beth, within the season 3 finale. While the wait between the end of season 3 and the start of season 4 has been as long a gap as previous years, that will definitely change going forward.
Another major component to the switch it assuredly also to maintain quality. A level of quality that can match the influx of guest appearances lined up for season 4 - including popular film director Taika Waititi. It could also make their (scathing and loving) pop-culture references even more prescient, with the writers able to work them into scripts and get them to screen not long after inspiration strikes. As much as fans would new episodes at a rapid pace, to do so at the expense of the quality expected from Rick and Morty would be a mistake. Equally, it would likely be met with more vocal criticism than the long wait or a shortened run would be. As the voiceover in the recent trailer suggests, while it may only be half the season fans deserve, it's also all the season they could handle. As such, it would appear that Harmon and Roiland have chosen a fitting compromise. One that successfully avoids the rock and a hard place scene and hopefully pays off when the new Rick and Morty episodes are released.