Rick and Morty season 3

A season exploring family bonds and nihilism with high ratings.

The third season of Rick and Morty, an American animated television series, aired on Adult Swim beginning with an unannounced premiere on April 1, 2017, as part of an April Fools' prank. The season delivered the highest ratings in Adult Swim's history and was the top-rated comedy among millennials on television. It received largely positive reviews and won a Critics' Choice Award for Best Animated Series, as well as the show's first Emmy Award for the episode "Pickle Rick."

Quick Facts

Season number

Showrunner

Dan Harmon; Justin Roiland

Starring

Justin Roiland
Chris Parnell
Spencer Grammer
Sarah Chalke

Episodes

Network

Adult Swim

Last aired

1 October 2017

Facts from the source article.

Cast and characters

Justin Roiland voiced Rick Sanchez C-137 and Morty Smith Prime, the two main characters. Chris Parnell voiced Jerry Smith 5126, Rick's son-in-law. Spencer Grammer voiced Summer Smith C-131, Rick's granddaughter. Sarah Chalke voiced Beth Smith C-131, Rick's daughter. Kari Wahlgren voiced Jessica and Rick's Space Cruiser. Other voice actors included Dan Harmon, Brandon Johnson, Tom Kenny, Maurice LaMarche, Nolan North, Cassie Steele, Laura Bailey, John DiMaggio, Ryan Ridley, Scott Chernoff, Dan Benson, Clancy Brown, Echo Kellum, Melique Berger, William Holmes, Tara Strong, Jeff B. Davis, Jonas Briedis, Phil Hendrie, Rob Paulsen, Alex Jayne Go, Jennifer Hale, and Mariana Wise.

Production

Adult Swim renewed Rick and Morty for a third season on August 12, 2015, after a successful second-season premiere. Co-creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland expressed delight at the series' popularity. In an October 2015 interview, Roiland noted that the team had received many scripts from female writers for the first time. Four female writers were eventually added, making the writing room gender-balanced aside from the co-creators. The writing staff consisted of eleven writers who collectively wrote and rewrote each episode. Harmon noted that the credited writer usually prepared the episode's outline.

Release

The third season originally aired Sundays at 11:30 p.m. EST on Adult Swim. The network offered free livestreams for the first two episodes, with later episodes requiring a cable subscription. After the season concluded, Adult Swim made a livestream marathon available on its website in select regions to discourage illegal streams. Episodes were available on Netflix in some countries outside the U.S. one week after airing. The season was added to Hulu on June 23, 2018. Uncensored versions were sold on iTunes, Amazon, and Microsoft Store, including commentaries and seven short videos with Harmon and Roiland. The DVD and Blu-ray release on May 15, 2018, featured exclusive commentary and animatics, origins material, and recording booth sessions. Guest commentators included Peter Dinklage, David Benioff, D. B. Weiss, Marilyn Manson, Courtney Love, Russell Brand, and a crowdfunding winner.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the season holds a 96% approval rating based on 175 reviews, with an average rating of 8.95 out of 10. The site's consensus described the season as interrogating familial bonds, love, and nihilism with the series' trademark wit. Jesse Schedeen of IGN rated it 8.8 out of 10, calling it darker and more unpredictable than earlier seasons, though not reaching the heights of season 2. Corey Plante of Inverse said the season was both dark and funny. Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club agreed it was the darkest season, but noted viewers had become desensitized to the violence. Mike Cosimano of Comics Gaming Magazine disagreed, calling the season a disappointment with a 6.5 out of 10, arguing it used cheap gut punches and had an uneven focus on character development.