Rick and Morty season 4

The fourth season aired in two parts across 2019 and 2020.

Adult Swim gave the green light to Rick and Morty season four in May 2018. The ten-episode run was split in two, with the first half airing from November 10 to December 15, 2019, and the second half from May 3 to May 31, 2020.

Quick Facts

Season number

Showrunner

Mike McMahan

Starring

Justin Roiland
Chris Parnell
Spencer Grammer
Sarah Chalke

Network

Adult Swim

First aired

10 November 2019

Last aired

31 May 2020

Episodes

Facts from the source article.

Cast and characters

Justin Roiland voices Rick Sanchez, an eccentric mad scientist, and Morty Smith, his kind but easily distressed grandson. Chris Parnell plays Jerry Smith, Rick's simple-minded and insecure son-in-law. Spencer Grammer portrays Summer Smith, Rick's granddaughter and a conventional teenager. Sarah Chalke is Beth Smith, Rick's daughter and a generally level-headed person. Kari Wahlgren voices Jessica, Morty's classmate and crush, and Rick's Space Cruiser, the sentient artificial intelligence of the garage and ship.

Production

After the third season wrapped up in October 2017, it was unclear if the show would continue, as no renewal was announced. In March 2018, Dan Harmon posted on Twitter that he hadn't started writing for a new season because Adult Swim hadn't ordered any episodes, and contract talks were more complex than before. The third season's production had been strained by conflicts between Harmon and Justin Roiland, leading to writing delays and tension. The crew tried to bring in a mediator to fix their relationship, but it didn't work. Eventually, they resolved their differences to keep the show going, with Roiland mainly recording his voice work from home. The co-creators wanted a guarantee of many more seasons so they could concentrate on the show and take on fewer other projects. Harmon said he hoped future seasons would have more than ten episodes, aiming to prove he had improved by working more efficiently and controlling his perfectionism, which had caused the third season to shrink from a planned fourteen episodes to ten. In May 2018, after lengthy negotiations, Adult Swim announced a long-term deal for 70 new episodes across an unspecified number of seasons. Roiland was happy to have job security and a clear future, while Harmon noted the deal structure gave them permission to truly focus on the show.

Reception

Critics gave the fourth season of Rick and Morty a 94% positive score on Rotten Tomatoes from 107 reviews, averaging 8.30 out of 10. The site's consensus called it an exciting step forward and a welcome return to form that justified the two-year gap. Metacritic rated it 84 out of 100 from five critics, signifying universal acclaim. The episode "The Vat of Acid Episode" earned an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program.