Rick and Morty season 5

A season with stronger continuity and epic canon.

The fifth season of the animated television series Rick and Morty aired from June 20, 2021, to September 5, 2021, on Adult Swim. It is part of a 70-episode order placed by the network in 2018. The season features Justin Roiland as both titular characters, alongside Chris Parnell, Spencer Grammer, and Sarah Chalke.

Quick Facts

Season number

Showrunner

Scott Marder

Starring

Justin Roiland
Chris Parnell
Spencer Grammer
Sarah Chalke

Network

Adult Swim

First aired

20 June 2021

Last aired

5 September 2021

Episodes

Facts from the source article.

Production

Season 5 of the show was described by Dan Harmon and Scott Marder as having more continuity than earlier seasons. During a virtual Adult Swim event in 2020, Marder promised major canon developments and noted that Space Beth, introduced in season four, would become a main character in season six. By late October 2020, episodes were well on their way to Adult Swim. A promotional animatic released in November 2020 showed Morty hauling what looked like a dead Rick across an alien world. Additional animatics from the same episode appeared, with Rick in a similar state. Another animatic had Morty telling Jessica he loved her while their spaceship crashed into the ocean, where Rick’s old enemy Mr. Nimbus showed up. In October 2020, Harmon said Rob Schrab wrote an episode called “A Rickconvenient Mort” about Morty dating someone other than Jessica, and that Morty would experience heartbreak beyond his years. Harmon called Schrab’s work “very tender” and said production was running ahead of schedule. Jeff Loveness, who wrote several season four episodes, returned for his final contributions to the series, including the season premiere. The season also looked more closely at the relationship between Rick and Jerry. The main voice cast—Justin Roiland, Chris Parnell, Spencer Grammer, and Sarah Chalke—came back as the Smith family, with Mr. Nimbus as a new character. In January 2021, Dan Harmon and Kari Wahlgren were confirmed to reprise their roles as Birdperson and Jessica, and Space Beth also returned. Guest stars included Timothy Olyphant, Christina Ricci, and Alison Brie.

Release

Season 5 of Rick and Morty began on June 20, 2021. Justin Roiland, the voice actor for both lead characters, suggested in March 2021 that releasing one episode each month could stretch out the show’s run. He also stated that the gaps between all future seasons would never be as lengthy as those between earlier ones. On July 13, 2021, the seventh episode, "Gotron Jerrysis Rickvangelion," appeared early on Canada’s Amazon Prime Video, ahead of its scheduled August 1 debut, and was taken down quickly.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, season five holds an 86% score based on 100 reviews, with the critics consensus stating that the season shows "signs of fatigue" but finishes strong due to a major status quo shakeup. On Metacritic, the season scored 89 out of 100 based on 5 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim." Brandon Katz of Observer commented that the show persists because it knows "we are all capable of great and terrible things." David Opie of Digital Spy praised the series premiere as "just as inventive as ever" and noted that not resetting the status quo allows for more character development.