Dan Harmon's Rick and Morty certainly knows how to keep its fanbase waiting. The irreverent animated sci-fi show has something of a reputation for long waits between new seasons, with over a year-long hiatus since season 4 concluded and no hint of season 5 within sight. That doesn't mean it's not happening though. In fact, a recent Tweet from one of the writers suggests that the show has plans as far out as a 7th season, and production is already (tentatively) underway.
One of the more popular animated comedies of the current era, Rick and Morty manages to remain in the conversation despite long periods of absence partially due to the show's own memetic quality, and partially due to clever marketing. Besides the usual advertisements and sponsorship deals, the show's creators are also constantly making sure to keep dropping small bits of news about the project.
Recently, writer Alex Rubens dropped a big piece of information on Twitter in a characteristically jokey manner. In his tweet he wrote, "Am I allowed to say we started writing Rick and Morty Season 7? (If not we didn’t and I’m not)." So, it would seem that season 7 of the show is officially confirmed without being officially confirmed, and before seasons 5 or 6 have even had their premieres. Not that it's much of a shock, considering the incredible popularity of Rick and Morty basically guarantees the show will continue on so long as the creators are interested in continuing on it, not to mention the various other shows that have been pitched and greenlit off the back of it's success.
Creator Dan Harmon himself also alluded to work on the 7th season of Rick and Morty earlier during the Adult Swim Festival, saying, “I think we’re working on Season 7 right now, I can’t even keep track." It appears Harmon's developing animated comedy set in ancient Greece hasn't slowed down the process for Rick and Morty on the production side.
All that said, it's somewhat surprising how little is known even about the upcoming fifth season of Rick and Morty. While producer Scott Marder has said that "There’s epic canon in season five coming," nothing has actually been revealed about what the overall plot will look like or when the season will even premiere.
Hopefully, those details start coming in soon and fans of Rick and Morty can start gearing up for whatever is coming their way. At the very least, they can take comfort in knowing that they will definitely be getting more Rick and Morty. There'll be no shortage of science fiction nonsense, it's just a question of how long fans will have to wait to see it in action.
Rick and Morty season 5 will air on Adult Swim.
Source: Alex Rubens/Twitter