APRIL 1 – UPDATE: It’s April Fool’s Day, but this is no joke! The season 3 premiere of Rick and Morty is here, streaming on loop on the Adult Swim website for a limited time. Read the Monkeys Fighting Robots review of the episode here. Enjoy!
Believe it or not, the last new episode of Rick and Morty that graced our screens was way back in October, 2015. Mr. Poopy Butthole was not kidding around about his uncertainty as to when the new season would start. However, there is a morsel of good news that just entered our universe. According to its listing on IMDB, the season 3 premiere of Rick and Morty will be a full hour!
The page also lists 13 additional episodes in season 3, each with a standard 22-minute run-time.
For the last 18 months, fans of the Adult Swim series have been clamoring for more hysterical inter-dimensional calamity between the mad scientist and his neurotic grandson. There have been a number of rumors and snippets of information as to when the third season would premiere. The news that the first episode is one hour long is certain to make loyal fans get schwifty! We have certainly waited long enough for some good news.
In March of 2016, co-creator Dan Harmon announced at Magic City Comic Con that new episodes would air by the end of the year (which did not happen, obviously). He also said the new season would have 14 episodes – a step up from 10 in season 2. In July, fans were treated to animatics at San Diego Comic Con, which contained hints as to how (SPOILER ALERT) Rick is going to escape from prison.
Since then, there have been a number of promises and let-downs by both Harmon and Justin Roiland as to when the new season would actually premiere. On IMDB, it lists April 24 as the premiere date, but Adult Swim has never confirmed this. What we do know is that animation and voice-over work is currently underway. The team is working diligently on Rick and Morty, and genius takes time.
The premiere is likely to be a direct continuation of the season 2 finale. Rick had been captured by the Galactic Federation and incarcerated on a prison planet, under the charge of having committed “everything.” How will Rick escape his lifetime sentence? Keep checking for updates on Monkeys Fighting Robots!
(Author’s note: thank you to the reader who pointed out that the hour-long premiere has not been confirmed by Adult Swim just yet.)