There’s a lot of TV out there, and this one should be a Geek show, but I didn’t feel like changing the title of my weekly TV review column. A guy’s got to keep things moving along.
I’m talking about the animated show Rick and Morty, by the way.
What’s the premise?
A mad scientist inventor, Rick, keeps taking his timid grandson Morty on various dangerous adventures against Morty’s will, often with results that are humiliating or painful for Morty, though often worse for Morty’s dad, and Rick’s son-in-law, Jerry.
What’s the appeal?
This show is wacky beyond belief, and often a bit dark. No one really seems willing or capable of denying Rick anything his twisted sense of right and wrong desires, and is fairly typical of many Adult Swim shows, but also not requiring substances that are illegal in most states to really enjoy like many Adult Swim shows. Co-creator Dan Harmon, also the man behind the sitcom Community, calls this series a sci-fi sitcom.
Anything stand out?
If you want to get a good idea of what kind of show this is, look at the picture above and see if Rick and Morty look like any other famous pop culture characters you might recognize. Heck, Morty’s name isn’t all that different.
If you haven’t gotten it by now, they look like Doc Brown and Marty McFly from Back to the Future. That’s deliberate. Series co-creator Justin Roiland voices both characters and does a passable Michal J. Fox impression for Morty. But only passable. He won’t fool anybody, but you can pick out that that’s who he’s trying to sound like.
Really, this show is unpredictable. Episodes can end with most of the people on Earth dead, with Rick and Morty fleeing to a parallel universe where everyone is fine, or have the world’s dogs gain intelligence but opt to leave for another universe to call their own instead of being treated like, well, dogs. The writing is often crisp and clever, and Geeks should love it.
Any downsides?
Rick tends to belch a lot and slobber all over his own face while speaking. I don’t know why that is, but I find it rather foul.
Bonus: Rick and Morty appeared on an episode of The Simpsons during the opening credits. Take a look below.
Gabbing Geek 