Never Watched ‘Rick and Morty’? This Is What You Need to Know

Whenever I am asked to explain the appeal of “Rick and Morty,” I propose a thought experiment.

Imagine that you grew up with the world’s tragedies being beamed into your living room by 24-hour cable news. Your country has been at war for much your lifetime. You graduated college with a huge amount of debt, and you entered the work force during the recent financial crisis. Imagine, too, that the world’s ecological crisis weighs heavily on your mind and that you spend as much time on the internet as you do speaking to real human beings.

If you were this sort of person, what television show would resonate with you?

“Rick and Morty,” the Adult Swim animated comedy by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, just might be the answer.

It is dark, even to the point of being nihilistic; it is absurdist; and it operates less like a novel or serial drama and more like a meme or internet video. It also speaks to the sense of alienation, anxiety and skepticism that it not uncommon among younger Americans today.

And it has just been renewed for 70 episodes. Adult Swim announced last week that as a part of an overall deal with the series creators, “Rick and Morty,” which numbers 31 episodes in its first three seasons, will return for more than double that number.

What is it about?

It’s a show about an ill-tempered, alcoholic scientific genius named Rick Sanchez and his teenage grandson, Morty Smith.