Fri. Mar 29th, 2024


Adult Swim has dropped Justin Roiland following domestic abuse charges, but Rick and Morty will continue with recast voices.

Rick and Morty, Justin Roiland

After news broke earlier this year that Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland had been charged with felony domestic abuse, fans wondered if the acclaimed animated series could continue. Well, major news today as it was announced that Rick and Morty would continue, but without the involvement of Justin Roiland.

Adult Swim has ended its association with Justin Roiland,” Adult Swim/Cartoon Network/Boomerang svp communications Mairie Moore said in a statement. Dan Harmon will remain onboard as the sole creator of the series, with the roles of Rick and Morty set to be re-cast.

In addition to Rick and Morty, Roiland also co-created and stars in Solar Opposites on Hulu, but it remains to be seen if he will be removed from that series as well. Roiland also executive-produced the recent Koala Man series on Hulu. Neither Solar Opposites nor Koala Man has quite the hold on pop culture that Rick and Morty does, so you could easily see Hulu simply pulling the plug, but Adult Swim is heavily invested in Rick and Morty, having given it an unprecedented 70-episode renewal back in 2018.

Prior to his removal, Justin Roiland said that an “infinite” amount of sci-fi stories in the multiverse could keep the series going for years to come. “I don’t see any sort of big, giant ending,” Roiland said. “Even if we did, you just have all the other multiverses… You could just pick up with another family with another Rick. It kind of could go on forever, really.” Featuring the voices of Justin Roiland, Sarah Chalke, Chris Parnell, and Spencer Grammer, Rick and Morty follows “a sociopathic genius scientist who drags his inherently timid grandson on insanely dangerous adventures across the universe. Rick Sanchez is living with his daughter Beth’s family and constantly bringing her, his son-in-law Jerry, granddaughter Summer, and grandson Morty into intergalactic escapades.” The sixth season of Rick and Morty concluded late last year, but the writers already wrapped the seventh season over a year ago and are currently working on the eighth season of the series.

Justin Roiland pleaded not guilty in 2020 to one felony count of domestic battery with corporal injury and one felony count of false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud and/or deceit. A trial date hasn’t been set, but he could face up to seven years in prison if convicted.

Is Adult Swim right in removing Justin Roiland from Rick and Morty?

By Dave Jenks

Dave Jenks is an American novelist and Veteran of the United States Marine Corps. Between those careers, he’s worked as a deckhand, commercial fisherman, divemaster, taxi driver, construction manager, and over the road truck driver, among many other things. He now lives on a sea island, in the South Carolina Lowcountry, with his wife and youngest daughter. They also have three grown children, five grand children, three dogs and a whole flock of parakeets. Stinnett grew up in Melbourne, Florida and has also lived in the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, and Cozumel, Mexico. His next dream is to one day visit and dive Cuba.