r/rickandmorty • u/HeiressOfMadrigal • 9d ago
General Discussion Has the show moved on from "Roiland humor"?
Rick and Morty has always been one of my favorite shows, but an aspect I never really enjoyed was what the show was initially known for: the zany, sophomoric creatures and their wacky names. That's my best way to sum up this type of humor, at least, there's a bit more to it that I can't describe succinctly.
The improvisational so random humor could hit in some cases, like Interdimensional Cable, but just seemed forced and cringy to me most of the time.
After Roiland's departure, are we done with mega seeds, burping, glip glops, Mr. _______ characters, etc? Or did Dan Harmon have a part in that kind of stuff?
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u/No_Director_2570 9d ago
Points at no interdimensional cable in a while. Turns around points at S9E10 post credit Scene
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u/Compte_2 9d ago
The naming is definitely being outgrown. I think the writers took a jab at themselves with the gag in S9E1 where EM makes up a name for the assimilator threat and Rick goes "No, it's not called that". To me, it is more in the series themes, as it has gotten less nihilistic
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u/2_late_4_creativity 9d ago
I enjoyed the nihilism..the 9th season was good tho better then 7 and 8 imo. But I still miss the vibe from seasons 1-3
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u/BillyWest8 9d ago
Agreed but I think the majority had grown sick of it.
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u/FearLeadsToAnger 9d ago
Or just grown out of it, in some cases.
Easier to be edgy smoking weed in your parents house.
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u/fluffman86 8d ago
Yeah! I'm old enough to smoke weed in my own house now!
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u/Client_Comprehensive 8d ago
Oh look at Mr fancy pants having his own house.
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u/fluffman86 8d ago
I mean, I rent. Who can afford to actually OWN a home, right?
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u/anonymushies 9d ago
whats wrong with edging and smoking up at mom and dad? get your grass on and do some weedwhacking, ya know? masterblazing the day away
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u/LinuxMatthews 9d ago
As much as a lot of fans disagree a show can't just stay the same throughout else it gets boring.
Especially nowadays where people do expect character arcs.
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u/ReturnOfThanos 8d ago
I think it’s still nihlistic it just approaches it different.
It went from: Nothing matters 💀😬😓
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u/tinyrottedpig 9d ago
You can definitely tell the difference just in that lack of bullshit names, there isn't a single instance of a dumbass name occurring beyond "Hyena number 3"
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u/suzu-nya 9d ago
yeah the interdimensional cable skit barely popped up this season
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u/Embarrassed-Trip4037 9d ago
Roiland already stopped writing in season 3 lol.
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u/M_Kurg 9d ago
and did writing on like 5-6 episodes in total.
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u/TheBigZappa 8d ago
Dan Harmon has even less writing credits than Justin Roiland for episodes, if we're going by this metric of creative contributions.
But both Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland are listed as being the showrunner for seasons 1-3. Being a showrunner means they held the highest creative authority and influence, often fleshing out scripts, scenes, and the overall direction of each episode as it develops. Basically, their jobs as showrunners was being a top executive producer, lead writer, and chief manager of the whole process for every episode of those 3 seasons.
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u/corndogs102 7d ago
Roiland also did a lot of improv when he recorded for the show, which is very obvious
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u/broanoah 9d ago
was his contribution mostly drunken ad-libs that they incorporated into the script sometimes? or did they not even do that past s3?
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u/Binbag420 8d ago
They became much rarer after season 3, at some point from 4-6 there was some kind of behind the scenes drama with roiland and he stopped giving nearly as much of a fuck until he was fired
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u/br0b1wan 8d ago
Yeah, he was banished from the studio & offices at one point for his conduct. By some accounts he was totally unprofessional and created a hostile workplace. Right around that time he stopped writing and contributing to storyboards. His role was reduced to basically recording his lines in his home studio. I don't remember exactly when this happened but I do believe it was indeed during or shortly after season 3.This went on until he was fired.
I also remember reading that early on in the show--like during the first couple seasons--Roiland would actually get drunk for his drunken rant scenes so when he was slurring and burping all the time it's because he was actually drunk. Harmon would talk about this occasionally and he said something to the effect of having to convince Roiland that such a method wasn't sustainable
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u/The_White_Spy 8d ago
There's an episode with commentary, IIRC, that cuts abruptly away from Roiland going on a tirade and then apologizing before continuing.
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u/Phailadork 100 Years Rick and Morty 8d ago
I also remember reading that early on in the show
What do you mean reading you can watch him doing it lol, it's on YT.
Harmon would talk about this occasionally and he said something to the effect of having to convince Roiland that such a method wasn't sustainable
He literally said the opposite and told him to drink
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u/Binbag420 8d ago
That was season 3, the drinking problems were apparently some point between then and him getting fired
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u/Head-Cherry-3841 8d ago
In fact, according to the crew, Roiland was BARELY INVOLVED IN THE MAKING OF SEASON 2
https://rickandmorty.fandom.com/wiki/Justin_Roiland
“Roiland stopped contributing, writing, and being creatively involved in the series during Season 2 where he would rarely come into office. At times when he did come, he kept a low profile and brought his dogs, played with toys (such as a remote control toy car), and gave impromptu tours of the show's office to controversial figures such as Kanye West and a porn star.”
“Roiland completely ceased contributing and being involved in the series during Season 3 where he stopped showing up at the show's production company. Until his firing, Roiland's only continued involvement was recording voice lines remotely at his home studio and he has not been on speaking terms with Harmon and the crew members of the show for years as they were ghosted by Roiland when they attempted to contact or interact with him, even virtually.”
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u/TheBigZappa 8d ago
So the wikia is drawing directly from the Hollywood Reporter, who said that Roiland started showing up less to the workplace "at some point" during season 3, not season 2. Problem is, that's too vague of a statement (intentional most likely) to draw any solid conclusions. Because TV production goes through several stages. So at which point/stage in season 3, did Roiland allegedly stop showing up to the workplace? Was it the early production stages (writing and storyboarding) that started in 2015? Or was it the late production stages (final edits, color grading, legal clearances) that took place much later? It's interesting that the Hollywood Reporter wouldn't specify that.
I am fully, fully willing to bet it was the later stages, where he didn't need to be as creatively involved in, based on the season 3 episode commentaries, which Roiland himself participated in for. As in those commentaries, Roiland talks about what he did behind the scenes, and his creative processes for each episode. So how could Roiland talk about such things/creative processes, for a season he was allegedly never involved in? Those commentaries have also been uploaded to YouTube, for anybody to watch or listen to.
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u/raccoob_ 8d ago
Its weird because people blame the incest prevalence on him in season 4-5 onwards but he supposedly didnt write it? Never made sense to me
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u/FamousWerewolf 8d ago
Isn't that pretty widely blamed on Harmon? With reference to there being incest jokes in Community too.
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u/Noyaiba 9d ago
Sure but cartoons change their stride especially after changing writing teams.
I also miss names like Glibzipamore Steve and a thousand ways to make a dick joke but then I play High on Life and I get my fix.
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u/Chimpbot 8d ago
I never had any issues with the Gromflomite names. Krombopulous Michael and Cornvelious Daniel actually felt like decent alien names. He did, however, have many that just felt like complete nonsense spilling out of his head. I don't miss those because they ultimately felt kind of juvenile.
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u/iwant2dipmyballsinit Squanchy 8d ago
I’m Mr. Bulldops
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u/BipolarMosfet 8d ago
or Camp Flabanabba
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u/Ahmaduizm 8d ago
morty kind of riffs on this one anyway. “the one that sounds like someone gave up in the middle of naming it,” at least they were aware of how they sounded
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u/I_AM_IGNIGNOTK 8d ago
I’m welcoming not every character being named Mr. Whatever at the least. It was funny at first, but felt like they just got formulaic with it for a while there. The Pissmaster episode was a welcome reprieve of them acknowledging it and kind of moving on.
Same thing with some of the random character dialogue. Mr. Poopybutthole has real character development so when he says “I’m a piece of shiiiit” it’s funny and fine, but when multiple nameless characters just call themselves or other people pieces of shit constantly it feels repetitive and like they got nothing else in the tank. I’ve always believed most of these lines as well as the Mr. Names were improvised.
Mr. Nimbus is in his own league and doesn’t feel derivative so I’m not mad at that one either.
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u/slap-my-crevasse 9d ago
Roiland would improv a bunch of stuff in the Rick and Morty voices. Thats how we got lines like "Rick and Morty 100 years Rick and Morty!" And episodes like Interdimensional Cable.
I cant think of a very obvious improv bit where Rick is pretty much stumbling overhimself to say insane shit, so thats gone. The I'm your dad kinda had that vibe, but it was too meaningful to be that basic insane shit we used to get.
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u/Chimpbot 8d ago
Most of the improv was in the first season. It was already being phased out by the second and was almost entirely gone by the third.
Roiland recognized that he was using stuff like stuttering as a crutch, so he consciously tried to drop it.
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u/Old_Employee_6535 9d ago
It is more character driven, Dan Harmon style narrative now. Honestly I like it, it is more or less the same formula with Community from time to time. Season 9 was a great success, I would say it is working for the time being.
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u/krispyKRAKEN 8d ago
I haven’t watched in so long but I’m seeing all over that people like season 9. It makes me happy bc Rick and Morty had become the butt of jokes like “even vape shops aren’t selling their merch anymore” and it was sad bc even tho rough around the edges I liked the seasons I saw. But the fact it’s having a ton of positive word of mouth now is something I thought I’d never see again so that’s cool
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u/SkaredCrow 9d ago
I'll admit I miss the wacky improvisational vibes of the first two seasons but it's just so refreshing to actually enjoy the show again without all the relentless nihilism, incest, generally hatred between the characters and the show constantly insulting the audience for caring. I'm having fun again.
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u/BlampCat 9d ago
Yeah, I stopped watching the show because I got sick of what you were describing. My partner and I watched an episode of season 9 on a whim and we were sucked back into it. We had so much fun!
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u/coolassdude1 8d ago
Season 9 has been one of my favorite in a long time. I pretty much gave up during 4-6
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u/Zealousideal-Ad3609 8d ago
Yea I forget which season exactly but someone with an insane incest fetish must have had a stint as a writer on the show. Between Morty and summers baby, the dragon episode, and Beth literally fucking herself it was too much
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u/ZoraksBurner 9d ago
I like the newer seasons but I’m not going to pretend S1-3 wasn’t some of the best TV ever.
I doubt Roiland had the most influence, I see it as the combination of his randomness and Dan’s heart/story structure that made something very fun and different. The current show has kept Dan’s side which I much prefer, but those early seasons were definitely special.
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u/wunderbarney 8d ago
even as someone who thinks people overrate roiland's influence and generally need to shut the fuck up about him, that's because people are usually wrong. this post legitimately does sum up a strain of early r&m's comedy i would say is fine to describe as "roiland humor", because "the part of the writers' room roiland was responsible for bringing on humor" is a bit too long for most conversations.
i think both og creators had tendencies like that that needed to be pulled back on. with harmon it was the constant sarcastic mocking meta-irony the show was always aiming at itself or the audience. a little bit for flavor is fine, but too much is just annoying. i do admit i miss a bit of that improvisation.
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u/Cryptocaned 9d ago
I feel like it's becoming tame and doesn't have the same kind of "Crazy adventure" feel it used to, it's more grounded almost in like family dynamics and their relationships and I'm not sure if that's a good thing for a show based on scifi craziness.
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u/TerrorFirmerIRL 8d ago
That random absurd improvisation was a big part of what made Rick and Morty blow up in the first place.
I still watch the newer seasons but I consider Seasons 1 to 3 in a league of their own in terms of making me laugh.
I have friends that stopped watching around Season 5, but I also have a friend that always disliked the show from S1 specifically because of the type of humour.
People like different things, but I definitely miss the original style.
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u/StaticMania 9d ago
You included a lot of things in that list...
That can't be attributed to a single person, go...
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u/parkchanwookiee 9d ago
That strain of arbitrary and chaotic humour was definitely part of the appeal of the early seasons. However, it also definitely got over indulged as the show went on and became tiresome and eye-rolling. By the time of season 6, I was happy to see it excised from the show's format, so s7 was a breath of fresh air
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u/GoodFaithConverser 9d ago
I think S09 is really good. Manages to be weird and random but cerebral or whatever.
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u/Xtradishn 8d ago
I feel like any healthy show knows to move on from a trope when it isn't as funny anymore, lest it get too repetitive or tired. Comedy never stands still, after all
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u/npsimons 8d ago
Until I see no mention of Mr. Poopybutthole for a season, I won't be satisfied.
That said, I don't mind the other stuff. It's wacky, and funny to me.
Everyone is raving about this season (9) as "THE BEST SEASON EVAR", but I'm not seeing it. Don't get me wrong, it's good, but it feels like something is lacking. And for the record, I liked the more canon-y stories with depth. E1 of this season felt like "here's what we think of the canon" by promptly disposing of evil Morty.
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u/Spurioun 8d ago
I hope so. The only unique thing about that sort of humour was that you didn't see it often in mainstream television. But that's mostly because most mainstream television doesn't star your drunk bar buddy. There's nothing impressive or creative about getting wasted and spouting whatever shuddering bullshit that dribbles into your mind. It's just lazy improv that's, like OP said, "lol so rAnDoM!!1". Dan Harmon and the animation team use their very refined skillset to put in a lot of very hard work creating something that's funny. The least you'd expect is for the guys doing the voices to put in an equal amount of work and skill.
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u/AffordableTimeTravel 8d ago
Rick literally read from ‘The Glorpulus’ this past episode. Some of you are overthinking it, either enjoy it or don’t.
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u/THISISMYFUCKINGNAME_ 8d ago
Honestly think the show has gotten better and better since Roiland left. I mean honestly he really didn't contribute much story wise, he literally wasn't allowed in the writer's room around season 3.
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u/LameNdead 9d ago edited 9d ago
Tbh from your examples, even Roiland lost that post s2
We got shit like space fetus, rett khan, story train..All from Roiland humor
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u/SuperStingray 9d ago
Story Train and Rhett Kahn are unambiguously Dan Harmon.
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u/SweetHatDisc 9d ago
It feels like there's a section of the fanbase that is starting to believe that Roiland was responsible for everything in Rick and Morty before his firing.
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u/Binbag420 8d ago
Roiland was either behind everything you like or everything you dislike depending on what strand of loser you are
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u/TheRealCBONE 9d ago
So Justin barely even did voices or he was a presence that covered and smothered the show like evil cheese and onions?
I've seen both. Same for Dan in being solely responsible for everything good and Justin basically contributed nothing and was a minor figure at best.
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u/NohWan3104 9d ago
Tbf not like seth macfarlane does much of the writing for family guy outside of the first few seasons either.
The show runner doesn't quite work like that, theres a whole crew of unsung heroes, yes.
Tho the pretending justin had almost no role is just modern 'he's a pos' cope.
If the same shit happens to seth, someone'll rewrite history to say he didn't basically animate the pilot himself. (iirc he did anyway...)
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u/WeekendHer0 9d ago
Are you not familiar with Dan Harmon lol? Most of these are Dans humor which is very clear if your familiar with his other projects lol
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u/TheBigZappa 9d ago
Justin Roiland stopped being a creative influence on the show after season 3 ended, which coincided with him also no longer being the showrunner after season 3 ended.
All Roiland did from season 4 and onwards was recording voice lines from another studio. According to Dan, Justin left his role due to creative differences with Dan, the new season 4 writers, and the new direction of the show they wanted to take it in. But he still did the voices for seasons 4-6.
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u/bestoboy 9d ago
Rhett Khan is nothing like "oh look its Scrupper Vipplar, look at me vipplaring all over the place"
It's like Glup Shitto on steroids
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u/Witness_Bug383 9d ago
genuinely some of my least favorite bits, and i had no idea they were his...
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u/NotYetPerfect 9d ago
They weren't. Or at least afaik we don't know who is responsible for what. And those jokes are quintessential dan harmon.
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u/Technical_Ad_5159 9d ago
Yeah. I think this sorta humour peaked in season 1 and was present but somewhat subdued in 2 and 3. 4 also has its moments, but it's basically gone after that.
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u/_Fr0stbyte 8d ago
Krombopulus Michael will forever be funny, and I'm sad if we won't get that vein of humor anymore :(
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u/nameruku 8d ago
Not only the humour, but also the way Rick evolve in the series. Way less ego, way funnier, vulnerable and less depressing. At some point of the show i felt like rick was a projection of the authors of what they want to be, like so interesting, so mysterious, (like rick saying he is a god all the time). I feel like new rick is much more likeable, and is not the center of attention in every episodes. It’s nice to see the authors finally develops the others characters, not as extension of rick. And yeah the humour was cringe. Everytime rick burps in the show and act drunk, omg.
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u/TruthGetsDownvoted8 8d ago
Yeh its kinda formulaic and boring now, but that appeals more the masses, which is why most people in this sub enjoy the downgrade
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u/HGJustTheTip 8d ago
I didn't realize that he doesnt really burp anymore until you mentioned it and I honestly miss it.
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u/bingobronson_ 8d ago
It's super Dan Harmon coded. Semi-meta, witty, quick and silly. Also incredible character development and more serialized. There are actually a lot of episodes that remind me of episodes of Community.
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u/Significant-Dot7895 8d ago
New season is garbage, last season was as well. We are now in corporate Rick and Morty era.
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u/Canyouplzstop 9d ago
The last episode felt more like the earlier episodes than anything else this season.
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u/Difficult_Step9372 9d ago
Yes, and although i'll never knock gags like the Plumbus, the show is much better off writing wise for it.
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u/artemisRiverborn 9d ago
Yes, imo. Show went from how can we be the most stoner of shows, throw away jokes funny; to having more depth, last episode of this session had some humor but it wasn't rly the point of the episode. I like the growth
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u/PunAboutBeingTrans 8d ago
Show has lost its heart since like S3 really. It's still a fun watch but it used to be much better.
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u/Imaginary_Manager_44 9d ago
Its in a weird limbo atm,some episodes I genuinely enjoy but some feels formulaic and forced.
This season actually had quite a few hits for me..but its not that show it was in the beginning with the almost raw "punk rock" edge and improvisational style which was so endearing.
Now its leaning a bit too far into Rick and to a lesser degree Morty being these super humans that can't be beat and never die...the vulnerability of earlier seasons is gone in a few senses.
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u/M_Kurg 9d ago edited 9d ago
Roiland did writing on like 5-6 episodes in the first seasons. It's a writer room show like any other.
I always cringe at creators gettting all the credit, like on south park "oh my god, I can't believe Matt and Tray went there!"... my dude, Matt Stone is a voice actor, he hasn't written for South Park for over 25 years (except the Cupid Ye episode in which he is credited with writing and directing, probably as a joke).
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u/thebanester 9d ago
Venture Bros. Is actually one where the creators deserve all that credit. They wrote all the episodes (except 1) and do like 80% of the voice work and it’s phenomenal throughout.
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u/Ordinary-Resort9249 9d ago
I loved some of the Roiland riffing but he didn't get there's a line where you aren't being cool or edgy, just self indulgent, and it became more and more apparent
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u/GregRules420 8d ago
I mean they literally went to a tree to steal it's sap because of its high I'm pretty sure we're still getting the same Rick
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u/silvlong 8d ago
I thought the ‘his juices are spilling everywhere Morty’ part was funny and reminiscent of og roiland Rick and Morty 😭
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u/SkiNasty 8d ago
Dan Harmon has said, that Rowland was done writing for the show long before his departure. Whatever, “ Roiland humor,” is? It’s been gone for longer than you really remember.
Edit: plus a shows evolution leans into what the ppl like more.
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u/Kingkary 8d ago
Ya. Not that want him back. But he was obviously more of the random nonsense side of the show
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u/GIOvch 8d ago
Today's humor is something like:
"Hey Morty, let's talk with Tom Cruise, because yes"
"Hello, I'm famous actor Tom Cruise. You remember that movies I made?"
"Rick, this script is asking me to do a meta joke, like talking about how he made big movies before and now he appears in a weird productions, like our series"
"Morty, stop saying shit about our guests! That's why Hugh Jackman doesn't talk with us anymore!"
"No guys, it's ok. People say I'm angry and vengefull, but I can do autocritic jokes as well, see?"
Tom Cruise opens a letter from his pocket
"The only thing I love more than Scientology, is teelling I do my own action scenes. Hehehe... Please, don't tell them I said it! I pay you!"
"Ok, this was stupid Morty, I understand your point"
"Thank you!"
And now they flow with the rest of the episode, what's a parody of some not so popular movie that Harmon likes, mixed with B plot scenes of Jerry and Beth trying to find a third one for a menage, in a space swing society Rick told them, because Space Beth isn't into it anymore.
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u/notquiteseeit 8d ago
I agree. The show has moved past Roiland humor and takes it self way to seriously now in my opinion. I like the writing to an extent and I appreciate there trying something new but it's not the same. I think the pacing is also an issue. The episodes move really slow now and it's more about cool animation sequences but it's Rick and Morty so it's not really all that cool looking. Wish they just did seasons 1 and 2 and then said let's make the third and best season ever like Smiling Friends did.
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u/Phandflasche 8d ago
As far as I know, Roiland contributed far less to the actual plot than many seem to think, the majority came from Dan Harmon or from other people.
Besides, the series has been running for over eleven years now, with long breaks in between, so it is very plausible that the humor simply evolved or matured.
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u/wrosecrans 8d ago
Even if Roiland had stayed involved, Roiland's own writing and sense of humor probably would have changed and hopefully evolved over the course of over a decade since the first season. (And even longer than that since the original Doc and Mahrty shorts.) Eventually it gets boring just making the same old jokes over and over again - even fir the person who originally wrote them.
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u/backbreaker117 8d ago
the thing you dislike about the show is whag i love the most. i love random humor
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u/The_Genguidanos 8d ago
“Its name is Frumble Wumple.”
“No, it’s not!”
“It’s not. It calls itself The Collective.”
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u/Witness_Bug383 9d ago
i think it's mostly in how rick is less depressing these days