Rick And Morty - Season 4
The fourth season of the animated television series Rick and Morty was confirmed by Adult Swim in May 2018. The season consists of 10 episodes. The first five episodes of the season aired from November 10, 2019 to December 15, 2019, while the remaining five aired from May 3, 2020 to May 31, 2020.
Rick and Morty - Season 4
Following the conclusion of the third season in October 2017, the future of the show had remained in question, with no announcement of renewal or status of production.[18] In March 2018, Harmon tweeted that he had not begun writing for a new season, in part because Adult Swim had not ordered any new episodes yet.[19] Harmon explained that contract negotiations were more complicated than previous seasons.[20]
Co-creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland wanted to have assurance that there would be many more seasons of Rick and Morty in the future, so that they would be able to focus on the show and minimize their involvement in other projects.[21] Harmon had also stated that he wishes for future seasons to consist of more than ten episodes, saying: "Now I'm about to do season 4 of Rick and Morty and want to prove that I've grown." This was in reference to him admitting that he should work more efficiently, control his perfectionism, and avoid past mistakes that had resulted in the third season of the show comprising only ten episodes instead of fourteen, as was initially intended.[22]
One year later, at the WarnerMedia 2019 Upfronts presentation, the fourth season of Rick and Morty was announced to debut in November 2019,[25] making the two-year gap between seasons three and four the longest in the history of the show.[26] Although season four was said to contain only ten episodes,[27] the creators have appeared confident that the 70-episode renewal deal will eventually reduce the waiting time between seasons, and it could possibly allow for bigger episode counts in the future.[24][27] In October 2019, it was revealed that the first five episodes would begin airing on November 10, 2019.[28] On April 1, 2020, it was announced that the remaining five episodes would begin airing on May 3, 2020.[29]
In July 2018, Harmon and writer Mike McMahan posted images from the writers' room on social media, which showed "Story Circles" drawn on a blackboard.[30][31] This eight-step storytelling formula developed by Harmon (a simplified version of Joseph Campbell's common narrative framework known as the hero's journey) was used in previous seasons to outline the narrative arc of an episode. It describes how the main character of the story leaves their comfort zone to pursue something they desire, how they are forced to adapt to an unfamiliar situation in order to achieve their goal, and how the story has changed them, as they return to their comfort zone.[32] Emmy magazine, however, reported after an interview with Harmon that the writing team planned "to shake things up with a more anarchic writing style." This meant a rather deconstructive approach, where instead of focusing on story structure, attention would be given primarily to cultivating ideas, jokes, and pieces of dialogue, and then the stories would be built around those moments.[33] Regarding the season's narrative arc, Roiland said that the season would contain "strong episodic episodes", and advised fans to watch them in the correct order.[27]
In October 2018, series composer Ryan Elder told Inverse that he was expecting to get involved with the season, when the writing process would have been partially completed.[34] The first guest voice was revealed in November 2018, when Sam Neill tweeted that he had enjoyed working with Rick and Morty, indicating that the team had finished writing some episodes.[35] Later, Roiland would also announce Paul Giamatti, Taika Waititi and Kathleen Turner as guest stars in the fourth season.[27]
In December 2018, Bardel Entertainment, Rick and Morty's Canadian animation studio, began hiring Toon Boom Harmony animators and FX artists to join the show's animation team.[36][37] In January 2019, animation supervisor Eric Bofa Nfon posted a photo from a conference room on his Twitter account, that featured lead animator Etienne Aubry and line producer Mark Van Ee, indicating the start of the animation process for the season.[38] Roiland said that when the episodes were returned from the studio "in color", the writers would look to make any necessary adjustments that might improve the episodes. Nevertheless, he appeared satisfied with the work that was done this season.[27]
The fourth season has an approval rating of 94% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 34 reviews, with an average rating of 8.72/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Rick and Morty's fourth season is both an exciting progression and a delightful return to form that proves more than worth the two-year wait."[39] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the fourth season a score of 84 out of 100 based on 5 critics, indicating "universal acclaim."[40]
Dan Harmon has said that the season may possibly have 14 episodes, the number that season 3 was intended to have, before it was shortened to 10 episodes.[1] Ryan Ridley suggested in an interview that late 2019 is the earliest possible release date for the season.[2]
The official [adult swim] Twitter account indirectly confirmed on December 31, 2018 that the season will premiere sometime in 2019.[5] It was later confirmed at the WarnerMedia upfront that the season will premiere in November of that year.
On July 19, 2019, at San Diego Comic-Con, Roiland revealed that the team had already begun work on season five. Roiland and Harmon also revealed that there might be a time-travel storyline, as well as the return of Mr. Meeseeks.[6]
"Rick and Morty" fans, the wait is almost over for Season 4. In May 2018, series co-creator Justin Roiland took to Twitter to announce that 70 episodes of the adult animated series had been ordered. This was exciting news for fans; Cartoon Network had yet to renew the show due to ongoing contract negotiations, and there was a growing fear that another season would never come.
Rick and Morty fans have been awaiting season 4 for what feels like an eternity. And while schezwan sauce may have quelled some fans hunger, many are still anxiously awaiting any more information they can get their hands.
The first half of season 4 resumed with Rick and Morty on an adventure to gather a special crystal on an alien planet. The crystal, as Morty finds, shows you the possible outcomes of your future based on the actions you take.
Rick and Morty is a series notorious for keeping its fans waiting. Season 4 premiered over two years after Season 3 wrapped up its run, and fans had to deal with another six-month gap in between the first and second halves. But if we've learned anything over the years, it's that the quality of the series tends to make those long gaps worth suffering through in the end. Season 4 is no exception. If hardly the most consistent Rick and Morty season to date, Season 4 often showcases the series at its very best.
Every new season starts off with a mission statement of sorts, usually delivered by Rick himself in the form of a drunken, fourth wall-shattering monologue. Season 4 is a little different in that regard. The series picks up in the aftermath of Rick's resounding defeat in the Season 3 finale. Having been forced to abandon his feud with the president and failed to prevent Jerry from returning home, Rick is faced with a major shift in the balance of power and a family generally less willing to tolerate his toxic behavior. There's not really a strong narrative thread tying Season 4 together, but there is that greater emphasis on Rick as the self-defeating malcontent who loses many of the fights he picks. At the same time, several episodes illustrate how characters like Morty and Beth are the architects of their own misery rather than innocent victims of Grandpa Rick's ego.
Those hoping for a more story-driven season (especially in light of some of the big developments from Season 3) may feel a bit let down by the relative lack of continuity in Season 4. Ultimately, though, that doesn't really matter. We have dozens of new episodes to look forward to in the years to come. Season 4's only real missed opportunity on the storytelling front is its lack of focus on Beth and Jerry. The season does begin to make up for lost time on that front near the end, but it still seems as though more could have been done to explore Beth and Jerry's crudely repaired relationship and the growing rivalry between Rick and his perpetually inept son-in-law.
Occasionally the show tries a little too hard to keep outdoing itself and add new layers to already complex premises. The midseason premiere "Never Ricking Morty" is one example of an episode that doesn't know how to quit while it's ahead. But plenty of other Season 4 installments like the heist movie spoof "One Crew Over the Crewcoo's Morty" and the Jerry-heavy "Childrick of Mort" show just how far the series can take a clever story idea. And perhaps no episode better speaks to Season 4's ability to break the mold than "The Vat of Acid Episode." After multiple attempts to recreate the novelty of Season 1's "Rixty Minutes," the series finally manages to put a fresh spin on the anthology format again.
The worst that can be said for Season 4 is that the quality never remains very consistent. Season 4 tends to seesaw between great and mediocre. "Claw and Hoarder: Special Ricktim's Morty" is easily the season's biggest misfire - the rare Rick and Morty episode that settles for being bizarre and irreverent rather than actively funny. "Promortyus" is another weak link in the chain. It starts out as a hilarious parody of the Alien movies with an unexpected twist, but that episode peaks early and never really manages to build from that point. 041b061a72