It might be a coincidence that Rick and Morty spin-off President Curtis arrives at a time when politicians can’t stop churning out real-life horrors. Or it might be the universe offering a reminder that you’re allowed to escape into an alternate existence—one where the president and his staff routinely battle vampires, witches, aliens, ghosts, and beyond—as a way of keeping a death grip on your sanity.
Either way, President Curtis is an entirely enjoyable addition to Adult Swim’s line-up. (io9 watched all 10 episodes of season one ahead of writing this spoiler-free review.) It doesn’t match the freaky, subversive brilliance of Rick and Morty, but it’s not aiming to. It’s here to explore its own blend of sci-fi, horror, and comedy while riffing on American history, which it does by incorporating famous figures and places both real and fictional. It sticks to one dimension and (mostly) one planet. And while its main character is flawed, he’s nowhere near as cosmically messy as his frenemy Rick Sanchez.
From its first episode you can see why the minds behind Rick and Morty (including President Curtis co-creators James Siciliano and Dan Harmon) decided America’s monster-fighting POTUS, voiced across multiple seasons and episodes by Keith David, should get a show of his own.
Though it takes place in the same universe as Rick and Morty—the pair makes a brief appearance in the pilot to sprinkle some snark on the proceedings—President Curtis is careful to stay in its own lane. There’s no hopping through time and space; instead, Curtis and his team (Agent O’Doyle, played by Jim Rash, and chief of staff Banks, played by Stephanie Beatriz) focus on more earthbound problems.
And that’s good news, because it turns out we’ve got a lot of chaos that needs containing. Though we do see Curtis dealing with bureaucracy, party politics, approval ratings, and trying to impress his ex-wife (a powerful governor who maybe doesn’t regret the divorce as much as Curtis does), his administration spends most of its time tackling supernatural threats and mysteries.
Along with this, President Curtis has a blast using its X-Files meets National Treasure shtick to poke fun at American institutions (like the moon landing, Mount Rushmore, the Oval Office, Camp David, the Louisiana Purchase, and The West Wing). While there’s a conspiracy-theory element afoot, the show also takes place in a world where unusual creatures are openly acknowledged to be walking among us.
For example, O’Doyle, the president’s fiercely protective, heavily tattooed right-hand man, happens to be half-leprechaun. He can’t tell a lie, but he can and will kick your ass. Meanwhile, taskmaster Banks is human, but she has a robot brain, with data cables tucked into her ponytail that allow her to become a tech wizard whenever necessary.
Together with Curtis they make an endearing, resourceful trio that’s often disrupted by hilariously petty bickering, and we get satisfying levels of characterization elevated by excellent performances that deftly handle the rapid-fire jokes and dialogue.
You can’t go wrong with Keith David in any context, but he brings a gravitas here that makes Curtis’ presidential proclamations—“I killed Paul Bunyan today,” to quote the press conference that opens the first episode—entirely believable, no matter how ridiculous they may be. This version of Curtis is slightly tweaked from what fans will recall from Rick and Morty, where he comes off as a bumbling, selfish leader who loathes Rick but also knows he can’t run the country without his help. Here, Curtis is far more capable, despite his various insecurities, and he has a goofy side that’s allowed plenty of room to blossom.
The season ends with some unfinished business, leaving the door wide open for more President Curtis shenanigans. We’d welcome the chance to see more, being history nerds, monster geeks, and Keith David superfans.
But the show’s success will really depend on whether or not it’s embraced by Rick and Morty’s wider fan base; no doubt many folks will check it out initially thanks to the season premiere being scheduled right after the Rick and Morty season nine finale.
Its hijinks may be more self-contained and considerably less boozy, but President Curtis does embrace a similarly quirky tone that allows for both cerebral humor and “shit my pants” jokes. Whether or not the latter is a sneaky dig at the current occupant of the White House, well, only President Curtis can say.
President Curtis premieres July 26 at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT on Adult Swim; it arrives the next day on HBO Max.
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