We’ve learned precious little about season four of Rick and Morty, other than its November premiere date, those two very recent image glimpses, and that its planning involved a hell of a lot of Post-It notes. But at yesterday’s San Diego Comic-Con panel, we finally got a peek at what’s to come from co-creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland.
Joining the executive producers and co-creators (Roiland also voices both of the title characters) were Spencer Grammer (who plays Summer, Morty’s older sister), Sarah Chalke (who plays Rick’s daughter, Beth, the mother of Summer and Morty), and Chris Parnell (who plays Beth’s on-again, off-again husband, Jerry, as well as dad to Summer and Morty).
We didn’t get a trailer, but we did get some first-look clips, as well as repeated reassurances that the long gaps between seasons that Rick and Morty fans have become grimly accustomed to are finally a thing of the past. In fact, Roiland said that the team has already begun work on season five, even with a few months left to go before season four is ready for the airwaves.
“There was a lot of stuff that happened between seasons three and four that won’t have to happen again,” he explained, referring to the drawn-out contract negotiations that were finally settled last spring.
Though all of the panelists were, of course, very tight-lipped about season four spoilers, Roiland and Harmon did let a couple of vague morsels slip, like the fact that we might see a time-travel storyline, something the show hasn’t messed around with since the first episode, as well as the return of season one character Mr. Meeseeks—the self-multiplying, short-lived creature that can be summoned for assistance, but turns very dark when he’s kept alive too long.
“Don’t get your hopes up too much,” Harmon chuckled, suggesting the presence of Mr. Meeseeks might not be the best news for the show’s characters...we all remember what happened when Jerry took too long to improve his golf swing last time.
Harmon and Roiland also shared a couple of clips, including a rough animatic of a scene that sees Rick and Morty (sort of) helping Jerry hang Christmas lights, before blasting off for an adventure that’s hampered by a flat tire, a long-winded Saturday Night Live joke, and the sudden appearance of a “space snake.”
They also dropped this finished clip that was thankfully shared online, too; it features guest voice Taika Waititi playing alien intern Glootie.
“You can’t stay mad at a guy with this kind of talent!”
Presumably, we’ll get a full trailer out of Adult Swim in the coming months; Rick and Morty season four premieres in November on Adult Swim.
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