If you want better pilot episode quality
Choose Young Sherlock, Season 1. It scores 5.0 vs 4.3 for pilot episode quality, with a 4.0 overall score.
Rick and Morty, Season 9 Review
Bottom Line
Choose Rick and Morty Season 9 for sharp sci-fi chaos, smoother animation, and richer lore. Skip it if uneven pacing, dark jokes, or reduced side-cast focus will sour the fun.
Best for
Best for existing or lapsed Rick and Morty fans who want inventive sci-fi, Evil Morty lore, smoother animation, and darker character work. It also suits viewers who like adult animation with fast pivots from absurd comedy to serialized stakes.
Not for
Not for viewers who want a family-friendly cartoon, a lighter tone, or equal focus on every Smith family member. The season’s profanity, dark jokes, and occasional pacing bumps are part of the package.
Verdict
Rick and Morty Season 9 comes across as a strong rebound: critics praise its smoother animation, inventive sci-fi premises, sharper humor, and renewed confidence with Evil Morty, the Smith family, and long-running lore. The season is often framed as one of the best in years, with enough continuity and character work to reward longtime fans while keeping the episodic chaos intact. The tradeoff is that the Rick-focused thematic spine can sideline supporting characters, some pacing and jokes feel uneven, and the adult darkness is not for sensitive viewers.
Feature Scorecards
Summary
44 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.022 (50%)
-
Positive 3.5-4.418 (41%)
-
Neutral 2.5-3.42 (5%)
-
Negative 1.5-2.42 (5%)
Pros highlights
-
Humor remains a core strength, from scabrous jokes to dark comedy and refined punchlines. A few reactions flag individual jokes or the premiere as less laugh-heavy, so the comedy is strong but not flawless.
-
Entertainment value is very high overall, with the season coming across as hilarious, creative, immersive, and among the best in years. The weaker notes are mostly about pacing or isolated jokes rather than overall enjoyment.
-
Animation is one of the strongest consensus points. The season is called top-notch, smoother than ever, stunning, and unusually strong for Adult Swim animation.
-
Character work is one of the season’s biggest strengths, especially for Morty, Evil Morty, and the evolving Smith family. The main caveat is that Rick’s introspection can feel familiar and not always like real growth.
-
Season 9 feels fresh thanks to inventive sci-fi concepts, new premises, and ideas that still have room to surprise after nine seasons. Villains, callbacks, and high-concept setups keep the show from feeling spent.
-
Theme depth is unusually prominent, with mental health, maturity, moral questions, and Rick’s darkness shaping the season. The darker focus is compelling, though sometimes heavy.
Cons highlights
-
Supporting characters are a split point. The Smith family evolution can be fun, but Summer, Beth, Space Beth, and parts of the broader supporting cast do not always get as much focus as expected.
Compared With Category Average
Compared with other TV Shows, this product is above average in language level, season length, episode length, near average in humor, episode pacing, below average in supporting cast performance, age appropriateness, family friendliness.
Comparison summary
44 compared features-
Above average 0.4+ pts higher27 (61%)
-
Same as average within 0.3 pts13 (30%)
-
Below average 0.4+ pts lower4 (9%)
Largest category differences
| Attribute | This product | Category average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| language level | 4.5 | 2.4 | +2.1 |
| season length | 4.8 | 2.9 | +1.9 |
| episode length | 4.7 | 3.3 | +1.4 |
| plot originality | 4.6 | 3.4 | +1.2 |
| plot clarity | 4.2 | 2.8 | +1.4 |
| continuity | 4.6 | 3.3 | +1.2 |
| season pacing | 4.3 | 3.0 | +1.2 |
| supporting cast performance | 3.2 | 4.3 | -1.2 |
Consider This Instead
If you want better supporting cast performance
Choose The Pitt, Season 2. It scores 4.9 vs 3.2 for supporting cast performance, with a 4.7 overall score.
If you want better character consistency
Choose A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Season 1. It scores 5.0 vs 3.6 for character consistency, with a 4.5 overall score.
If you want better episode pacing
Choose MobLand, Season 2. It scores 5.0 vs 3.8 for episode pacing, with a 4.2 overall score.
Compared in Reviews
Products reviewers directly compared with this model, grouped into quick takeaways.
Family Guy
- Compared: adult animation landscape The review compares the season’s show to major adult-animation mainstays and frames it as competitive.
Season 7
- Worse: Rotten Tomatoes critic score Season 9 is described as far above Season 7’s weaker Rotten Tomatoes score.
Season 8
- Worse: Rotten Tomatoes critic score Season 9 is described as rating ahead of Season 8 on Rotten Tomatoes.
FAQ
Is Season 9 considered a comeback?
Yes. Multiple critics call it the best in years, a major comeback moment, or a high point for the Adult Swim series.
How is the animation?
Animation is one of the clearest strengths, with praise for smoother visuals, spectacle, stunning sequences, and standout fight scenes.
Does the season connect to older lore?
Yes. Evil Morty, Rick Prime, the Central Finite Curve, callbacks, and broader continuity are recurring parts of the praise.
Is the season funny?
Usually, yes. Critics praise the dark humor and refined jokes, though a few reactions say some jokes linger awkwardly or the premiere is less laugh-heavy.
Are the new Rick and Morty voices working?
Yes. The new lead voice actors are described as settled into the roles, with Harry Belden’s Morty and Evil Morty work getting specific praise.
What are the main drawbacks?
The most common drawbacks are uneven pacing, reduced focus for some supporting characters, and a Rick-centered theme that can feel redundant.
Sample Expert Reviews We Analyzed
These are a few of the reviews included in our analysis.
Video Reviews
Article Reviews
bleedingcool.com
- Review score
- 4.4
consolegamestuff.com
- Review score
- 4.4
screenrant.com
- Review score
- 4.7
ign.com
- Review score
- 3.9
Top TV Shows to Consider
Best for sharp adult humor, magnetic chemistry and a deeply satisfying farewell. Skip it if familiar will-they-won’t-they plotting or deliberately messy leads are dealbreakers.
Pros: humor, writing quality
Choose Season 15 for warm, character-driven comedy, meaningful growth, and a finale that rewards longtime fans. Skip it if the short binge format, uneven replacement voices, or occasional clumsy commentary...
Pros: franchise connection, character development
Choose The Pitt Season 2 for a gripping, realistic medical drama with superb acting and emotional depth. Skip it if graphic procedures, unresolved arcs, or slower character-driven pacing bother you.
Pros: realism, emotional impact
Best for powerhouse performances, thorny character work, and a tense revenge mystery that grows richer as it goes. Skip it if abuse, trafficking, graphic violence, or deliberately messy moral questions...
Pros: main cast performance, character development
Cons: pilot episode quality