All 7 ‘Rick and Morty’ Seasons, Ranked

Many of the most acclaimed and prominent series in adult animation have been long-lasting pillars that have helped shape and reform the medium with countless seasons under their belt. Amidst the likes of shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy, Rick and Morty has quickly risen to be a similar level of dominance and strength from an adult animated series, growing a notable following and being the quintessential 2010s series from Adult Swim. For over a decade, the series has been the quintessential avenue for wild, adult cartoon antics with the limitless possibilities of science fiction and alternate universes.

The series has gone through many different changes and evolutions since its humble beginnings in 2014, between the increased budget that came alongside its popularity, shifts in writers and overall writing styles, and even the recent removal of Justin Roiland from the series. It gives each season of the show a distinct energy and flair from one another, as each fan is going to instinctively have their favorite styles and approaches to the series as a whole. When the seasons are at their worst, they can be largely forgettable and leave no impact, but at their best, they are considered some of the best adult animation has to offer.

7

Season 5 (2021)

Episode Count: 10

While far from an outright terrible season, Season 5 of Rick and Morty proves to amplify some of the worst aspects of the series, even despite its occasional bright spots. It makes for a wildly mixed bag when the season features both great episodes, such as “Mortyplicity,” “Forgetting Sarick Morshall,” and “Rickmurai Jack,” but also some of the worst episodes in the series with “Rickdependence Spray” and “Gotron Jerrysis Rickvangelion.” The series is at its best when it finds an effective mixture between intelligent sci-fi and crass humor, yet the balance is off in the season as a whole, largely becoming too uncomfortable with its topics and unfun to watch as a viewer.

The seasons’ various plot points and gags that relate to incest, while cheeky at first, are at their most unnerving and undesirable in Season 5, with these plot points serving to taint the feeling of the entire season as a whole. Even when the season finally starts to get its groove in the last few episodes and further the overarching plot of the series, it’s too little too late and feels more like a needed stepping stone than a real leap toward a new beginning. The worst episodes of the season proved to be such a downgrade that it turned many longtime fans away from the series, something that the series as a whole is still dealing with to this day.

6

Season 6 (2022)

Episode Count: 10

While Season 6 proves to be a substantial upgrade compared to Season 5, it is still a far cry from what the series had proven itself to be capable of in the past, although it takes steps in the right direction to improve the show. Previous seasons had difficulties between being able to balance the writer’s dual goals of wanting to create a goofy episodic series and an effective, serial overarching story. More than any other season, Season 6 makes an effort to hone in on the overarching story and arcs of its characters, a refreshing change of pace when it works, but at times it can take away from the comedic strengths and effectiveness of individual episodes.

Several episodes feature major overarching implications, such as the season premiere when everyone returns to their original universe or the season finale where Rick and Morty team up to take down Rick Prime. However, these major moments prove to overshadow the rest of the episodes. The season begins with largely forgettable stories before moving on to a few surprisingly underrated Rick and Morty episodes. While it doesn’t have some of the high points of Season 5, it also doesn’t feature any of the painful low points, creating a more middling and consistently average season throughout.

5

Season 7 (2023)

Episode Count: 10

The latest season of the series so far, as well as the first season to feature the brand-new voice actors for Rick and Morty, Ian Cardoni and Harry Belden, Season 7 truly took the criticisms of Seasons 5 and 6 and made substantial changes in their writing style for the better. The season isn’t without its duds, with episodes like “Rise of the Numericons: The Movie” and “Wet Kuat Amortican Summer” being especially underwhelming, yet when it’s at its best, Season 7 recaptures the magic and energy of the best the show has to offer. By this point, the show has finally found a way to effectively balance a chaotic and zany episodic style with impactful and memorable episodes that further the overarching story of the show.

Episodes like “That’s Amorte,” “Unmortricken,” and especially the legendary season finale “Fear No Mort” are some of the best episodes that the series has seen in a long time, making it seem like the show is truly evolving and entering its renaissance era. Following all the controversy and discourse that came between seasons with the firing of Roiland, the show as a whole had to stick the landing to prove that it could survive without Roiland. While the overall consistency of this quality will have to be tested in the upcoming seasons, Season 7 provides hope to fans that the show will continue to improve from its low points.

4

Season 4 (2019-20)

Episode Count: 10

When it comes to consistent quality and, overall, continuing to do what makes the series so effective, Season 4 maintained a similar style of creativity and hilarity from previous seasons while not necessarily evolving the classic formula. When it first aired, the season as a whole had some notable pacing and stagnation issues due to a 6-month gap in-between the first half and second half of the season, but with this gap no longer being impactful, Season 4 proves to be a wildly entertaining time. This separation of the season into different arcs and elements gives it high rewatchability compared to other Rick and Morty seasons, further amplified by the high number of memorable episodes.

Episodes like “The Vat of Acid Episode” and “Edge of Tomorty: Rick Die Rickpeat” are among the most beloved and acclaimed in the entire series, with various other episodes each having their own standout moments and memorable gags. The season isn’t without its faults, although they are mostly reserved for the singular dud episode of “Claw and Hoarder: Special Ricktim’s Morty,” with every other episode in the series continuing the inherent strengths of the series. While Season 4 as a whole isn’t held in as high regard as the best seasons in the show, it proves to be an effective companion that sometimes reaches similar levels of quality.

3

Season 1 (2013-14)

Episode Count: 11

The first season of the series, as well as the longest, thanks to its usage of the Pilot episode on top of the classic 10-episode run, Season 1 established and codified all the attributes and cornerstones of the series as a whole. Many of the show’s most iconic and memorable moments can be found within this season, as its revolutionary approach to storytelling was able to capture the attention of audiences worldwide in a way few modern adult cartoons can do. While the season deserves high praise due to its establishment of the core tenets of the series, time hasn’t been kind to every episode, as the series, for the most part, quickly grew past its sometimes inexperienced beginnings.

Nearly every episode in the first season is a classic in its own right, with special mention going to episodes like “Rick Potion #9” and “Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind,” whose success would pave the way for the entire series going forward. The season rarely has any major misfires and dud episodes, yet only a select few of its episodes truly enter the upper echelon of the greatest episodes in Rick and Morty. Still, the early seasons of the show have a high reputation for good reason, as there is an inherent charm and authenticity to the first season, before the show became one of the biggest adult animated series of all time, that makes it rootable even over a decade later.

2

Season 3 (2017)

Episode Count: 10

Season 3 proved to be a turning point for the series as a whole, as its airing coincided with the highest point of popularity for the series and continuously delivered on the hype and massive attention that it was receiving as a whole. The season as a whole features some of the highest peaks of the entire series, with episodes like “The Ricklantis Mixup”, “The Rickshank Rickdeption”, and “Pickle Rick” often being considered the absolute pinnacle of the show. What made the season stand out among fans while it was airing, however, was that it often messed with the tried and true formula and experimented beyond what had been established before.

The season is often at its best when the episodes don’t stick to a classic “Rick and Morty go on an adventure” setup and instead allow the creative intricacies of its world to create any number of brilliant changes to the story structure. Even the supposed low points of the season prove to be largely effective and standout experiences that deliver beautifully on the core essence of the show as a whole. It’s hard to imagine the inherent fervor and excitement for the show ever being as high as it was during Season 3, which can be thanked greatly in part to the consistent quality and wall-breaking that the season was up to.

1

Season 2 (2015)

Episode Count: 10

While the first season of the show first established and set the dynamics and characterization of the show in stone, Season 2 perfected the formula to become the quintessential example of what Rick and Morty could and should be. The show is consistently at its absolute best during Season 2, blending deeper and more philosophical messages in each episode with an absurd, chaotic sense of humor that gave every episode an iconic, memorable nature. When fans consider the heights and peak of consistent quality within the show, Season 2 is often the first season that comes to mind, as no other season has such a high number of all-time great episodes.

Episodes like “Total Rickall,” “Mortynight Run,” “The Ricks Must be Crazy” and “The Wedding Squanchers” are far from being only the best episodes in the series, but they also codify the very essence of what makes the show work so well. Many of the massive peaks of popularity and excitement that Season 3 received can be greatly attributed to Season 2’s consistent high bar of quality, increasing the audience and enthusiasm for the show leading up to Season 3. It’s difficult to imagine the show reaching a higher high than the brilliant consistent quality of Season 2, as it stands tall as a season on par with some of the greatest animated shows of the past 25 years.

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