Rick and Morty



Rick and Morty is an [adult swim] original that premiered in December 2013. Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, the series is based off of "The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti", a short on Channel 101 parodying Back to the Future.

Rick Sanchez, an alcoholic Mad Scientist, constantly pulls his grandson Morty into crazy sci-fi trips and wild scientific experiments. Morty's parents keep the old man around half-begrudgingly, as long as Morty stays in school. Besides, they have their own problems to solve.

"Morty: Everything is crooked! Reality is poison! I wanna go back! I hate this!"
 * Call Back: In Season 2 Episode 2 ("Mortynight Run"), a few scenes later after playing "Roy", Morty crashes the craft into K. Michael. In a call back to a customer asking 'Roy' about a particular type of carpet, Morty emerges from the craft, confusedly saying "We are out of off-white Persian."
 * The Cameo / Couch Gag: In the Couch Gag for The Simpsons episode "Mathlete's Feat", Rick and Morty crash into the family's living room, killing them in the process, and Morty is tasked to revive the Simpsons in a cloning facility from another universe, while Rick fools around in the house.
 * Many critics have said the Couch Gag was more memorable than the actual episode.
 * Elseworld: Rick, with his portal gun or his flying car, has the ability to travel through infinite dimensions and universes, making this trope a natural occurrence in the show.
 * Establishing an Unreachable Baseline: In "Morty's Mind Blowers", irked by Morty's insistance on using a level (a crude instrument by intergalactic standards), Rick builds a machine that creates a surface with "true level". After stepping on it, Morty (sarcastic at first) experiences orgasmic pleasure from standing. And then Summer takes him back to a normal floor...


 * This prompts Rick to remove that memory from Morty's mind.

"Rick: Man, that guy is the "Redgrin Grumble" to pretending he knows what's going on. [Summer and Morty laugh] Rick: You like that "Redgrin Grumble" reference? Well guess what? I made him up. You really are your father's children. Think for yourselves. Don't be sheep."
 * Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Most episodes are named with Rick puns ("Total Rickall" and "The Rickshank Rickdemption", for example). Some of them are also a Shout-Out to movie titles.
 * Lampshaded the Obscure Reference: this trope is subverted in Season 2 Episode 1 ("A Rickle In Time"):


 * Scavenger World: An universe inspired by Mad Max is featured in "Rickmancing the Stone".
 * Time Travel: Averted. Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon have both stated that they won't be using time travel in the series.