‘Rick & Morty’ Season 7 Review: Adult Swim’s Hit Is Better Than Ever Without Justin Roiland

See ya wouldn’t wanna be ya, Justin Roiland.

The disgraced creator’s hit show Rick and Morty is returning to Adult Swim for its anticipated seventh season, and the vibes are immaculate. In fact, viewers will hardly notice Roiland’s absence. For all we know, in the spirit of the show, Roiland could’ve been replaced with an alternate version of himself, thus making sense of this seamless transition – and fueling the artificial intelligence rumors. 

Now, there’s no reason to beat around the bush. Roiland, co-creator of the series and voice actor for the titular characters, was dropped by the network on January 25, 2023 in light of his domestic abuse charges. Since then, he has accumulated multiple sexual harassment allegations from young women and nonbinary folks.

Roiland’s exit was polarizing and left diehard fans adamant that he was an irreplaceable member of the team, despite having not been active in the writers’ room since Season 3. But as for his voice? Like Decider’s Kayla Cobb pointed out, at the time, he could easily be replaced by “literally any man at a bar.” 

However, it’s seemingly this devout fanbase that has the network shielding the new voices for Rick and Morty, and at this point, despite having received the first two episodes of the season for review purposes, press still don’t know the name/s of who will be replacing Roiland, or if he will be replaced by one or two actors. 

What we do know is that the new season gets off to an epic and ambitious start, and the new voices blend into the show seamlessly… Even when it comes to fan-favorite characters like Mr. Poopybutthole, who takes center stage in the premiere episode. But what exactly is it that makes Season 7 stand out from past installments? The episodes are reminiscent of the earlier seasons and rely on smart humor rather than the low-brow gross stuff – but don’t worry, there are still incest jokes. Combined with newfound confidence and perhaps the pressure of succeeding without Roiland, the season feels like a fresh start with the same characters that we’ve already grown to love: Rick is still mean, Summer is still snarky, Morty is still naive, Jerry is still… Jerry, and Beth is still controlling. But their dynamic as a family is stronger than ever before.

Without getting into spoilers, the first episode of Season 7, “How Poopy Got His Poop Back,” follows a reunion of sorts when Rick is tasked with helping Mr. Poopybutthole get back on his feet. The character was shot by Beth in Season 2, which caused a cascade of unfortunate events that ultimately led to his wife and son leaving him. The episode is packed with plenty of surprises, as well as the “too-soon” humor and cultural relevancy that keeps the series alive.

The momentum carries into the second episode, “The Jerrick Trap,” which has major cult classic potential, joining the likes of “Pickle Rick,” “Meekseeks and Destroy,” and “Total Rickall” when it comes to fan enjoyment and meme-ability.

With an unprecedented amount of eyes on Rick and Morty – an already popular show – brought on by Roiland’s deplorable behavior, the new season had a lot to prove. And, thankfully, the first two episodes rose up to the challenge. Both are rewatchable, laugh-out-loud additions to the animated series and keep up with its ambitious and uncensored nature.

Season 7 is unwavering and confident, and ditches the sad and over-the-top grossness that has turned off viewers in the past. But at the same time, it’s staying true to itself and its fanbase as it continues to follow Rick, Morty, and the rest of the Smith clan on their intergalactic journeys. The first two episodes are off to a promising start, and we hope that the quality carries through to the end of the season. Based on what we’ve seen, we’re confident in saying that Rick and Morty is back and better than ever, broh.

Rick and Morty Season 7 premieres Sunday, October 15, 2023 at 11pm ET on Adult Swim.