Rick And Morty's Dan Harmon Is Okay With Taking A Backseat To Younger Writers
Where other shows of its kind would have more than likely lost their freshness by now, "Rick and Morty" has managed to retain its inventiveness through the years. Since blasting its way onto Adult Swim in late 2013, the show's outrageous brand of humor, eccentric characters, and surprisingly introspective themes have made for a mix that has helped the sci-fi comedy series soar sky high. While fans haven't been in line with everything the show has had to offer – the 5th season especially splitting fans and critics — a good majority of the series has managed to keep up and appropriately evolve its oddball tone and off-kilter comedy with each increasingly extreme season.
But as with so many other long-running shows, the reality of fatigue is always imminent. We all know the sinking feeling of when our favorite show has lost its touch and should've probably ended long ago. And it's not only fans who hate this feeling, but also "Rick and Morty" co-creator Dan Harmon, who knows when it's time to take a step back and allow fresh faces to take over in the writers' room.
Harmon wants to ensure the show will connect with younger generations
Dan Harmon's unique approach to storytelling can be considered a significant contributor to what makes "Rick and Morty" so unique. However, Harmon is not one to horde the writing responsibilities all to himself — especially knowing what younger writers bring to the table.
Talking with Global News about the change of pace in the show's 6th season, Harmon brought up his willingness to let new writers branch out into daring territory. "I'm letting younger writers who are fans of the show ... if they tell me, 'We need to address evil Morty,' I believe them," the "Community" creator commented. "I don't want to be 49 years old and hitting millennials with my cane in the writer's room and demanding that we do an episode about a talking yo-yo."
Not only does allowing younger writers to helm the writing process give Harmon more time to relax, but this also does the show itself some favors by having it connect more with modern audiences. "It's just fresh blood with more connection to the audience that," he continued. "I'm going to organically become disconnected." Harmon went on to remark that the show would become significantly more boring if he was in sole charge of the writing process.
With the removal of series co-creator Justin Roiland from the Adult Swim series in early 2023, the inclusion of fresh creative minds certainly gives Harmon less to worry about.