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Rick and Morty's Jerry is known for being a bit pathetic. Eight seasons and it's kind of... well, his thing. But longtime viewers had better gear themselves up to see a different side of the character in upcoming episodes, say Chris Parnell and Sarah Chalke.
In a new interview with GamesRadar+, the voice actors were asked why they think Jerry's pitifulness is still so funny 12 years in – and their responses were kind of surprising, albeit in different ways.
For Parnell, Jerry is the "everyman" that grounds all of the show's zany goings-on elsewhere for those tuning in. "Every now and then, we'll get to see Jerry be a little bit of a badass," he teases. "But you know, it's a very fun character to play. It's fun to play someone that's put upon the way that Jerry is. I think people can relate to that aspect of [him] – you know, he doesn't always know what's going on. He's not usually in command of much, including his family. He's just sort of trying to make the best of it, and roll with it. He's come to accept, for the most part, this reality of having Rick in his life, with all of the dimensions and everything. I just think [he's] an every person that people can relate to."
Having premiered on May 25, the new chapter of Rick and Morty sees the former wrestle (briefly) with his thoughts on the afterlife and face off against gun-wielding extraterrestrial Pope-types, as he continues to subject the latter to all kinds of cosmic chaos.
"It’ll feel like a return to form and kind of like a 'we’re back, baby' kind of feeling, and hopefully, season 9 will be that but, you know, even more so. But it’ll be because it’s been a gradual process of just trying to get our wind in our sails again."
When asked for her "take", Chalke replies: "I mean, first of all, he's one of my favorite characters. The cool part about doing a show for this long is that you don't normally have the luxury of doing 80 episodes. So to, like, see all the versions of Jerry and his confidence shift... We just recorded [episode 9] and it's one of my favorite Jerry episodes, where we see such a different side of him."
The former Scrubs star goes on to praise her scene partner, saying that Parnell does an "incredible job" of balancing Jerry's nuances. "The writing... they never stop giving [us] a bottomless supply of different journeys for these characters. It's kind of crazy. You read the script and you're like, 'This is not like any of the 79 that came before it'" she adds. "So I feel like, over the eight seasons, we've seen so many different versions of Jerry. But I feel like it's neat, because at the beginning, you know, with Beth and Jerry's relationship specifically, you kind of thought maybe it would just be one way, and that wasn't the case at all."
Rick and Morty season 8 airs a new episode every Sunday on Adult Swim at 11pm ET/PT. Ensure you never miss one with our guide to the Rick and Morty season 8 release schedule, or see our roundup of all the most exciting upcoming shows left in 2025 for more.
