The first reviews for Rick and Morty season 6 have landed. Given how the previous season ended – with Evil Morty crashing through into infinite universes where Rick isn’t top dog and our Rick and Morty effectively stranded in their own reality – fans will be keen to see how the show picks up the pieces with its premiere.
Early indications suggest that the first two episodes screened to press are very much yin-and-yang; the show is getting the right mix of canon-heavy adventures and lighter one-off episodes right. The show’s patented brand of meta-heavy humor and hilarious hijinks still remain, however – with critical reaction saying it matches or even betters the show’s past seasons thanks to its best of both worlds approach.
Consequence
"Rick and Morty is deep into a groove now, and by now you either love it or hate it. There are subtle new wrinkles in the story, and even some signs of maturity (the show doesn’t rely as much as it once did on Rick burping and vomiting for easy comic relief). But there’s nothing in the new episodes that will turn off fans of Season 5, or win back someone who lost interest after Season 2. If a backlash to the show feels inevitable now, it won’t be triggered by these first two episodes, which are up to the same standard of the show’s recent output."
Slash Film
"With no endgame insight, if Rick and Morty can keep this kind of hilarious frivolity intact while occasionally zeroing in on the complex emotional core that lingers just beneath the surface, then the series should have no problem expanding as much as the infinite multiverse. As it stands, Rick and Morty is one of the most uproariously hilarious animated comedies around, and the show's sixth season is only more evidence to support that status."
Decider
"But instead of following last season’s brooding, lore-heavy deep dive with another episode in the same tone, 'Solaricks' opts for a snappier, action-heavy adventure. What follows is the television equivalent of getting your cake and eating it too. Diehard fans who have repeatedly rewatched this show can feel rewarded by the blink-and-you’ll-miss-them nods to past adventures. At the same time, those references are never so important as to feel distancing to more casual fans. If you just want to watch Rick and Morty for some silly jokes, you can. If you want more insight into Rick C-137’s backstory and Morty grappling with his grandfather’s morality, that’s in there too."
ComicBook
"While the premiere of Rick and Morty Season 6 may not reinvent the wheel, it is a masterful mix of the series' most pleasing fan-service elements: significant plot-advancing reveals (Season 3 premiere), and high-concept sci-fi stories that mess with the show's status quo (see also: Season 2 premiere). As stated, the Season 6 premiere has the added advantage of having so much mythos and lore behind it that it can touch on deep-cut callbacks and plot elements either not seen in a long time or only hinted at before, without losing the central theme common to every Rick and Morty Season premiere: the characters finding new inspiration to keep doing what they're doing."
Rick and Morty season 6 premieres on Adult Swim on Sunday, September 4 at 11pm Eastern. It’ll be simulcast in UK on E4 and All 4 at 4am on September 5.
For more from the show, check out our ranking of the best Rick and Morty episodes so far.
