If you want better humor
Choose Adventure Time: Side Quests, Season 1. It scores 4.6 vs 4.1 for humor, with a 4.2 overall score.
Rick and Morty, Season 9 Review
Bottom Line
Choose Rick and Morty Season 9 for sharp sci-fi chaos, smoother animation, and richer lore. Skip it if uneven pacing, dark jokes, or reduced side-cast focus will sour the fun.
Best for
Best for existing or lapsed Rick and Morty fans who want inventive sci-fi, Evil Morty lore, smoother animation, and darker character work. It also suits viewers who like adult animation with fast pivots from absurd comedy to serialized stakes.
Not for
Not for viewers who want a family-friendly cartoon, a lighter tone, or equal focus on every Smith family member. The season’s profanity, dark jokes, and occasional pacing bumps are part of the package.
Verdict
Rick and Morty Season 9 comes across as a strong rebound: critics praise its smoother animation, inventive sci-fi premises, sharper humor, and renewed confidence with Evil Morty, the Smith family, and long-running lore. The season is often framed as one of the best in years, with enough continuity and character work to reward longtime fans while keeping the episodic chaos intact. The tradeoff is that the Rick-focused thematic spine can sideline supporting characters, some pacing and jokes feel uneven, and the adult darkness is not for sensitive viewers.
Feature Scorecards
Summary
44 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.022 (50%)
-
Positive 3.5-4.418 (41%)
-
Neutral 2.5-3.42 (5%)
-
Negative 1.5-2.42 (5%)
Pros
-
Entertainment value is very high overall, with the season coming across as hilarious, creative, immersive, and among the best in years. The weaker notes are mostly about pacing or isolated jokes rather than overall enjoyment.
-
Animation is one of the strongest consensus points. The season is called top-notch, smoother than ever, stunning, and unusually strong for Adult Swim animation.
-
Season 9 feels fresh thanks to inventive sci-fi concepts, new premises, and ideas that still have room to surprise after nine seasons. Villains, callbacks, and high-concept setups keep the show from feeling spent.
-
External reception is extremely strong, driven by perfect or near-record Rotten Tomatoes mentions and repeated high-point framing. The season reads as one of the best-rated runs of the series.
-
As sci-fi comedy and adult animation, the season lands very well. Its blend of comedy, family dysfunction, fantasy, and high-concept sci-fi is a major reason it feels fresh.
-
Renewal interest is strong: the show has gas left, points toward a promising future, and gives lapsed fans a reason to return. Season 9 makes the long-running series feel alive again.
Cons
-
This is not positioned as family-friendly. The season is described as raunchy, rude, adult-oriented, and built around dark humor rather than all-ages comfort.
-
The season’s audience fit skews older and less easily offended. Its adult jokes, darkness, and mature themes make it a poor match for sensitive or younger viewers.
-
Supporting characters are a split point. The Smith family evolution can be fun, but Summer, Beth, Space Beth, and parts of the broader supporting cast do not always get as much focus as expected.
-
The stories are generally entertaining and precise, though the premiere’s Evil Morty conflict can feel hollow. Standalone adventures still carry enough interest and humor to work.
Compared With Category Average
Compared with other TV Shows, this product is above average in language level, season length, continuity, near average in humor, theme depth, below average in supporting cast performance, age appropriateness, family friendliness.
Comparison summary
44 compared features-
Above average 0.4+ pts higher30 (68%)
-
Same as average within 0.3 pts10 (23%)
-
Below average 0.4+ pts lower4 (9%)
Largest category differences
| Attribute | This product | Category average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| language level | 4.5 | 2.4 | +2.1 |
| season length | 4.8 | 2.9 | +1.9 |
| continuity | 4.6 | 3.0 | +1.5 |
| episode length | 4.7 | 3.2 | +1.5 |
| plot clarity | 4.2 | 2.8 | +1.4 |
| plot originality | 4.6 | 3.5 | +1.2 |
| critic appeal | 5.0 | 3.8 | +1.2 |
| season pacing | 4.3 | 3.1 | +1.2 |
Consider This Instead
If you want better supporting cast performance
Choose Dark Winds, Season 4. It scores 4.6 vs 3.2 for supporting cast performance, with a 4.4 overall score.
If you want better family friendliness
Choose It’s Not Like That, Chapter 1. It scores 4.5 vs 1.7 for family friendliness, with a 4.5 overall score.
If you want better drama quality
Choose Star City, Season 1. It scores 4.6 vs 3.9 for drama quality, with a 4.1 overall score.
Compared in Reviews
Products reviewers directly compared with this model, grouped into quick takeaways.
Family Guy
- Compared: adult animation landscape The review compares the season’s show to major adult-animation mainstays and frames it as competitive.
Season 7
- Worse: Rotten Tomatoes critic score Season 9 is described as far above Season 7’s weaker Rotten Tomatoes score.
Season 8
- Worse: Rotten Tomatoes critic score Season 9 is described as rating ahead of Season 8 on Rotten Tomatoes.
FAQ
Is Season 9 considered a comeback?
Yes. Multiple critics call it the best in years, a major comeback moment, or a high point for the Adult Swim series.
How is the animation?
Animation is one of the clearest strengths, with praise for smoother visuals, spectacle, stunning sequences, and standout fight scenes.
Does the season connect to older lore?
Yes. Evil Morty, Rick Prime, the Central Finite Curve, callbacks, and broader continuity are recurring parts of the praise.
Is the season funny?
Usually, yes. Critics praise the dark humor and refined jokes, though a few reactions say some jokes linger awkwardly or the premiere is less laugh-heavy.
Are the new Rick and Morty voices working?
Yes. The new lead voice actors are described as settled into the roles, with Harry Belden’s Morty and Evil Morty work getting specific praise.
What are the main drawbacks?
The most common drawbacks are uneven pacing, reduced focus for some supporting characters, and a Rick-centered theme that can feel redundant.
Sample Expert Reviews We Analyzed
These are a few of the reviews included in our analysis.
Video Reviews
Article Reviews
bleedingcool.com
- Review score
- 4.4
consolegamestuff.com
- Review score
- 4.4
screenrant.com
- Review score
- 4.7
ign.com
- Review score
- 3.9
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