Why Rick & Morty is the best cartoon in decades

For some reason, even after the success of South Park and Adventure Time and heaps of award-winning anime, people are very uncertain about diving into a cartoon, even though most modern animation deal with a lot more current, difficult themes than any other soap opera or movie.

Rick & Morty (now showing season one to two on Netflix) has unfortunately fallen into this category, earning the title of ‘cult comedy’ rather than ‘smash comedy’.

But here I am, fighting the good fight to try and get you to watch this incredible, witty, offensive show. So here’s a few reasons you should tune in to the surreal show about the adventures of a highly intelligent/alcoholic scientist and his idiot grandson as they travel around the universe.

It’s incredibly dark and deep

“Cartoons are for kids?” I bloody hope not, because I would not want my child to watch this. Sometimes I doubt I’m mature enough to watch it, and I’m 27.

From the meaning of existence, to multiple timelines, to universes within universes, to murdering alien versions of their family, to parallel universes featuring other Rick and Mortys, no episode has a simple story. They all make you want to crawl into a ball of existential crisis and ponder what your life is really all about.

But, y’know, in the most LOL way ever.

The songs are brilliant

Let’s put this into context: there’s the Cromulons, a species of floating giant heads who scour the galaxy in search of civilizations who can construct a perfect pop song, who are then pitted against each other in an X-Factor like talent show with the prize of not being blown up.

This is why Rick is telling you to shit on the floor and get schwifty. Make sense, right?

They’re real people with real problems

Although the particular GIF above highlights a scene where Morty was almost raped by a giant talking jellybean, one of the many ludicrous circumstances the pair finds themselves in, there are also many relatable problems the cast encounter.

Rick Sanchez, a borderline sociopath alcoholic genius, is crippled by his loneliness and inability to properly connect with others – one of the reasons why he’s such a tremendous dick.

Morty, a less-than-average teenager with a frustrating unfulfilled sex drive is left mentally scarred and severely nervous by his adventures with grandfather Rick.

The parents, Jerry and Beth Smith, have a turbulent marriage. And it’s not one of those hahahaha funny Everybody Loves Raymond slightly annoying marriages; at times they downright don’t want to be together. But they don’t split up, always finding some reason to stay put. Which kinda sums up about 50 per cent of 21^st century marriages.

Forget Eastenders’ dysfunctional Mitchell clan, this is the truest, most understandably fucked up family you’ll ever witness.

The weird characters

There’s Mr Poopy Butthole, a supposed alien parasite who brainwashed the family and who Beth shoots in the stomach, but is in fact a longtime family friend.

There’s the Mr. Meeseeks (pictured above), an invention of Rick to make the lives of his family easier. Unfortunately taking a swing off Jerry’s game is too much for them though and end up on a murderous rampage.

There’s Revolio Clockberg Jr AKA Gearhead, a machine who won’t stop talking about the ‘gear wars’ and the interesting property of gears, who takes offense when called Gearhead, as he explains “Calling me Gearhead is like calling a Chinese person Asia face!”

And these don’t even scratch the surface...

It’s loved by a lot of your favourite writers

The Simpsons’ Matt Groening, Flight of the Conchords Jemaine Clement (who voiced a dangerous fart in the show) and The Walking Dead’s Robert Kirkman are all big fans of the show.

In fact, the minds behind The Simpsons loved Rick & Morty so much that they got them to do a lengthy crossover couch gag in which Rick and Morty accidentally kill America’s iconic yellow family and have to recreate them using alien technology.

Rick’s catchphrases

"Wubbalubbadubdub!"

"Rikitikitavi, bitch!"

"And that's the wayyyyyy the news goes!"

"Hit the sack, Jack!"

"Uh ohhhh! Somersault jump!"

"AIDS!"

"And that's why I always say, 'Shumshumschilpiddydah!'"

"GRASSSSS... tastes bad!"

"No jumping in the sewer."

“BURGERTIME!"

"Rubber baby buggy bumpers!"

"Lick, lick, lick my BALLS!"

Like we said, weird.