Netflix is in desperate need of some new animated shows for adults and Rick and Morty could be the show that makes it a serious contender against the likes of Fox, FX and Comedy Central. As for whether it’s possible is another story, here’s why we think it’d be a great idea.
Let’s start by elaborating why Netflix needs more animated sitcoms. In recent years, they’ve lost the majority of animated sitcoms that it once had, at least in America anyway. Up until around 2014, South Park was available on Netflix which is one of the most influential animated shows of all time. Last year and throughout this year, Netflix has been losing shows from Fox and FX, the kings of the animated sitcom.
In the exodus of Fox and FX shows its lost Family Guy, Futurama, American Dad, Archer and The Cleveland Show. That’s left a massive hole in the Netflix library and although Netflix has made modest attempts at filling it with the likes of F is for Family and Bojack Horseman, it’s still missing that big title.
Why Rick and Morty?
In case you hadn’t noticed, Rick and Morty is absolutely huge. It has broken records and is undoubtedly one of the most popular shows at the moment. Season 3 spawned many new memes including the massive drama surrounding McDonald’s schezwan sauce.
The show’s popularity alone should be enough for Netflix but in particular, its younger audience when compared to the likes of Bojack Horseman and F is for Family must be appealing to Netflix.
Add to this having the show’s creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland will mean Netflix would have first dibs on new projects. Dan Harmon has worked on shows like Community and Harmon Quest, both of which are insanely popular and Justin Roiland has been involved in Adventure Time another insanely popular series.
Is it actually possible?
As you may know, AdultSwim has yet to order a fourth season meaning that the show’s creators may appeal to other providers to create the show. It’s believed that the contract negotiations are where the team is at with season 4 at the moment. Most of the time, this comes down to money and if Cartoon Network doesn’t have the money, Netflix almost certainly does.
Netflix does have a relationship with the show as it managed to secure the exclusive rights to season 3 and back seasons in the United Kingdom. In the deal, new episodes arrived weekly on Netflix. In the US, streaming rights is currently being held by Hulu although they have to wait up to a year to get the season streaming.
As to the benefits of moving the show to Netflix, the first obvious benefit would be more funds and a more consistent release schedule. All of Netflix’s own animated shows are currently operating on a year to year and a half turn around time. We’ll take that over the schedule of Rick and Morty as it stands.
What do you think? Would Rick and Morty be a great addition to the Netflix original lineup? Let us know down below.
Note: This is an opinion piece.
