{"id":1648191,"date":"2022-09-20T06:52:30","date_gmt":"2022-09-20T10:52:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1648191"},"modified":"2022-09-20T06:52:41","modified_gmt":"2022-09-20T10:52:41","slug":"despite-mega-popularity-rick-and-mortys-legacy-is-complicated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/despite-mega-popularity-rick-and-mortys-legacy-is-complicated\/","title":{"rendered":"Despite Mega Popularity, \u2018Rick And Morty\u2019s\u2019 Legacy Is Complicated"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdespite-mega-popularity-rick-and-mortys-legacy-is-complicated%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1648191&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><\/div>\n<p>Few things captivate the attention of Gen Z and the later-born millennials as effectively as Adult Swim\u2019s smash hit \u201cRick and Morty.\u201d If you have eyes, you have undoubtedly seen its characters adorning T-shirts, backpacks, and bongs. If you have ears, you have heard co-creator Justin Roiland lending his voice to an animated character of some kind.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As the show enters its <a href=\"https:\/\/decider.com\/2022\/09\/05\/rick-and-morty-season-6-episode-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sixth season<\/a> and its popularity continues to grow while its creators branch out to work on other projects, it is important to recognize the effects it has had on popular culture and why it has ultimately been a negative influence.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>The Rick Factor<\/h2>\n<p>To be fair, the show\u2019s immense popularity is largely warranted. Adult animation, a genre primarily characterized by cartoon situational comedy, is saturated with mediocrity, thus \u201cRick and Morty\u201d is consistently funny in an increasingly unfunny field.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRick and Morty\u201d is also unique in that it is able to revel in vulgarity while exploring complex themes. Frequently, the show explores the unfulfilling nature of amoral nihilism, and younger adults who increasingly have concepts like moral subjectivity forced upon them likely find comfort in the fact that other people \u2014 animated or otherwise \u2014 are adrift in nebulous meaninglessness alongside them.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This is further emphasized in how the show\u2019s creators \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/08\/04\/the-miserable-lefts-endless-quest-to-censor-comedians-is-way-older-than-dave-chappelle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dan Harmon<\/a> and the aforementioned Roiland \u2014 are able to combine both razor-sharp wit and shockingly lowbrow humor with a genuine and unique capacity for introspection. It isn\u2019t uncommon for the show to provide thoughtfully crafted social commentary and then <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zNrIJ2XX80Y\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">follow it up<\/a> with over-the-top violence or a string of incredibly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=t2MwK7XLnTA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">grotesque jokes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, in a post-credits scene in the show\u2019s fifth season finale, its unofficial mascot, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=YZrYuBPbqGA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mr. Poopybutthole<\/a>, reveals that his fear of intimacy led to him driving away his wife and child as he asks viewers if they \u201cever think about how horrified the people we love would be if they found out who we truly are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This wedding of lowbrow humor and seemingly intellectual existential dread plays a considerable role in why the show is so popular among younger adults, but it is also why it\u2019s leaving behind a problematic legacy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Copycats<\/h2>\n<p>When something is successful, people copy it hoping to similarly cash in and edge out their competition. This is an immutable law of industry; the world of animation is not immune.<\/p>\n<p>Thus, \u201cRick and Morty\u201d is frequently imitated but has yet to be duplicated, which is partly why its field is over-saturated. For every stand-out show like \u201cRick and Morty,\u201d there are a dozen more like \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/hoops-netflix-reviews-bad-reason\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hoops<\/a>,\u201d which is exceedingly trite with its overreliance on autofellatio jokes, and \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=o7xwdOSiM88\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Big Mouth<\/a>,\u201d which is performatively grotesque in its unrelenting portrayal of childhood sexuality.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In hopes of creating the next \u201cRick and Morty,\u201d streaming services and cable networks have greenlit dozens of similarly styled and structured shows. But in the pursuit of making quick returns on their investments, they became heavy-handed on the vulgarity while incorporating an insufficient amount of heart or wit to balance it out.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, the entire premise of Netflix\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2018\/10\/16\/netflixs-big-mouth-gets-wrong-planned-parenthood-teen-sex\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Big Mouth<\/a>\u201d is that young children going through puberty act out in strange and uncomfortable ways. After all, teenagers tend to be strange and uncomfortable people. But the show delivers on this premise by explicitly portraying how these young kids explore their developing bodies and even, at times, shows the cartoon genitals of these children. There is even a recurring gag where one kid develops an emotional attachment to the anthropomorphized couch cushion he uses to pleasure himself.<\/p>\n<p>The whole joke is that children, who are not sexual beings, are being sexualized.<\/p>\n<p>Shows like \u201cBig Mouth\u201d began to rapidly appear after it became clear that \u201cRick and Morty\u201d was incredibly popular, but neither it nor any of the other copycat series spawned in the wake of \u201cRick and Morty\u201d has been able to replicate what Roiland and Harmon have done.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>\u201cLittle Demon\u201d and \u201cHigh on Life\u201d<\/h2>\n<p>The success of \u201cRick and Morty\u201d has enabled its creators to cash in and produce several <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=dK3fVf5U8DM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">advertisements<\/a> for big-dollar corporate sponsors, and this is perfectly fine. After all, it\u2019s not like anyone faults the team behind \u201cThe Simpsons\u201d for producing a slew of commercials for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=61ugnjf0Qjo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Nestle<\/a> in the late \u201990s. One of the many reasons people want to make it big in show business is so they can sell out.<\/p>\n<p>But the show\u2019s success has also given them the opportunity to branch out and work on several other creative projects. However, Roiland and Harmon\u2019s collaborative prowess on \u201cRick and Morty\u201d doesn\u2019t carry over into their individual projects. Instead, they tend to suffer from the same issues that their imitators experience.<\/p>\n<p>Two current examples of this are \u201cLittle Demon,\u201d a show currently being executive-produced by Harmon, and \u201cHigh on Life,\u201d a soon-to-be-released video game developed by Roiland\u2019s production company.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wZ0vvNZ0QM0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Little Demon<\/a>\u201d is the story of a 13-year-old girl who discovers she is the illegitimate child of Satan after starting puberty. And since the show\u2019s protagonist is the antichrist, it\u2019s only natural that it glamorizes the occult while disparaging Judeo-Christian beliefs.<\/p>\n<p>Per the Parents Television and Media Council, the first episode of \u201cLittle Demon\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.parentstv.org\/little-demon-take-action-2?sc=09082022\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">features<\/a> \u201cat least 38 f-words, 35 s-words,\u201d and \u201canimated female frontal nudity.\u201d This is pretty indicative of how the rest of the show has thus far been.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In the show\u2019s second episode, Chrissy, the daughter of Satan, debuts her new catchphrase, \u201cpeepee poopoo,\u201d while possessing and manipulating people she interacts with in her daily life. And in its third episode, the main character\u2019s mother narrowly escapes the clutches of a demon who is subdued through cruel and demeaning dirty talk. Neither of these scenarios is particularly intelligent or particularly funny.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLittle Demon\u201d is able to make people laugh by making them uncomfortable with an abundance of gore and vulgarity, not because it\u2019s actually funny.<\/p>\n<p>According to its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=nCk1__TYksU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">trailer<\/a>, \u201cHigh on Life\u201d puts players in a situation where they have to \u201ctake out the entire alien drug cartel\u201d to stop its members from trafficking humans. The game is a science fiction first-person shooter, and despite being far more visually impressive than \u201cLittle Demon,\u201d it still appears to suffer from many of the same issues.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Granted, the game is yet to be released, but its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=jN3thUvIQHY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">promotional materials<\/a> make clear that its sense of humor relies on excrement jokes, <a href=\"https:\/\/youtube.com\/shorts\/SjpYjYBy50U?feature=share\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">aggressive nonchalance toward violence<\/a>, and overutilization of the word \u201cf-ck.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>The Post-Rick Era\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p>Both \u201cLittle Demon\u201d and \u201cHigh on Life,\u201d despite being crafted by the creators of \u201cRick and Morty,\u201d experience a similar phenomenon to that of \u201cRick and Morty\u2019s\u201d copycats. They over-rely on vulgarity while insufficiently probing the depths of the human spirit or coming close to offering intellectual stimulation.<\/p>\n<p>But this is par for the course for an era whose entertainment uses \u201cRick and Morty\u201d as the blueprint for lucrative content. And considering that \u201cRick and Morty\u2019s\u201d success shows no signs of slowing down, there is no reason to believe its copycats will either.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Thus, there will continue to be a proliferation of unfunny animated comedies that serve no purpose other than generating ad revenue for cable networks and clogging the algorithms of streaming services.\u00a0<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n<p>\n  Samuel Mangold-Lenett is a staff editor at The Federalist. His writing has been featured in the Daily Wire, Townhall, The American Spectator, and other outlets. He is a 2022 Claremont Institute Publius Fellow. Follow him on Twitter @Mangold_Lenett.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Few things captivate the attention of Gen Z and the later-born millennials as effectively as Adult Swim\u2019s smash hit \u201cRick and Morty.\u201d If you have eyes, you have undoubtedly seen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1185,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1648191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1648191","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1185"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1648191"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1648191\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1648191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1648191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1648191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}