Rick and Morty fans are a rabid bunch. When not climbing atop McDonald’s counters demanding Szechuan sauce, they’re often found hassling the show’s co-creator Dan Harmon for information on the forthcoming season.
Harmon has now taken to Twitter to confirm that Rick and Morty has not been not been renewed for a fourth season.
I hear ya, tough spot. On one hand, it can be challenging, especially with crippling lazy alcoholism, to write a show that hasn’t been ordered by a network. On the other hand, the thought that fans like you pay the price…I mean…I’m gonna grab a drink https://t.co/mvn9nthxCE
— Dan Harmon (@danharmon) March 17, 2018
Rumours had already been circulating about the show’s future, with writer Ryan Ridley confirming no one was working on future episodes.
“As far as I know no one’s working on the show and I’m certainly not, so I don’t know what’s going on,” said Ridley. “I never understood why everybody—all parties, Dan [Harmon], Justin [Roiland], and Adult Swim—didn’t get their shit together and make the show fast. I just don’t get it. It doesn’t make any sense to me. I’m sure they all have their reasons.”
A popular theory for why the show hasn’t been renewed is the toxic fandom that surrounds it. A subsection of the show’s fans took it upon themselves to harass female writers associated with the show online, claiming the Rick and Morty team were “forced” to hire “female SJW” writers.
Ultimately, this doesn’t mean the show can’t be picked up by another network. But future episodes are definitely a long, long way off. And that’s if they are given the green light to be written at all.