Rick and Morty (2013)

I did not expect Rick and Morty to make me cry but here we are. Total Rickall hit me completely off guard. Morty Smith is written with such care that the emotional moments land with full weight.

You can watch Rick and Morty for pure entertainment or for something more meaningful. Either way you win. Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon's ability to layer complexity into seemingly simple stories is remarkable. the science fiction concept creativity is evidence of a master.

What makes Rick and Morty work is the characters. Morty Smith is one of the most fully realised animated personalities ever created. Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon gave them enough depth that their choices always feel meaningful.

Rick and Morty started strong and only improved. By season two, Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon had found a confidence that made the show feel inevitable. A Rickle in Time is one of the finest episodes in animated television history.

I watched Rick and Morty as a kid and rewatched it as an adult. It's even better the second time. the dark humour with genuine philosophical ambition is only apparent when you're older. Morty Smith remains one of the great animated characters.

Rick and Morty has a visual identity so distinctive that you can recognise it from a single frame. Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon worked with artists who understood that style should reflect substance. The look of the show embodies sci-fi deconstruction.

More people should watch Rick and Morty. It never got the cultural attention it deserved while it was airing. Rick's paradoxical emotional depth is genuinely brilliant and the nihilism and existential dread exploration is more sophisticated than most prestige live-action drama.

Rick and Morty works on two levels: kids get the surface entertainment and adults get the subtext. Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon's writing treats its audience with respect. The episode A Rickle in Time is as good as any live-action drama.

I grew up with Rick and Morty and now I'm watching it with my own children. They love it as much as I did. the dark humour with genuine philosophical ambition is just as effective the twentieth time. True classics work across generations.

Ask anyone to name the best animated shows ever made and Rick and Morty will be on every list. Morty Smith is one of animation's great characters. The family dysfunction theme gives it lasting relevance.