Adult Swim granted Rick and Morty a massive renewal a long time ago, so we've known Season 8 was coming for a while. That's reason enough to be excited, but we also know a few things about the upcoming episodes that make the wait to find out more about this universe following a massive Season 7 that much easier.
Because there's only so many times one can binge Rick and Morty with their Max subscription, here's some info about Season 8 to pore over while waiting for new episodes. While there's still a lot to learn, we can lean on these facts in the meantime to ease the struggle of waiting.
What Is The Rick And Morty Season 8 Premiere Date?
Rick and Morty Season 8 does not have an official premiere date at this time, but there's reason to believe that it could arrive as soon as late 2024. Beth voice actress Sarah Chalke gave a positive update that the season was fully written and that they don't receive the scripts until shortly before they record.
I would say that once we start to hear about the voice actors heading into the studio to record, it shouldn't be too much longer until a release date is announced. That's pure speculation, however, and we'll have to continue to wait on definitive word on the premiere date.
The Main Cast Is Expected To Return For Season 8
Given that Rick and Morty Season 7 ended with Rick, Morty, and most every other major character still alive, it stands to reason that the main cast of voice actors will reprise their roles for Season 8. That's a fairly sizable group since the series brought on a slew of new actors after firing co-creator Justin Roiland, and it's maybe even opened up the series to trying some new things.
As an example, Season 7 made history for the series when it aired "Rise Of The Numbericons: The Movie." This was the first episode in the series' history in which Rick Sanchez did not appear. With the title characters no longer being voiced by the same voice actor, one has to wonder if we'll see more solo adventures where Morty goes off without Rick, and vice versa.
Season 8 Was Confirmed To Be Fully Written In 2023
As previously mentioned, we don't know exactly when Rick and Morty Season 8 will premiere. With that said, there's reason to be optimistic it might show up sometime later in 2024, based on what we know about when the scripts were completed. According to an interview with Premiere in June of 2023, executive producer Steve Levy said that Season 8 of the Adult Swim series was "totally written."
If the season was totally written, it's possible that animation for Season 8 was well underway before the start of 2024. If so, then after the voice work, all that's presumably left to do is for Adult Swim to schedule a date for the series to drop. Again, we can only speculate on when Rick and Morty Season 8 may debut, but if the scripts were finished that early, the odds of it arriving later in 2024 seem much more believable than not.
Season 8 Will Follow Up Season 7's Game-Changing Moments
Rick and Morty Season 8 will have a lot to address, thanks to some big moments that happened in Season 7. Fans were blindsided with a surprise midseason: Rick had not only confronted Rick Prime but killed him as well. The twist closed out a storyline many figured would stretch to the series' endgame, though the top brass of the series has assured fans that there's still somewhere for the story to go and not to worry after the game-changing reveal.
Season 7 left a few places for the series to pick up on in Season 8, like the big character change for Mr. Poopybutthole. It appears that one of Rick and Morty's beloved side characters is headed down a dark path, and one would think that will be addressed at a later date. With that said, I would expect the major overall arc of Season 8 to be something much larger.
Dan Harmon Revealed Rick And Morty Season 8 Is A Return To Form
Dan Harmon spoke a bit about Season 8 in an interview with The Verge and likened it to what viewers saw in the latest episodes. Harmon called Season 7 " another brick in the road" and said that the upcoming season will feature that feeling but more. Season 8 will be a "return to form," in his words, which sounds mostly positive.
And, while Rick and Morty fans may not have felt a derailment of any kind, Harmon pointed to the many struggles happening behind the scenes in previous seasons. Aside from the casting shakeups and controversy with Justin Roiland, the series also wrestled with constantly being over-budget and late with the schedule, other changes behind the scenes midseason, and the untimely passing of line producer J. Michael Mendel. Now that things have settled down a bit, viewers may see more of what the show can be when its staff isn't constantly balancing plates and trying to account for unforeseen circumstances.
Rick And Morty Is Already Returning For Season 9 And 10
As mentioned earlier, Adult Swim granted Rick and Morty a massive renewal back in 2018. The deal allowed for the series to make seventy more episodes, and after Season 7, they've officially run forty of that number. Assuming Season 8 and beyond continues to keep the count of ten episodes a season, we won't have to worry about getting a new season until after Season 10.
The upside of such a massive renewal is it granted Rick and Morty the creative freedom to plan and set up long-term storytelling, knowing there would be time to tell that story. Given all the advance writing happening, I would wager that the next few seasons will be loaded with some wild stories with a big payoff, but for now, let's just hope that there are some exciting things in store for Season 8.
Rick and Morty Season 8 is still a ways away, but fans can binge previous seasons right now over on Max. I'm ready to see the next chapter of what's coming for Rick Sanchez after defeating Rick Prime, and what that big development means for the rest of the Smith family, as well.
