‘Rick and Morty’ Could Go on Longer Than ‘The Simpsons’

Season Eight of Rick and Morty hasn’t even premiered yet, but word just came that the show has been renewed through through Season 12. Hopefully new episodes of Rick and Morty will come as some comfort to those of us navigating the Mad Max-esque wasteland of 2029.  

All of which is to say, Rick and Morty is clearly here to stay. In addition to the TV series, there’s also the anime spin-off, several video game tie-ins and at least one comic book in which Mr. Meeseeks is a hard-boiled private detective for some reason.

News of Rick and Morty’s prolongation dropped in the same week that there’s been a lot of chatter about the end of another beloved animated show: The Simpsons. As we’ve discussed, the 36th season premiere boldly riffed on what a potential Simpsons series finale might look like, prompting further discussions about how, and when, the long-running cartoon will actually wrap up.

While there are no plans to end The Simpsons any time soon, one potential roadblock in the show’s future is the availability of the voice actors, who obviously aren’t immune to the flow of time. Showrunner Matt Selman was recently asked by People if there’s a plan for what would happen to The Simpsons should a core cast member die. “That I’m in super denial about,” he responded, adding, “I don’t think about it, so I’m just going to not think about that.”

Obviously, the show has lost actors in the past, including Phil Hartman and, more recently, Marcia Wallace who played Mrs. Krabappel. But while their characters were written out of the show altogether, that obviously wouldn’t be a possibility with a member of the Simpson family. 

There’s always the option of recasting characters; The Simpsons has recently recast roles like Dr. Hibbert and Carl, due to evolving cultural sensitivities (much to the consternation of Harry Shearer), but would audiences ever accept another actor playing Homer, Marge, Bart or Lisa? Probably not.

Some have suggested that the show could continue by utilizing A.I. deepfake technology, replacing the core cast with computerized simulations that would have more than 30 years of audio to draw from. However, such a decision would no doubt be met with broad disapproval and fan outrage. 

Rick and Morty, on the other hand, has already gotten this particular hurdle out of the way; the show already recast its leads, as a result of the allegations against Justin Roiland. Not only have most fans accepted the near-seamless transition, the new actors are arguably better than Roiland ever was. 

Dan Harmon once said that Rick and Morty was “designed” to last for 100 seasons. Now, that suggestion doesn’t seem all that crazy. If the current performers age out of their roles, they can simply be swapped out for new actors, owing to the precedent set by Roiland’s departure. 

The Simpsons may be tethered to its human cast, but Rick and Morty isn’t, and could conceivably continue for as long as some other famous cartoon franchises. 

I mean, it’s not like Casey Kasem was still voicing Shaggy when Scooby-Doo teamed up with Macklemore.

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