10 Animated Shows Like Rick and Morty You Must See

Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, ‘Rick and Morty’ follows the adventures of eccentric scientist Rick Sanchez and his grandson, Morty Smith, across space, time, and other dimensions. A cynical alcoholic genius, Rick stays as a guest at the Smith household, including his daughter Beth, her husband Jerry, and their children Summer and Morty. The garage is used by him as his personal laboratory. The bumbling yet kind-hearted 14-year-old Morty always has his grandfather’s back, and often acts as his moral compass. Beth is the level-headed, dominating force in the house, Summer is usually a conventional teenager, while Jerry is the most simple-minded and insecure. However, on account of travelling the multiverse, the show incorporates many versions of each character.

In addition to exploring the usual science fiction tropes, the Adult Swim show explores philosophical world views, including the insignificance of human existence in comparison to the infiniteness of reality. It often draws upon the theme of mental illness, especially as the characters have their minds overloaded with events across realities. However, it also impresses upon the importance of actions in giving lives their own meanings. If you find the whackadoodle adventures with layered meanings to be your cup of tea, here are a few more shows similar to ‘Rick and Morty’ to consider for your next binge.

10. Smiling Friends (2020-)

From the minds of Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack, ‘Smiling Friends’ revolves around two employees of the titular company, an organization that is dedicated to bringing joy and happiness to its clients. Though inseparable, Charlie Dompler and Pim Pimling have very different approaches to work. While Charlie is cynical and pragmatic, Pim is considerably more optimistic and eager to help people out. The duo, at times, receives assistance from their co-workers, Allan Red and Glep, as well as their eccentric supervisor, Mr. Boss. Like ‘Rick and Morty,’ the workers of Smiling Friends often face misadventures in their line of work, forcing them to go through seemingly bizarre situations.

9. The Venture Bros. (2003-2018)

‘The Venture Bros.’ by Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer is set around the underachieving super-scientist Dr. Thaddeus “Rusty” Venture and his bumbling twin sons, Hank and Dean Venture. Emotionally insecure and unethical, Thaddeus has tried to live up to his father Jonas’ name, who established Venture Industries. However, he has always woefully come short, to the extent that it is rumored he only has an honorary degree from a community college. Among the twins, Hank is adventurous, and Dean is the timid one. Often facing difficulties, they are aided by the family bodyguard secret agent Brock Samson, or a former villain with a troubled past, Sergeant Hatred. Similar to ‘Rick and Morty,’ ‘The Venture Bros.’ dives into the family dynamics alongside greater adventures.

8. BoJack Horseman (2014-2020)

‘BoJack Horseman’ by Raphael Bob-Waksberg is set in a universe where humans live alongside anthropomorphic animals. The titular character is a washed-up sitcom star of the 1990s living in a mansion in ‘Hollywoo,’ a satirical version of Hollywood. Struggling with his addiction to alcohol and other drugs, BoJack plans a professional comeback with a tell-all autobiography, to be penned by ghostwriter Diane Nguyen. At the same time, the horse also has to work around the demands of his longtime agent and former romantic interest, Princess Carolyn, the antics of his freeloading roommate, Todd Chavez, as well as the actions of his former rival, Mr. Peanutbutter. The series echoes some of the philosophical world views of ‘Rick and Morty’ while embracing the show’s affinity for the weird and unhinged.

7. The Midnight Gospel (2020)

Helmed by Pendleton Ward and Duncan Trussell, ‘The Midnight Gospel’ centers around Clancy Gilroy, a spacecaster living on a membranous, tape-like planet called the Chromatic Ribbon. It is situated in the middle of a colorful void where simulation farmers use powerful bio-organic computers to simulate a variety of universes from which they harvest natural resources and new technology. Using his unlicensed multiverse simulator, Clancy traverses bizarre worlds usually at the brink of disaster to interview inhabitants for his space podcast. The conversations, taken directly from Duncan Trussell’s real-life podcast, explore greater questions about life, death, and consciousness. Clancy’s regular travel to other worlds and realities, and openness to multiversal knowledge, make the show comparable to ‘Rick and Morty.’

6. Krapopolis (2023-)

Set in mythical Ancient Greece, ‘Krapopolis’ by Dan Harmon chronicles a family of humans, gods, and monsters who do their best to rule over one of the first cities of the world. The king of the city, Tyrannis, is a mortal son of Deliria, goddess of self-destruction and questionable choices. His father, Shlub, is a Mantitaur and a self-proclaimed artist who has never paid for anything in his life. Known for her infidelity, Deliria is the reason Tyrannis has a large extended Olympian family. The closest members to him include his half-sister, Stupendous, daughter of Deliria and a cyclops, and Hippocampus, son of Shlub and a mermaid. Krapopolis’ embraces mythological chaos and character flaws, though it leans more on irreverent satire than the existential depth of ‘Rick and Morty.’

5. South Park (1997-)

Created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, ‘South Park’ tells the story of four boys, Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman and Kenny McCormick, living in the fictional titular town in Colorado. Stan, a regular kid, is prone to frequent mishaps. He is best friends with Kyle, whose Jewish heritage is prominently featured in the show. Cartman is known for his antisemitism and psychopathic tendencies, and is often portrayed as an antagonist. Kenny, on the other hand, comes from a poor family and frequently died and came back to life in the early seasons. The kids often act as a voice of reason during the various incidents that take place, highlighting the irrational and hypocritical views held by adults. Like ‘Rick and Morty,’ ‘South Park’ questions the established hegemony of ideas and accepted views on morality.

4. Final Space (2018-2021)

‘Final Space’ by Olan Rogers follows energetic but dim-witted astronaut Gary Goodspeed, who befriends a mysterious planet-destroying alien while serving out his sentence aboard the prison spacecraft Galaxy One. Gary names his friend Mooncake before discovering that they are being pursued by the sinister Lord Commander, who wishes to tap into Mooncake’s destructive powers. With the help of artificial intelligence, HUE, Gary and Mooncake set off on an adventure to save the world while trying to uncover the secrets of the end of the universe, called Final Space. Their adventures into the unknown are reminiscent of those of Rick and Morty, which the duo usually undertakes in Rick’s spacecraft.

3. Inside Job (2021-2022)

Shion Takeuchi’s ‘Inside Job’ takes place in a reality where conspiracy theories are true, and the world is run by six shadow organizations, namely, Illuminati, the Atlantians, the Reptoids, the Catholic Church, the Juggalos, and Cognito, Inc., where the main characters work. The latter is headquartered in Washington, DC, where the plot unfolds. Anti-social Japanese-American robotics engineer Reagan Ridley works in the latter organization with a team of misfits, strongly believing that society itself can be improved. While ‘Rick and Morty’ often share their take on popular science fiction movie tropes, ‘Inside Job’ dives into well-known conspiracy theories such as JFK’s assassination, reptilian shapeshifters, the flat Earth, and the Moon landing, among others.

2. Futurama (1999-)

‘Futurama,’ created by Matt Groening, centers around immature but kind-hearted pizza delivery boy Philip J. Fry, who accidentally falls into a cryogenic pod and wakes up on New Year’s Eve of 2999. He gets the job of cargo delivery boy at Planet Express, owned by his only living relative, Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth. Alongside Philip, the episodes usually focus on Turanga Leela and Bender Bending Rodriguez. Turanga is the competent, one-eyed captain of the Planet Express Ship and the primary love interest of Philip. On the other hand, Rodriguez is an alcoholic robot with a long list of vices who is also Philip’s best friend and roommate. His love for drinking overlaps with Rick Sanchez’s, as both shows explore futuristic worlds and make a mockery of societal norms.

1. Solar Opposites (2020-)

Created by Justin Roiland and Mike McMahan, ‘Solar Opposites’ chronicles the adventures of four aliens who crash land on Earth and are forced to stay back despite being divided over whether this is good or bad. Korvo, Terry, Jesse, and Yumyulack hail from Planet Shlorp, which was destroyed by an asteroid. However, before the tragedy, the populace of Shlorp sent out one hundred ships, each with two adults and their replicants, to colonize new planets. Much like ‘Rick and Morty,’ ‘Solar Opposites’ takes its characters on intergalactic adventures, while setting up home base in middle America. It also highlights the unexceptional nature of human existence compared to the universe’s infinitude.