Summary
- Rick and Morty has spoofed almost every sitcom trope, but surprisingly has never aired a Halloween episode in over ten years on the air.
- Despite the show's deep interest in horror and sci-fi, Rick and Morty has yet to take advantage of this with a Halloween special.
- Season 8 of Rick and Morty presents the opportunity for the series to finally include a Halloween episode, fitting with its history of genre parodies.
Somehow, Rick and Morty’s first seven seasons have missed out on one sitcom tradition that most other shows feature early on. Sometimes I think Rick and Morty has referenced, subverted, and played with every sitcom trope and cliché in existence. Much like South Park accused The Simpsons of covering every imaginable story years ago, I feel like Rick and Morty has spoofed every element of the sitcom formula. By Rick and Morty’s season 7 ending, I couldn’t tell where the chaotic show was heading next, but I knew it already had touched on almost every sitcom trope I know.
However, Rick and Morty season 8 still has a few sitcom staples to update. Even though Rick complained that he would never do a time travel story early on in the series, the show broke its own rule with season 4, episode 5, “Rattlestar Ricklactica.” Rick and Morty also surprised viewers by giving both of its title characters solo episodes in season 7, although Rick’s first lone outing was better received than Rick and Morty’s hated Morty episode. Still, there is one more sitcom mainstay that Rick and Morty can finally stage in season 8.
Related
The raunchy adventures in time and space continue as Rick and Morty has been green-lit for a landmark 8th season, and updates are already pouring in.
Rick and Morty Has Never Aired A Halloween Episode
The Show’s First Seven Seasons Include Zero Halloween Outings
As shocking as it might seem, Rick and Morty still hasn't made a Halloween episode after over ten years on the air. Rick and Morty has plenty of episodes that parody horror movies, with one season 7 outing alone spoofing both Stephen King’s Maximum Overdrive and Pet Sematary. Earlier episodes in season 1 and season 2 centered on parodies of Needful Things and The Purge respectively, while season 6, episode 4, “Night Family,” was a dark John Carpenter pastiche. Despite the show’s enduring interest in the genre, Rick and Morty hasn’t offered viewers a Halloween special yet.
Rick and Morty is steeped in sci-fi and horror history, yet the series hasn’t taken advantage of this with a Halloween episode.
This is particularly striking when Rick and Morty’s opening credits feature a cameo role from none other than H.P. Lovecraft’s most famous monster, Cthulhu. Rick and Morty is steeped in sci-fi and horror history, yet the series hasn’t taken advantage of this with a Halloween episode that centers on the famously spooky holiday. To make matters more confusing, Rick and Morty’s brief release window also often lines up with the holiday. While South Park’s recent six-episode seasons were unable to include Christmas or Halloween specials due to their February premieres, Rick and Morty seasons 6 and 7 premiered in September.
Rick and Morty Is Uniquely Suited To Halloween Specials
Rick and Morty’s Many Genre Parodies Would Fit A Halloween Setting
Many classic episodes of Rick and Morty add horror tropes to the show’s usual sci-fi spoofs, as far back as the show’s earliest outings. Rick and Morty’s second episode was an extended spoof of A Nightmare On Elm Street, while the show’s third outing was a parody of Jurassic Park. Rick and Morty’s tone is perfectly suited to a Treehouse of Horror-style Halloween episode, as evidenced by season 5’s spoof of the Hellraiser franchise. This makes the show’s decision to avoid the television staple all the more bizarre, as does its obsession with sitcom formula.
Rick and Morty has always parodied sci-fi movies and shows, but the series is also a spoof of family sitcoms. The sly, subversive style of Rick and Morty offers a cynical takedown of these sentimental shows, much like co-creator Dan Harmon’s earlier series Community. Rick and Morty’s dysfunctional family often point out that their problems aren’t solved by cloying Golden Moments, as the show deconstructs the schmaltzy formula sitcoms often rely on. As such, it would make sense for Rick and Morty to offer a subversive parody of Halloween episodes, something that Community did numerous times throughout its run.
Rick and Morty Season 8 Can Include A Halloween Episode
Seasons 6 And 7 Released Between September And December
While there is no way of knowing when Rick and Morty season 8 will be released, the show can almost certainly afford to include a Halloween episode in this upcoming outing. After all, seasons 6 and 7 of Rick and Morty were both released between September and December, meaning season 8 is likely to follow this same pattern. While viewers continue to wait patiently for Rick and Morty’s movie spinoff, the show can tick off one sitcom tradition that it still has not addressed with a season 8 Halloween episode.
There are endless horror movies and shows that Rick and Morty could spoof in a Halloween episode.
I can’t imagine how a show as obsessed with all things horror as Rick and Morty could turn down this opportunity. There are endless horror movies and shows that Rick and Morty could spoof in a Halloween episode, and I would love to see the show take on the genre in a focused outing. Moreover, I’d like to see how Rick and Morty remixes the Halloween episode formula just as the series has reformulated so many tired sitcom trends over the years. As such, I can’t wait for Rick and Morty to finally air a Halloween special.
Rick and Morty
TV-MA
Animation
Adventure
Comedy
- Cast
- Spencer Grammer , Kari Wahlgren , Chris Parnell , Sarah Chalke , Ian Cardoni , Harry Belden
- Release Date
- December 2, 2013
- Seasons
- 7
- Network
- Cartoon Network
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu , Max