The animated series Rick and Morty follows the eccentric, alcoholic mad scientist Rick Sanchez and his naïve, easily-stressed 14-year-old grandson Morty Smith as they go on many wild adventures through time, space and the multiverse, causing all kinds of havoc as they go. They also spend a lot of time trying to clean up after their own messes—though if things get really bad, they always have clone technology to restore order. Also getting mixed up in these mishaps caused by Rick’s inventions are the rest of the Smith family—Morty’s parents Jerry (Chris Parnell) and Beth (Sarah Chalke), and Morty’s 17-year-old sister Summer (Spencer Grammer).

While each season takes the family on many crazy adventures, there is also usually some overall story arc for the season, often ending in a big cliffhanger. The first three seasons also include special “Interdimensional Cable” episodes which are like clip shows, but featuring a montage of new clips of wacky TV shows from every dimension. Here are some of the highlights of each season:

In the first season (11 episodes, 2013-2014), Rick makes the family dog super-intelligent, Rick & Morty find a way to enter people’s dreams, Rick shrinks Morty to enter a homeless man’s body where he finds a dangerous amusement park, Rick creates a love potion for Morty which goes horribly wrong, Morty has a child with a sex robot, Rick and Jerry get captured by aliens (and later Jerry and Morty also get abducted by different aliens), Rick invents the Meeseeks Box, Rick upgrades the family cable to receive interdimensional TV, Summer gets a job working for the Devil, Rick is on trial, the Smith household is overrun by Rick clones, Jerry and Beth participate in a reenactment of Titanic, and Morty throws a party that gets way out of hand. Some of the first season guest stars include Dana Carvey, John Oliver, David Cross, Claudia Black, Alfred Molina, Maurice LaMarche, Aislinn Paul and Cassie Steele

In season two (10 episodes, 2015), Rick and Morty get stuck in multiple timelines, Rick and Morty try to stop an assassin after dropping Jerry off at Jerry daycare, Rick’s hive mind ex wants him back, the Smith family is implanted with fake memories of one another and don’t know who or what they can trust (this episode introduces Mr. Poopybutthole), Rick and Morty improvise the song “Get Schwifty” to appease some aliens, the Smiths enter a religious cult, Rick and Morty investigate the nested universes inside the flying car’s battery, Rick turns himself into “Tiny Rick” and becomes popular at Morty and Summer’s school, Jerry and Beth attend couples therapy on an alien planet, Rick and Morty find themselves in a Purge-like event on an alien planet, and the family attends a wedding where the guest list includes many of the Federation’s most wanted. Some of the second season guest stars include Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Jemaine Clement, Andy Daly, Christina Hendricks, Patton Oswalt, Keith David, Matt Walsh, Kurtwood Smith, Stephen Colbert, Nathan Fielder, Alan Tudyk, Alex Hirsch, Jim Rash, Matt Besser, Gary Cole, Werner Herzog, Chelsea Kane, James Callis and Tricia Helfer.

In the third season (10 episodes, 2017), Rick is in prison, Jerry and Summer decide to split up, Rick, Morty and Summer are hunted by Death Stalkers on a post-apocalyptic version of Earth, Rick turns himself into “Pickle Rick” but loses the antidote, Rick assists a group of intergalactic superheroes known as the Vindicators, an alien enlists Jerry’s help to kill Rick, Summer attempts to enhance herself with one of Rick’s inventions to catch the attention of a boy but things go wrong, Rick and Morty go to an alien spa where their negative traits become personified into Toxic Rick and Toxic Morty, a secret society of Ricks and Mortys plays out at the Citadel, Morty finds the collection of traumatic memories Rick has removed from his mind, Rick and Beth travel back to the fantasyland he created for her as a child, Jerry dates an alien hunter, and Rick and Morty do a favor for the president. Some of the third season guest stars include Nathan Fillion, Tony Hale, Joel McHale, Susan Sarandon, Danny Trejo, Peter Serafinowicz, Gillian Jacobs, Logic (Bobby Hall), Lance Reddick, Thomas Middleditch and Keith David.

In the fourth season (10 episodes, 2019-20), some of Rick’s storylines involve him trying to find the perfect (or at least non-fascist) clone of himself after accidentally getting killed; going on a quest for vengeance against the person who used his personal toilet; and going to see the children he potentially fathered with a planet (yes, he F’d a planet!). As for Morty, he becomes obsessed with a crystal that tells him how he’s going to die and tries to use the knowledge to end up with Jessica; he gets a pet dragon; and he becomes obsessed with Morty’s re-spawn button, trying to live life to the fullest, not fully understanding the consequences. Rick and Morty also get stuck on a literal continuity train in an anthology episode; they debate over whether a fake vat of acid is a good way to fake their death to get away from mobsters; and get stuck on an alien planet of mind-controlling face-huggers, where Summer becomes their leader. There is also an amazing heist episode with plenty of insane twists, and a flat tire in space leads to Rick and Morty desperately trying to correct the timeline of a species of space snakes (while also enjoying the smooth sounds of snake jazz). Meanwhile, Jerry befriends a talking cat, makes a bad decision with Rick’s alien intern, gets stuck floating in the air, and tries to take the family camping, only to get ignored. And the season culminates with Beth finally confronting Rick as to whether or not she is a clone or his real daughter. Some of the fourth season guest stars include Sherri Shepherd, Sam Neill, Kathleen Turner, Taika Waititi, Jeffrey Wright, Pamela Adlon, Elon Musk, Justin Theroux, Claudia Black, Matthew Broderick, Liam Cunningham, Keegan-Michael Key, Eddie Pepitone, Paul Giamatti, Christopher Meloni, and Susan Sarandon.

My first introduction to Rick and Morty was jumping in for the fourth season when I received that Blu-ray set for review. I have since gone back to watch all four seasons, and just can’t get enough of this excellent series! The writing is so smart, complex and well thought out, but at the same time utilizes cursing and low-brow humor for laughs. (These audio tracks are uncensored and certainly not for younger viewers!) The episodes lend themselves to repeat viewings as there is so much going on, with many layers to the story and humor.

The main characters are so much fun, and the dynamic between the surly genius Rick and his naïve and anxious grandson is so wrong and yet so much fun. It’s like following the dysfunctional adventures of a seemingly-indestructible Time Lord and his young companion. Rick is the kind of guy who is on your side as long as it’s good for him, but he will sell out even his own grandkids at the drop of a hat if it would be benefit him. That said, there does seem to be a slow evolution and growth in Rick over the course of the series. At the same time, Morty is willing and eager to go on these adventures with his grandfather, even though someone usually ends up hurt or dead (the show can get pretty dark at times). This world (or worlds) is also filled with so many fun and unique characters that have become iconic and immensely popular after just a single appearance.

While the dialogue can be pretty hilarious, the writers and animators also prove that they can do so much even without any words. The fourth season features two amazing, nearly 5-minute, silent montages that tell hilarious, over-the-top, complete stories without using any words (though one does have hissing). In “Rattlerstar Ricklactica”, we follow the events that cause the space snake society to devolve into a Terminator 2 wasteland, and in “The Vat of Acid Episode”, Morty gets a love story with an homage to the film Alive. There are also many other great film and pop culture homages throughout the series, including the amazing love letter (or maybe hate mail) to all the ridiculous heist films, and references to Fantastic Voyage, Jurassic Park, Inception, Titanic, The Purge, Alien, Akira, and many more. Over the course of the series, there have also been several catchy original songs.

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds amazing. The picture is pretty immaculate, with rich colors and details. As the seasons progress, the action on screen gets more and more complicated, but presentation always looks fantastic. The audio tracks provide clear dialogue and make excellent use of the stereo and surround channels to put the viewer in the middle of the action, providing an immersive viewing experience. Each season is presented on its own disc, along with its related bonus material. The contents of the discs in this set appear to be identical to the previous stanalone season Blu-ray releases, with some different disc art—each showing a monochrome close-up of a different character’s screaming face. There is a ton of bonus material here that is sure to please new and old fans of the series (though the amount of material seems to drop with each successive season). The four discs are placed on two plastic trays inside a slightly thicker HD keepcase, which is housed in a cardboard slipcover. The case also contains a poster that unfolds to approximately 18″x24″ (see picture below), along with a single digital copy code to redeem for all four seasons via Vudu.

What’s Included:

Episodes: (15:17:38)

Blu-ray:
• All 41 episodes of the first four seasons.
  • Season 1: (4:01:05)
    “Pilot”, “Lawnmower Dog”, “Anatomy Park”, “M. Night Shaym-Aliens!”, “Meeseeks and Destroy”, “Rick Potion #9”, “Raising Gazorpazorp”, “Rixty Minutes”, “Something Ricked This Way Comes”, “Close Rick-Counters of the Rick Kind”, “Ricksy Business
  • Season 2: (3:46:36)
    “A Rickle in Time”, “Mortynight Run”, “Autoerotic Simulation”, “Total Rickfall”, “Get Schwifty”, “The Ricks Must Be Crazy”, “Big Trouble in Little Sanchez”, “Interdimensional Cable 2: Tempting Fate”, “Look Who’s Purging Now”, “The Wedding Squanchers”
  • Season 3: (3:47:03)
    “The Rickshank Rickdemption”, “Rickmancing the Stone”, “Pickle Rick”, “Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender”, “The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy”, “Rest and Ricklaxation”, “The Ricklantis Mixup”, “Morty’s Mind Blowers”, “The ABC’s of Beth”, “The Rickchurian Mortydate”
  • Season 4: (3:42:54)
    “Edge of Tomorty: Rick Die Rickpeat”, “The Old Man and the Seat”, “One Crew over the Crewcoo’s Morty”, “Claw and Hoarder: Special Ricktime’s Morty”, “Rattlerstar Ricklactica”, “Never Ricking Morty”, “Promotyus”, “The Vat of Acid Episode”, “Childrick of Mort”, “Star Morty Rickturn of the Jerri”
• 1080p / Widescreen 1.78:1
• Audio: English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD
• Subtitles: English SDH​

Digital: (Expires 3/31/2022)

• Digital HD copy of the episodes and some of the bonus material redeemable via Vudu. (Single code for all 4 seasons)

Poster:

• Includes poster that unfolds to approximately 18″x24″
  

Extras:

• Season 1:
  • Commentaries
    Episode commentaries on all episodes, plus three guest commentaries.
    • Pilot (22:01) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland and Ryan Elder
    • Lawnmower Dog (21:58) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland and Ryan Ridley
    • Anatomy Park (21:55) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Eric Acosta and Wade Randolph
    • M. Night Shaym-Aliens! (21:05) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley and Tom Kauffman
    • Meeseeks and Destroy (21:09) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley and Bryan Newton
    • Rick Potion #9 (21:28) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley and Stephen Sandoval
    • Rick Potion #9 (21:28) – The Simpsons‘ Matt Groening, Al Jean, J. Stewart Burns, Max Pross, Matt Selman, Jon Kern and Tom Gammill
    • Raising Gazorpazorp (22:01) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland and Ryan Ridley
    • Rixty Minutes (22:15) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland and Bryan Newton
    • Rixty Minutes (22:15) – The Walking Dead‘s Robert Kirkman and Scott M. Gimple
    • Something Ricked This Way Comes (22:20) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Elder and Pete Michels
    • Close Rick-Counters of the Rick Kind (22:27) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley and Stephen Sandoval
    • Close Rick-Counters of the Rick Kind (22:27) – Adventure Time‘s Pendleton Ward and Kent Osborne
    • Ricksy Business (22:21) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley and Pete Michels
  • Deleted Scenes (7:06)
    Collection of 10 deleted scenes in rough storyboard format.
    • Pilot (1:36) – 1 deleted scene
    • Anatomy Park (:23) – 1 deleted scene
    • M. Night Shaym-Aliens! (:31) – 1 deleted scene
    • Meeseeks and Destroy (1:52) – 2 deleted scenes
    • Rick Potion #9 (1:10) – 1 deleted scene
    • Rixty Minutes (2:12) – 3 deleted scenes
    • Ricksy Business (:22) – 1 deleted scene
  • Behind the Scenes (19:08)
    The cast and filmmakers talk about the series and give a glimpse at what it takes to make the show. It is pretty sophomoric and annoying at times, including a bathroom tour, and incredibly obnoxious joke interviews by host Vatche Panos. Includes some behind-the-scenes footage, and some decent real interviews mixed in. Participants include co-creator Dan Harmon, co-creator/voice of Rick and Morty Justin Roiland, supervising director Pete Michels, color supervisor Jason Boesch, director Bryan Newton, staff writer Tom Kauffman, writer/producer Ryan Ridley, storyboard artist Dan O’Connor, director Stephen Sandoval, art director James McDermott, fake character designer Chip Chompers & background artist Pizza McLizza, editor Lee Harting, and background design lead Andrew DeLange,
  • Animatics
    Full-length animatic versions of all episodes.
    • Pilot (21:44)
    • Lawnmower Dog (21:20)
    • Anatomy Park (21:12)
    • M. Night Shaym-Aliens! (21:00)
    • Meeseeks and Destroy (20:29)
    • Rick Potion #9 (20:51)
    • Raising Gazorpazorp (21:06)
    • Rixty Minutes (21:26)
    • Something Ricked This Way Comes (22:21)
    • Close Rick-Counters of the Rick Kind (21:52)
    • Ricksy Business (22:05)
• Season 2:
  • Commentaries
    Episode commentaries on all episodes, plus three guest commentaries.
    • A Rickle in Time (22:51) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley and Wes Archer
    • Mortynight Run (22:46) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley
    • Mortynight Run (22:46) – Valve Writers Erik Wolpaw, Jay Pinkerton, Cabe Newell
    • Autoerotic Simulation (22:58) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley and Dan Guterman
    • Total Rickfall (21:56) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley and Mike McMahan
    • Total Rickfall (21:56) – WWE Superstar Sheamus and Abed Cheith
    • Get Schwifty (23:02) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley and Tom Kauffman
    • The Ricks Must Be Crazy (22:23) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley and Dan Guterman
    • The Ricks Must Be Crazy (22:23) – Radio personalities Sal Governale and Richard Christy
    • Big Trouble in Little Sanchez (22:56) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley and Bryan Newton
    • Interdimensional Cable 2: Tempting Fate (22:32) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley and Juan Meza-Leon
    • Look Who’s Purging Now (22:05) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley and Dominic Polcino
    • The Wedding Squanchers (23:02) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley and Tom Kauffman
  • Deleted Animatic Sketches (2:11)
    Sketches include “Butthole Ice Cream”, “Stealy Alt Ending”, and “Lil Bits Alt Ending”.
  • Rick and Morty Season Two Premiere Party Featuring Chaos Chaos (43:13)
    Concert footage of Chaos Chaos playing live for the cast and crew at the Rick & Morty Season II Premiere Party at CineSpace in Los Angeles, CA.
  • Animatics
    Full-length animatic versions of all episodes.
    • A Rickle in Time (Attempt 1) (19:13)
    • A Rickle in Time (Attempt 2) (22:03)
    • Mortynight Run (21:48)
    • Autoerotic Simulation (22:21)
    • Total Rickfall (21:30)
    • Get Schwifty (21:31)
    • The Ricks Must Be Crazy (21:59)
    • Big Trouble in Little Sanchez (22:14)
    • Interdimensional Cable 2: Tempting Fate (22:01)
    • Look Who’s Purging Now (22:52)
    • The Wedding Squanchers (22:22)
• Season 3:
  • Animatics
    Full-length animatic versions of all episodes.
    • The Rickshank Rickdemption (22:58)
    • Rickmancing the Stone (22:39)
    • Pickle Rick (22:57)
    • Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender (23:05)
    • The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy (23:06)
    • Rest and Ricklaxation (22:52)
    • The Ricklantis Mixup (22:41)
    • Morty’s Mind Blowers (22:19)
    • The ABC’s of Beth (21:57)
    • The Rickchurian Mortydate (22:14)
  • Inside the Recording Booth (6:14)
    A peek into the recording booth with some of the cast and crew. Participants include co-creator Justin Roiland, writer’s assistant James Siciliano, Chris Parnell (voice of Jerry), co-producer Sydney Ryan, and Spencer Grammer (voice of Summer).
  • Rick and Morty Origins Part 1 (4:55)
    Co-creator Justin Roiland and his friends Sevan Najarian & Abed Gheith talk about how they first met and their early work together. Co-creator Dan Harmon and friend Rob Schrab do the same. Then they all, along with friend Myke Chilian, discuss how they all met and started collaborating thanks to Channel 101. Includes footage from some of these early projects.
  • Rick and Morty Origins Part 2 (4:38)
    Co-creator Justin Roiland talks about how in 2006 his Channel 101 project “The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti” was what inspired the voices for the series. Co-creator Dan Harmon and Adult Swim Creative Director Mike Lazzo talk about the initial concern over Morty’s voice that almost led to a recast. Also includes behind-the-scenes footage.
  • Inside the Episode (22:42)
    Co-creators Justin Roiland & Dan Harmon, and writers Ryan Ridley & Mike McMahan discuss the themes, stories and characters of each episode. Select from:
    • The Rickshank Rickdemption (2:37)
    • Rickmancing the Stone (2:33)
    • Pickle Rick (2:39)
    • Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender (2:04)
    • The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy (2:14)
    • Rest and Ricklaxation (1:59)
    • The Ricklantis Mixup (2:09)
    • Morty’s Mind Blowers (1:48)
    • The ABC’s of Beth (1:57)
    • The Rickchurian Mortydate (2:42)
  • Commentaries
    Episode commentaries on all episodes, plus guest commentaries.
    • The Rickshank Rickdemption (23:22) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Mike McMahan, Juan Meza-Leon, and John Mayer
    • The Rickshank Rickdemption (23:22) – Musicians Courtney Love and Marilyn Manson
    • Rickmancing the Stone (22:37) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Jordan Brock, Lance Wehrly
    • Pickle Rick (23:25) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Jessica Gao, Anthony Chun
    • Pickle Rick (23:25) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Russell Brand
    • Pickle Rick (23:25) – Game of Thrones‘ David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Peter Dinklage
    • Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender (23:05) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Sarah Carbiener, Erica Rosbe, Mike McMahan
    • The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy (22:26) – Dan Harmon, Chris Parnell, Erica Hayes
    • Rest and Ricklaxation (22:29) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Tom Kauffman, Karl Wahlgren
    • The Ricklantis Mixup (22:14) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Dominic Polcino, Mike McMahan
    • Morty’s Mind Blowers (22:05) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, James Siciliano, Bryan Newton
    • The ABC’s of Beth (22:18) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Mike McMahan
    • The Rickchurian Mortydate (22:47) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Wes Archer, Jeffrey Thompson