While arriving on schedule for a change was cause for celebration, Rick And Morty season 5 left fans divided with its overly-conceptual episodes. It’s to the point Co-Creator Justin Roiland himself admitted he wasn’t entirely pleased with the end result, either. But thankfully, Rick And Morty season 6 – which Adult Swim recently confirmed will premiere on September 4th – will apparently mark a spectacular return to form.
“Season 5 was a weird one… We lost Mendel,” explained Justin Roiland, referring to line producer J. Michael Mendel, who passed away unexpectedly in 2019.
“It was tough. We were thrown for a loop. That was… yeah. If I talk anymore, I’ll start crying.”
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Around the time of J. Michael Mendel’s departure, Roiland posted the following on Twitter:
My friend, partner, and line producer Mike Mendel passed away. I am devastated. My heart breaks for his family. I don’t know what I’m going to do without you by my side Mike. I’m destroyed.
“I will say that it’s a bit more canonical. It really rewards fans of the show that have been watching up to this point,” Roiland added of Rick And Morty season 6.
“I think we’re kind of finally back into the rhythm of Rick And Morty, and I think season 6 is… I didn’t particularly think season 5 was bad, but season 6 is fucking amazing. It really is a fucking quality season.”
Justin Roiland has been juggling everything from Rick And Morty’s story to animation to voice acting with the third and now fourth season of Hulu’s Solar Opposites – the man’s other adult cartoon – on top of his comedic first-person shooter game High On Life.
Players take control of an unambitious high school graduate who must answer the hero’s call and defend Earth from an alien cartel hellbent on consuming humanity as its latest drug. High On Life hits shelves on October 25th of 2022 for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
A few weeks prior, we learned Roiland is also taking on another animation-based project for Hulu alongside Aussie talent Michael Cusack dubbed Koala Man.
Set in the Wollongong suburb of Dapto in New South Wales, Koala Man follows a divorced middle-aged dad named Kevin stuck in a mundane job at the council. He snuffs out petty crimes – such as not taking the bins out on proper days – under the “Koala Man” alias. His only superpower? “A burning passion for following rules.”
Kevin/Koala Man will be voiced by Michael Cusack himself with none other than Hugh Jackman bringing the character of Big Greg to life. For context, Greg is Kevin’s direct supervisor as the head of the town council and the most well-liked man in Dapto, which apparently makes Kevin feel inadequate as both a provider and a man.
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Filling out the rest of this cast are Adelaide-born actress Sarah Snook (Succession) and absurdist Sydney-based comedian Demi Lardner (Ditch Witch 800, Aunty Donna), who’ll voice Kevin’s equally frustrated wife and daughter, respectively. Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit (Detective Pikachu) have signed on to serve as showrunners.
Koala Man is slated to hit airways sometime in 2023, while – once again – the Rick And Morty season 6 release date has been locked in for September 4th of 2022. Although currently, it’s unclear how much of a delay the Southern Hemisphere will experience before the brand new episodes appear on Netflix Australia & New Zealand.
Stay tuned for key updates.
