Adult Swim Picks Up Dan Harmon's RICK AND MORTY for Second Season

By: Feb. 12, 2014
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Coming off strong ratings and consistently beating the competition since its premiere in early December, Adult Swim announced today the season two pickup of the original comedy animated series Rick and Morty. The half-hour animated series about a sociopathic scientist who drags his unintelligent grandson on insanely dangerous adventures across the universe currently airs on Adult Swim on Mondays at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT as one of the network's first Primetime original shows.

"I am excited to make as much Rick and Morty as Adult Swim allows, and I'm relieved to be in a time slot of no strategic value to CBS," said co-creator and executive producer Dan Harmon

"I am humbled and super excited by the positive response to the show, and we have no shortage of ideas for future episodes," said co-creator and executive producer Justin Roiland.

The first season to date of Rick and Morty has outperformed direct competition in its time period by double-digits across all targeted demos. Compared to Comedy Central, MTV, Nick at Nite and FX, Rick and Morty at 10:30 p.m. beats its competition across the board-among adults 18-34 between 25% and 113%, among adults 18-24 between 14% and 148%, and among adults 18-49 between 22% and 83%.

Since its premiere, Rick and Morty has continued to increase delivery of targeted adults 18-34. To date, over the course of six new episode premieres, average delivery of all targeted demos has grown by dramatic double and triple digits-adults 18-34 delivery has grown 61%, adults 18-24 by 129%, adults 18-49 by 60%, men 18-34 by 125%, men 18-24 by 216% and men 18-49 by 100%.

After missing for nearly 20 years, Rick Sanchez (Justin Roiland) suddenly arrives at his daughter Beth's (Sarah Chalke) doorstep looking to move in with her and her family. Beth welcomes him with open arms, but her unremarkable husband Jerry (Chris Parnell) isn't too thrilled about the tearful reunion as Rick's arrival serves to shake things up quite a bit around the household. Rick converts the garage into his personal laboratory and gets to work on all sorts of dangerous sci-fi gadgets and contraptions. That wouldn't be so bad if not for the fact that Rick continues to involve his grandchildren Morty (Roiland) and Summer (Spencer Grammer) in his insane adventures.

Created and executive produced by Dan Harmon (Community, Channel 101) and Justin Roiland (House of Cosbys), this half-hour, animated comedy series is produced by Starburns Industries.

Starburns Industries is a groundbreaking animation production studio based in Burbank, CA. Under the creative partnership of Dan Harmon, Dino Stamatopoulos (Moral Orel, Mary Shelley's Frankenhole), Joe Russo II (The Simpsons, Rug Rats), and James A. Fino (King of the Hill), the company produces TV shows, features, commercials and new media projects.

Adult Swim (AdultSwim.com), launched in 2001, is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.'s network offering original and acquired animated and live-action series for young adults. Airing nightly from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. (ET/PT), Adult Swim is basic cable's #1 network with persons 18-34 and 18-49, and is seen in 99 million U.S. homes.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.


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