Even though fans love Rick and Morty, many creators have tried to make similar shows since it first aired. While a few animated comedies are even better, Rick and Morty remains one of the funniest shows on TV with its chaotic and unpredictable humor.
As a sci-fi fan, I genuinely think the best episodes of Rick and Morty are some of the smartest parodies I’ve ever seen. What really gets me, though, is how funny the characters are – often just as strong as the show’s brilliant takedowns of typical TV clichés. Honestly, I can’t picture any other show filling the void if Rick and Morty ever ended – it’s such a unique mix of heartfelt character moments and completely ridiculous humor.
What makes Rick and Morty so good is its knack for switching between silly, over-the-top humor and surprisingly deep, emotional moments. One minute, characters might jokingly acknowledge they’re in a TV show, and the next, they’ll be genuinely upset – and this cleverness actually heightens the impact of those sadder scenes.
Farzar
Farzar. Dana Snyder as Billy, Dana Snyder as Fichael, Carlos Alazraqui as Zobo, Jerry Minor as Scootie and Kari Wahlgren as Mal and Val. Cr. Courtesy of NETFLIX © 2022
It’s rare for a show to shift so seamlessly between comedy and darker themes, a skill many shows trying to copy Rick and Morty haven’t quite mastered. Since Rick and Morty first aired in 2013, numerous shows have attempted to capture its unique blend of humor and depth.
One of the most criticized shows in recent years was Farzar, a 2022 Netflix series created by Waco O’Guin and Roger Black – the team behind Brickleberry and Paradise PD. Farzar was a deliberately crude and humorous take on space operas, and the show’s name came from the distant planet where the story takes place.
The animated series Farzar followed Prince Fichael, a space warrior ordered by a cruel czar to defend his city from an alien determined to take over the kingdom. He was helped by a ragtag group of unlikely allies, but despite this, the show didn’t generate much excitement or humor and was canceled after only one season.
Solar Opposites
Among the shows created as follow-ups to Rick and Morty, Solar Opposites on Hulu stood out due to its strong creative team. It was co-created by Justin Roiland, one of the original creators of Rick and Morty, and he also voiced the main character, a very particular alien named Korvo.
After accusations of domestic abuse surfaced, Dan Stevens took over Roiland’s role starting in season 4. However, Solar Opposites remained critically acclaimed even after his departure. The show centers around an alien family—Korvo, Terry, Yumyulack, and Jesse—who crash-land on Earth and try to adjust to life among humans and their unusual customs.
For six seasons, Solar Opposites was a funny, over-the-top show that often felt like a more lighthearted version of Rick and Morty. While it didn’t always have high-stakes drama, the ongoing storylines about Silvercops and The Wall gave the show some real emotional weight. Though it’s been canceled, Solar Opposites stands out as a genuinely good follow-up to Rick and Morty.
Haunted Hotel
Similar to Solar Opposites, Netflix’s Haunted Hotel shares a creative connection with Rick and Morty. The show was created by Matt Roller, a former writer on Rick and Morty, and centers around Eliza Coupe’s character Katherine, who is the busy owner and manager of a haunted hotel.
Katherine manages the haunted Undervale Hotel with a rather unusual team: her late brother’s ghost, her clumsy teenage son, her unsettling niece, and a friendly demon named Abaddon. She’s trying to keep the hotel’s ghostly residents in check and attract enough guests to avoid shutting down. While the story is enjoyable, it follows a fairly common formula.
Some viewers might find similarities between this show and CBS’s Ghosts, which is currently in its fifth season, and that’s understandable. Because the show shares a similar idea with that sitcom, and its humor often feels like Rick and Morty, many critics found it lacked originality, even though it had a few funny moments and some smart storylines.
Final Space
When Final Space was first announced, it seemed like a show trying to combine the popularity of Rick and Morty with the basic idea behind Futurama. The story centers on a kind but not very bright astronaut and his alien companion, who team up with a quirky crew to save the universe.
The animated series Final Space boasted a talented cast including David Tennant, Steven Yeun, Ron Funches, and Keith David. While the show aimed for humor, some critics found it too frivolous and lacking depth. Surprisingly, this criticism lessened as the series progressed.
Despite a slow start, Final Space built a dedicated following as its story became increasingly heartfelt. Similar to Adventure Time, the show began as a comedy but evolved into something more complex and meaningful. Many critics now consider its final season a standout achievement for a series that never quite received the recognition it deserved.
Krapopolis
Similar to shows like Solar Opposites and Haunted Hotel, Krapopolis also has ties to Rick and Morty. This new Fox series, created by Rick and Morty‘s co-creator Dan Harmon, follows a family of gods, mythical creatures, and humans as they try to build a civilization, all while playfully poking fun at Ancient Greece.
Richard Ayoade is reliably funny as Tyrannis, and the show benefits from a talented supporting cast featuring Matt Berry, Hannah Waddingham, and James Adomian, making it worth checking out. However, unlike many similar shows, Krapopolis airs on traditional network television, which unfortunately means it’s subject to certain restrictions.
I’ve been following Krapopolis, and honestly, it hasn’t quite reached the same level of bold, adult humor as shows like Rick and Morty. Other animated comedies, like Solar Opposites on Hulu and Haunted Hotel on Netflix, have been able to push those boundaries, but Krapopolis hasn’t quite gotten there. Still, if you’re a fan of Dan Harmon’s previous work, like Community, it’s definitely worth checking out – it’s a good show, even if it’s not as edgy.
The Midnight Gospel
Although Adventure Time came out a few years before Rick and Morty, the two shows are actually quite different, with Adventure Time being more suitable for families. However, The Midnight Gospel, created by Adventure Time‘s Pendleton Ward, feels much more like Rick and Morty in its creative style – and that can be both a good and a bad thing.
This show centers around a podcaster living on a strange, ribbon-shaped planet. They interview characters from different fictional worlds, but these guests are constantly appearing and disappearing. It’s a deliberately confusing premise, and the eight-episode series doesn’t bother to offer much explanation, embracing its bizarre nature.
I’ve been totally hooked on The Midnight Gospel. Basically, the show follows this spacecaster who has really deep, philosophical conversations with different guests about life and everything else, all while dodging crazy, world-ending scenarios. It’s a blast to watch, but honestly, I don’t think a show this wonderfully weird would have ever gotten made if Rick and Morty hadn’t proven audiences were open to that kind of thing.
Inside Job
Despite running for more seasons, Solar Opposites hasn’t quite filled the void left by Rick and Morty as well as Netflix’s Inside Job. Created by Shion Takeuchi, who worked on Gravity Falls, the show’s single season centers on an engineer and her brilliant but quirky father as they manage Cognito, Inc., a top-secret government agency dedicated to concealing conspiracies.
As a huge animation fan, let me tell you, Inside Job took everything you’ve ever heard about conspiracy theories and just…ran with it. Seriously, pretty much all of them were true in this show! That meant our main character, Reagan Ridley, had a crazy job – she was constantly wrangling the Illuminati, lizard people, robots, even a dolphin-man, and a whole bunch of assassins, all to try and keep her workplace, Cognito, Inc., from completely falling apart. It was wild!
Similar to how Rick and Morty spent a significant amount of time developing Morty’s character, Inside Job skillfully combined its wild, sci-fi plots with an exploration of the main character’s difficult relationship with her eccentric father. Despite being canceled after just one season, this overlooked Netflix series is arguably the closest any show has come to matching the distinctive charm of Rick and Morty.
Read More
- How Will Smith Reached Out To Wanda Sykes After He ‘Overshadowed’ Her Oscars Hosting Gig By Slapping Chris Rock
- Screamboat 2 Confirmed: Minnie Mouse Joins Mickey Mouse Slasher Sequel
- Pedro Pascal Set to Steer Avengers as Reed Richards in Shocking Marvel Shift!
- One Reason The Cancellation Of Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show Is ‘Incredibly Sad,’ According To John Oliver
- Summer I Turned Pretty: Susannah’s Funeral Gains a Whole New Meaning In Season 3
- Ricky and Morty Star Harry Belden Thinks Season 9 Will Be Higher Quality Than Seasons 7 & 8
- Disney+ Erases 2 Thunderbolts Characters From History
- Taylor Swift Jetsetted From Selena Gomez’s Wedding And Left In Time To Sneak Into The Chiefs Game
- Now You See Me 3 Is Almost Here, But I’m Still Amazed The First Movie Exposed Its Big Twist So Early
- Marvel Rumor Claims Big Things Are Coming For Florence Pugh’s Yelena (And I Hope It’s True)
2025-11-10 21:51