15 TV Shows To Watch If You Like Rick And Morty

It started as “Doc and Mharti,” an obscene parody of “Back to the Future” in which every story problem is solved by sexual favors. With a few tweaks, including renaming the characters and sending them into space, it evolved into one of Adult Swim’s flagship shows.

“Rick and Morty” is more than science fiction mixed with absurd humor and crude jokes. It’s legitimately a really good science fiction show, with possibly the best mapped-out multiverse in current fiction. Its main character, Rick Sanchez, is a reckless and brilliant scientist whose destructive behavior adds dark humor to the series’ ambitious storytelling. It’s also a show that has demonstrated great insight into psychology and the art of storytelling. Heck, both Marvel and “Star Trek” snapped up some of its writers when they touched on similar content: Jeff Loveness for “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and Mike McMahan for “Lower Decks.”

Unfortunately, the series also faced controversy when co-creator and voice actor Justin Roiland stepped away following allegations of domestic abuse and assault. The show quickly replaced him, but the same cannot always be said for some similar programs. Proceed with appropriate caution and conscience, as we look at 15 shows to watch if you enjoy “Rick and Morty.”

Though the design of space and multiverse traveler Rick Sanchez is loosely based on Doc Brown from “Back to the Future,” his character archetype is more like the Doctor from “Doctor Who.” A Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey, the Doctor travels wherever he likes in time and space, usually with a human companion who gets thrust into life-threatening danger as a result.

The Doctor, however, is typically motivated by helping others. When he gets in trouble, it’s usually either because of a misunderstanding or due to his resistance to evil forces. Rick, on the other hand, is a narcissist whose adventures are usually motivated by self-gratification. So when he endangers his grandson Morty, it’s most often a side-effect of his selfishness. Like the Doctor’s companions, however, Morty still considers the adventures worthwhile (usually), and deep down Rick does care about him.

If you’re tired of just how much of a jerk Rick can be, “Doctor Who” delivers similar sci-fi stories with a nicer character in charge. However, he can sometimes be a cranky older man not entirely unlike Rick, when played by the likes of William Hartnell or Peter Capaldi.

Before “Doc and Mharti,” the original Doc and Marty were animated in a series that franchise co-creator Bob Gale says takes place in an alternate timeline from the films. Set after the events of the film trilogy, it depicts Doc Brown and his wife Clara having settled in present-time Hill Valley, but their two kids, Jules and Verne, often get into mischief involving the time machine. Marty is always around to help, though they are often impeded by multiple ancestors or variants of bully Biff Tannen. If you want something similar to “Rick and Morty” but more appropriate for younger audiences, it’s not too far off.

Each episode also arguably had its own nod to the multiverse, in that Dan Castellaneta voiced Doc in the animated sequences, but Christopher Lloyd would play him in live-action bookends. These sequences also gave him a new lab assistant by the name of Bill Nye, making “Bill Nye the Science Guy” feel like an unofficial “Back to the Future” spinoff.

Arguably, there wouldn’t be a “Rick and Morty” if not for “Space Ghost Coast to Coast.” As Cartoon Network’s first original show, it skewed towards older audiences and led to a block of new programming that later became Adult Swim.

Like a lot of ’90s hip-hop, “Space Ghost Coast to Coast” took pre-existing elements from the 1966 Hanna-Barbera “Space Ghost” sci-fi superhero show, and recontextualized them to turn the spacefaring hero into an arrogant and clueless talk show host. When not asking idiotic questions of celebrity guests, he might vindictively use his powers on bandleader Zorak and producer Moltar, both former arch-enemies from the original show. 

Compared to the genius-level IQ that Rick Sanchez has, this iteration of Space Ghost is a complete fool, but his power and self-absorption are similar. Much of the appeal in both cases comes from watching an unrestrained eccentric irritating everyone around him — usually alien creatures — without consequences.

Just as “Rick and Morty” draws inspiration from “Back to the Future,” “The Venture Bros.” riffs on “Jonny Quest.” Protagonist Rusty Venture is like a grown-up version of Jonny, the hero of a 1964 Hanna-Barbera adventure cartoon. Now he has teenage sons of his own and a bodyguard, Brock Samson, who is far more homicidal than the similar “Jonny Quest” character Race Bannon.

Unlike “Rick and Morty,” “The Venture Bros.” is a tough show to just jump into on any given episode, as its storylines build over time. On the other hand, it is similarly about intergenerational trauma, personal failure, and multiple variants (teens Hank and Dean repeatedly die and get re-cloned). The series can also get quite dark, such as when it explores reformed villain Sergeant Hatred’s disturbing past.

“The Venture Bros.” is the kind of show that can reveal that the actual David Bowie is its secret supervillain, only to later retcon him as a Bowie shapeshifter seasons later. That absurdity side-by-side with the adult content is the sort of humor a “Rick and Morty” fan should enjoy.

There are two TV shows titled “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures,” but this refers to the animated version, which came first and featured the voices of Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, and George Carlin during its first season. The second season switched from CBS and Hanna-Barbera to Fox and DIC, with new actors who could play the characters in live-action too, which just felt wrong.

Though creators Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon swear it was unintentional, the Bill and Ted concept always felt like a version of “Doctor Who” if his companions were two dazed Valley boys. Future-era genius Rufus (Carlin) uses a time-traveling phone both to help secure Bill and Ted’s futures as a world-saving rock band, much as the Doctor used a police call box to frequently save history. In real life, Carlin was more of a foul-mouthed, cynical truth-teller like Rick, but as Rufus he played a kinder, PG-friendly mentor.

In the cartoon, Bill and Ted use the time machine a bit more selfishly, usually to solve problems they themselves have accidentally caused. Sometimes, though, they just need it to get better grades and secure a better future.

The signature setpiece of the multiverse in “Rick and Morty” is the Council of Ricks, where every living alternate-timeline version of Rick gathers and argues. The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s best equivalent was found in the Void, where the original Loki (Tom Hiddleston) meets many of his counterparts, pruned from timelines that no longer exist. Notable among them: Alligator Loki and original comic-accurate costume Loki (Richard E. Grant).

Rather than enjoy the multiverse as Rick does, Loki is forcibly recruited by the Time Variance Authority to preserve the Sacred Timeline and eliminate the rest, so the whole thing doesn’t get out of hand. Inevitably, it does when Loki’s female variant, Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), kills He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors), the mysterious guardian of the timelines. As the timelines multiply, Loki eventually fulfills his purpose as a god, holding them all in his hands at the End of Time indefinitely.

Rick would likely relish that kind of power, and it’s probably better for Morty and everyone else that he doesn’t have it.

The four main kids of “South Park” — Kyle, Stan, Cartman, and Kenny — have had their share of profanity-littered, absurd adventures in outer space, through time, and encountering various monsters. Their moods and reactions run the gamut from Kyle’s Morty-like worry to Cartman’s Rick-ish sociopathy. Both shows love to have their characters gleefully mock sacred cows and societal norms.

Cartman, much like Rick, is one of those protagonists mistakenly idolized by all too many fans who don’t get that he’s meant to be a horrendously bad example to emulate. They’re both so entertaining as fictional characters that fans can overlook their toxic traits while buying merchandise sporting familiar catchphrases. If you ever meet anyone like them in real life, though, run hard in the other direction. Assuming they aren’t already planning your demise, both of them have the uncanny ability to talk other people into doing really stupidly dangerous things.

Initially, “American Dad!” looked a lot like Seth MacFarlane was just cloning his own “Family Guy” formula. Eventually, however, the series revealed a much weirder and darker tone. Patriarch Stan Smith (MacFarlane), who combines the cluelessness of Morty’s father Jerry with the reckless behavior of Rick, is a CIA agent with access to classified government locations and technology. Housemate Roger, an alien from Area 51 whose demeanor resembled Paul Lynde’s Uncle Arthur on “Bewitched,” routinely did terrible things, including murder and sexual assault. To keep the sci-fi vibe going, Patrick Stewart voiced Avery, the Deputy Director of the CIA.

Stan frequently argued with his daughter Hayley (Rachael MacFarlane) about politics and mocked her passive husband, a dynamic somewhat similar to that between Rick, his daughter Beth, and her husband Jerry. The major difference in familial interactions is the presence of Roger — Rick isn’t above being friends with psychotic aliens, but he’d quickly tire of them living in his house.

If someone is going to be an arrogant, alcoholic narcissist who casually trashes people and property, it helps to have a genius-level IQ and unlimited outer space resources like Rick. Without those advantages, such behavior might look more like BoJack Horseman. A washed-up former sitcom star who sabotages everyone around him, including himself, while attempting a comeback, BoJack is also a large humanoid horse, but in his world, that’s normal. Anthropomorphic animals and humans coexist in and around the entertainment industry centered in “Hollywoo.”

“Rick and Morty” periodically alludes to Rick being in great emotional pain, particularly with the revelation that his gleeful catchphrase “Wubba lubba dub dub!” is secretly a cry for help. “BoJack Horseman” does not merely hint at emotional pain; it practically wallows in it. Thanks to Will Arnett’s great vocal range, BoJack’s struggles are even relatable at times. Relatable until he does something nasty or stupid again, that is, hurting mainly his own life in the process.

Like Rick, “The Sandman” protagonist Morpheus/Dream (Tom Sturridge) is an arrogant jerk because he can be — he is an eternal being, the king of dreams, who is just that smart and nigh-invincible. At the beginning of the Netflix series, however, he is captured by a human occultist and imprisoned for more than a generation. Above and beyond anything else, that bruises his ego, and it shows.

Dream also depends emotionally on a younger, more upbeat relative to help keep him balanced, a role usually filled by either the childlike Delirium (Esmé Creed-Miles) or the warmly consoling Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste). In the end, ironically, it’s a combination of both arrogance and compassion that proves Dream’s undoing. He is destroyed for the existential crime of euthanising his son Orpheus, whom Death had previously made immortal by request.

Alas, like “Rick and Morty,” “The Sandman” has had its own controversy, with creator Neil Gaiman facing multiple accusations of heinous behavior and abuse. With Netflix’s limited residual model and the series now concluded, additional viewership may have little financial impact for him. Ultimately, whether to watch the series is a decision viewers must make for themselves.

“Solar Opposites” is possibly as close as a show can get to being a “Rick and Morty” spinoff without actually being one. Created by former head writer Mike McMahan and Justin Roiland, it features those same ball-of-caviar-shaped eye pupils and similar voice acting. Roiland again was one of the main actors until his abuse scandal, and has since been replaced by Dan Stevens in the lead role of Korvo.

The Opposites are a family of aliens stuck on Earth and living in the suburbs, not always sure if they like or hate their new situation. The premise resembles the classic sitcom “3rd Rock From the Sun,” but the animated format allows it to go much further. For one thing, the aliens actually look like aliens. Meanwhile, entire side plots involve miniaturized humans creating a tiny community in their wall, and the separate exploits of a neighbor who goes to outer space to join an intergalactic police force.

Because it’s made for Hulu, the characters also swear up a storm. As a family, though, the Opposites are overall much kinder to each other than Rick’s and Morty’s immediate Smith-Sanchez clan.

Mike McMahan also brought his sensibility to “Star Trek,” with a winning animated series pitch about the folks who do the basic grunt work aboard Federation starships. Its characters are arguably halfway between Rick and Morty on the personality scale — most have the confidence of Rick, and even some of the intelligence, but they’re as naive and scared as Morty when truly put to the test.

With its serious messages and (usually)intellectual approach, “Star Trek” didn’t necessarily seem like a franchise built for comedy, but “Lower Decks” found it. Typically, shows in the franchise spotlight the crew of the best ship in the fleet, which implies that somewhere out there has to be a worst in the fleet as well. That’s logic even a Vulcan should find impeccable. In this case, it is the U.S.S. Cerritos, a second-contact ship tasked with assuring newly discovered worlds that the Federation has not forgotten them after the initial encounter. It should be an easy gig, but the wrong Ensign can still royally screw things up.

Full of deep cuts from all of “Star Trek” lore, “Lower Decks” strikes a delicate balance of having fun with the universe while never contradicting what has boldly gone before. It’s a minor miracle, and one of the very best “Trek” shows.

Pizza delivery boy Philip J. Fry (Billy West) accidentally falls into a cryo chamber and wakes up a thousand years later in a sci-fi future full of aliens, mutants, a preserved Richard Nixon, and a drunk robot named Bender (John DiMaggio) as his new best friend. In a reversal of the Rick-Morty dynamic, awkward teen Fry goes to work for Professor Farnsworth (also West), his distant descendant, who is now an elderly and brilliant, if senile, scientist.

Matt Groening’s style of cartoon humor is broader than that of “Rick and Morty” co-creator Dan Harmon, but both it and “Futurama” get at an indisputable truth. Even if humanity reaches the sci-fi future we dream of, we’ll still be lazy, selfish, flawed, and just as easily manipulated as in the present day. People who want to be actively destructive will be empowered, but every once in a while, love and family bonds still prevail.

An intelligent kid goes on wild adventures with an irresponsible older man wielding a portal device — what could possibly go wrong? Predating “Rick and Morty” by a few decades, that was the premise of the 1982 series “Voyagers!”

Jon-Erik Hexum played Phineas Bogg (a play on Jules Verne’s Phileas Fogg), a time traveler tasked with correcting errant timelines. However, as a handsome womanizer, he paid more attention to the ladies than his history lessons. When an accident leads to him saving the life of young Jeffrey Jones (Meeno Peluce), the two end up traveling through time together, with Jeffrey’s encyclopedic knowledge helping Bogg figure out what to do. From helping the Wright brothers to fly to ending the Salem witch trials, they ensured history would happen the way Jeffrey remembered it, and not fall victim to the weird alternate events they sometimes found themselves in.

Hexum sadly passed away not long after the show’s first season ended. In a tragic incident on another TV set, he jokingly played Russian roulette with a prop gun. When the gun discharged a blank at close range, Hexum suffered a fatal skull fracture.

Rick and Morty each have their unusual romantic histories. Morty once impregnated a robot designed for intimacy, while Rick had a relationship with an entire planet. While those moments are mostly played for laughs, “Aeon Flux” pushed boundaries by incorporating more overtly adult themes into sci-fi animation on television.

Set in a future world with apocalyptic vibes, “Aeon Flux” depicted an ongoing conflict between the nations of Bregna and Monica. The former was ruled fascistically by the androgynous Trevor Goodchild, while bondage gear-wearing Aeon was a spy and saboteur from the more libertine Monica. Though technically arch-enemies, the two share an intense and complicated attraction.

In the original series of shorts, creator Peter Chung had Aeon die at the end. When a second season was requested, he had her die in nearly every episode without explanation. Frustrated by working on “Rugrats,” he ignored conventional restrictions like narrative logic in the subsequent, longer episodes. At one point, Aeon dies and is replaced with a clone.

If that sounds like something that might happen to Rick or Morty, the final episode gets even closer. Aeon inadvertently hibernates for centuries, then emerges to commit near-genocide on an alien race, only to be told by Trevor that they were the future evolution of humanity. Realizing they may truly deserve each other now that they both stand revealed as villains, Aeon joins Trevor in the hibernation pod to sleep indefinitely. Rick probably would have handled the situation differently and just gotten drunk instead.