Rick and Morty Returns With a Bee Plot for Jerry — and a Shorter Wait for Fans

Andy Swift
·5 min read

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Rick and Morty fans may not agree on everything, but there’s one constant that has always united them: the dreaded wait between seasons. (Fifteen months passed between the first two, then 21 months until the third, then 25 [!] more months until the fourth.)

Now for the good news: Not only is Rick and Morty finally returning for the second half of its fourth season on Sunday (Cartoon Network, 11:30/10:30c), but as Chris Parnell (aka Jerry) explains, fans won’t have to keep losing years of their lives waiting for more — and it’s all thanks to the massive 70-episode renewal that co-creators Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon negotiated with Adult Swim back in 2018.

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“[Dan and Justin] wanted some job security, and they wanted to know that the show was going to be around for a while so that they and the writers could get into some sort of momentum,” Parnell tells TVLine. “We’ll see less lengthy breaks between seasons going forward because of that. And it’s very gratifying to know we’re going to have all those episodes. Hopefully Jerry will be around for the duration. You never know.”

Below, Parnell takes TVLine inside Jerry — the father, the husband, the person — and gives us a taste of what we can expect in the second half of Season 4. (Spoiler alert: It tastes like honey.)

TVLINE | I love Jerry, but no one in the family has any respect for him. Does that need to change?
Oh, no. It’s so much more fun to play losers than winners. There’s so much more potential there for comedy. I’ve been lucky enough to be on board for quite a few years now with Jerry. I like to imagine that a lot of people have a soft spot for him because, in the world of Rick and Morty, he’s the most pathetic. He’s the most put-upon and pushed around. He rails against that sometimes, but he manages to make it work for him in his way. He doesn’t usually have a lot of demands. It’s an awesome character to play.

TVLINE | What sorts of shenanigans will he be getting into in these episodes?
The only thing I really remember is that he takes up beekeeping. That’s the thing that I remember. Beyond that, I couldn’t really tell you. Watching the trailer, I was reminded of the face-hugger episode. Honestly, after I record the show, I kind of forget it. Then I watch it a year or so later, and I think, “Oh yeah, I kind of remember that!” It’s fun, because I don’t have any expectations or memory of what I did. Hopefully I’ll be pleasantly surprised — or at least pleased with my performance.

TVLINE | The finale is titled “Star Mort: Rickturn of the Jerri.” That’s got to be a pretty Jerry-focused episode, no?
[Laughs] I would guess so. It sure sounds like it.

TVLINE | We know this show loves a good sci-fi reference. Are you into sci-fi?
Yes, I’ve always loved sci-fi. One of my favorite movies is Dune, the David Lynch Dune. I’m excited for the new Dune, too. And I’m on the fourth book of Dan Simmons’ Hyperion series right now. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it. It’s mind-blowing, futuristic sci-fi writing. So, yeah, I love sci-fi. And that’s why people love Rick and Morty — they’ve set up the show so brilliantly where anything is possible. Rick, for example, can become a pickle.

TVLINE | I wore a button down shirt with little Pickle Ricks on it to my brother’s wedding rehearsal dinner. That went over well.
[Laughs] I’m sure it did.

TVLINE | Speaking of marriage, how are Beth and Jerry really doing?
I think they’re in an OK state right now. I don’t think Beth has a lot of respect for him, but she appreciates enough about him for it to work. I’m happy that they’re back together. I like that in a show as dark as Rick and Morty, we can have these moments of sweetness where people actually get along with each other. It’s a complicated relationship. It’s amazing that the daughter of the smartest man in the universe is married to one of the least-impressive men in the universe. I’m not sure how that happened, but there’s got to be something there.

Hit PLAY on the trailer below for a first look at the second half of Rick and Morty’s fourth season, then drop a comment with your thoughts.

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