'Rick and Morty' Is Back Sooner Than Expected With Wild First Season 9 Images

2 weeks ago 11

A worried Rick holding an angry Morty down in Rick and Morty Season 9

Published Mar 11, 2026, 10:00 AM EDT

Ryan O'Rourke is a Senior News Writer at Collider with a specific interest in all things adult animation, video game adaptations, and the work of Mike Flanagan. He is also an experienced baseball writer with over six years of articles between multiple outlets, most notably FanSided's CubbiesCrib. Whether it's taking in a baseball game, a new season of Futurama or Castlevania: Nocturne, or playing the latest From Software title, he is always finding ways to show his fandom. When it comes to gaming and anything that takes inspiration from it, he is deeply opinionated on what's going on. Outside of entertainment, he's a graduate of Eureka College with a Bachelor's in Communication where he honed his craft as a writer. Between The IV Leader at Illinois Valley Community College and The Pegasus at Eureka, he spent the majority of his college career publishing articles on everything from politics to campus happenings and, of course, entertainment for the student body. Those principles he learned covering the 2020 election, Palestine, and so much more are brought here to Collider, where he has gleefully written on everything from the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes to Nathan Lane baby-birding sewer boys.

2025 was a strong year for Adult Swim with the introduction of a whole slate of successful new shows and acclaimed seasons of returning favorites. Newcomers Haha, You Clowns, Women Wearing Shoulder Pads, and the Emmy-nominated Common Side Effects were all met with critical acclaim, and two of the three have already received renewals, while Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel's Smiling Friends was once again an audience favorite with a 91% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes for its third and unexpected final season. However, the flagship series of the network remains Rick and Morty. Season 8 debuted last year and was viewed as a sort of return to form for the series, with an emotional ending that saw Rick take a step towards being more open and responsible in his relationships.

Now, it's time to start gearing up for Season 9. Adults Swim shared a batch of images teasing more multiversal mayhem between the mad scientist and his grandson. Just because Rick is making real progress doesn't mean he isn't still capable of doing horrible things, as seen in a pair of images where he drunkenly smashes through a tiny village with a flask in his hand. Clearly, he's getting himself into even more danger, but he still has some tamer adventures with Morty, too. Another shot shows them out camping together in the wilderness against an idyllic sunset, though they're also fighting again in a separate image, with Rick trying to restrain a furious Morty. For all the intrigue, however, there isn't much to glean about the exact story for the upcoming episodes. All the press release can promise is a season that's "bigger, bolder, and more ambitious than ever" and certainly isn't AI slop, but rather "Grade A organic slop, made by real humans with real human traits like back hair and cysts."

In addition to the new images, it was also confirmed that Rick and Morty will be returning a bit sooner than expected. While there was a longer gap between Seasons 7 and 8, Season 9 is set to air almost exactly one year after the last premiere, arriving on Sunday, May 24. Adult Swim president Michael Ouweleen celebrated the occasion with an official statement, calling the hit sci-fi comedy's constant evolution from season to season "kind of scary." As the network's #1 show, which has two Emmys to its name and reigned as cable's #1 comedy from Season 3 through 6, he believes it only keeps getting better with more time on the air.

“I know it’s my job to say that this show just keeps topping itself, but it also has the benefit of being true. It’s kind of scary what this show unit is doing season over season—just pouring an absurd amount of talent and brilliance into these episodes. From the first frame, you’re going to see great high‑concept insanity with some of the best character writing ever done. Again, it’s my job to say that, but it’s also true.”

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'Rick and Morty' Will Expand in a Big Way This Year

The main voices of Ian Cardoni, Harry Belden, Sarah Chalke, Chris Parnell, and Spencer Grammer will all be back for more with Season 9, with co-creator Dan Harmon and showrunner Scott Marder still at the helm. While the return of Rick and Morty will be the main attraction, the franchise is about to expand with its first proper spin-off. At San Diego Comic-Con last year, President Curtis was unveiled, bringing back beloved guest star Keith David for an entire series based around U.S. President Andre Curtis and his team. It'll follow Rick's on-and-off rival/reluctant ally as he deals with crises beneath the interdimensional scientist, working with his advisors to keep the country safe from other realities, the supernatural, and other phenomena. Joining the eccentric commander-in-chief are Stephanie Beatriz and Jim Rash, and, according to David, the show will arrive sometime later this year.

In the meantime, Rick and Morty Season 9 will be back on Adult Swim on May 24 at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT. New episodes will be available for digital purchase the day after they air and will stream in the U.S. starting on August 31. Check out the first images in the gallery above.