‘Rick & Morty’ Season 8 is as Egregiously Entertaining as Ever

In a pop culture landscape where HBO became HBO NOW became HBO MAX became MAX has become HBO MAX again and the vast majority of animated series we associate with Cartoon Network and Adult Swim seem to be a dwindling cohort, perhaps fittingly the only universal constant is that Rick & Morty has managed to persist. Now entering its eighth season (and an anime gaiden which was fine), the unapologetic and nihilistic series manages to continue its streak of irreverent black comedy and endlessly inventive twists on familiar premises.

Now, I had the fortune of seeing four episodes of the season coming out later this week on May 25, and while I don’t want to divulge any information about the plot, I can ensure you that the show hasn’t lost its step in the two years since season 7 left us. Showrunner Scott Marder (who has been at the helm since season 5) continues with a strong showing of episodes that make fantastic use of the twenty-ish minutes of time available. Ian Cardoni and Harry Belden who took over the mantle of Rick and Morty respectively in season 7 seamlessly continue to give stellar performances with the same level of arrogance, grievance, annoyance, and animosity that has defined the show for years. And Chris Parnell, Spencer Grammer, and Sarah Chalke continue to round out the supporting cast brilliantly. While the show is called Rick & Morty, the show wouldn’t work nearly as well without Jerry, Summer, and Beth engaging in the wonderfully weird world. And it…