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After six seasons, it’s easy to forget that a large part of what initially made “Rick and Morty” appealing was how low effort it all seemed. The scribbled animation and obviously improvised dialogue all contributed to a sense that the creators were phoning it in. In that sense, it was on par with other Adult Swim animations, but it differentiated itself from the pack by telling compelling, complex stories, communicating to viewers that its surface-level irreverence masked a more careful attention to detail beneath the surface.
In that context, Justin Roiland fit right in as the series lead, not because he displayed immense talent but because he did not. His limited range — a high-pitched screech for Morty and a deeper-throated rasp for Rick — felt of the same elemental material as the rest of the show, like someone riffing on a concept that hadn’t been fully fleshed out. In recent years, as Roiland added more projects to his CV, his lack of range has become more obvious. His character on “Solar Opposites” sounds the same as his various voices in the video game “High on Life,” and all of those sound like Morty or Rick. The satirical news site Hard Drive once encapsulated Roiland’s creative limitations with the headline, “Justin Roiland on Cusp of Coming Up With Third Voice.”
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What that means going forward is that whoever replaces Roiland on “Rick and Morty” will have a relatively easy task ahead of them. Sure, they might need to invest in some throat lozenges, but pretty much every “Rick and Morty” fan can do a decent impression of Rick and Morty. But they’re not hiring just anyone — they’re going to hire a professional. It’s possible some casual fans not following the Roiland debacle won’t even notice the swap. For hardcore fans, there may be a bit of an adjustment period, but it’s unlikely the difference will be dramatic.
