'Rick and Morty' Season 4 Still Hasn't Been Ordered by Adult Swim

There hasn't been an update on the Rick and Morty Season 4 release for months. On Friday, Dan Harmon revealed why: there's been nothing to update for the new season. Rick and Morty hasn't been officially renewed—Season 4 hasn't even been ordered by Cartoon Network / Adult Swim.

Harmon tweeted about the lack of a Rick and Morty Season 4 order on Friday. The news came in a response to DJ Wise Pariah, who hassled Harmon about Season 4. DJ Wise Pariah tweeted at the Rick and Morty co-creator, "Quit wasting time and go finish the next R&M season, you lazy alcoholic … we're waiting on you to finish writing it, like that fuckin book." It's unclear what book he's talking about, or where he gets off (the replies were not kind to DJ Wise Pariah), but nevertheless Harmon responded:

Harmon also addressed common sentiments about the Rick and Morty fanbase on Friday, tweeting shortly after his Season 4 response to say he doesn't regret what he's created:

The last update on Rick and Morty Season 4, from producer, writer and voice actor Ryan Ridley, was similarly anticlimactic. Speaking with The Detroit Cast podcast, Ridley said, "As far as I know, no one is working on the show. I'm certainly not. So I don't know what's going on. I haven't heard anything. Yeah, they really take their time. I've never understood why all parties —Dan, Justin and Adult Swim—didn't get their shit together and make the show fast. I just don't get it. It doesn't make any sense. I'm sure they all have their reasons."

Previous seasons had an approximate eight-month turnaround for animation, and that's after the writing has been largely completed. That makes a 2018 premiere date for Rick and Morty Season 4 a virtual impossibility. Ridley echoed that assessment in January, telling The Detroit Cast, "I know how long the show takes to write, let alone animate, so I'd be surprised if there was a fourth season on the air any sooner than 2019 … late 2019." Without a Season 4 order from Adult Swim, it's possible the next season of Rick and Morty slips all the way to 2020, unless that season renewal comes soon.

Still, there's no reason to think Rick and Morty won't return. "I highly doubt there won't be," Ridley said in January, nor does Harmon's tweet hint that Rick and Morty has been cancelled.