Rick and Morty season 3 release date: Creator Dan Harmon offers further clarification over delay comments

'The truth is not dramatic. It’s quite boring'

Almost a year-and-a-half after the last new episode of Rick and Morty was aired by Adult Swim, creator Dan Harmon finally explained what was taking so long.

“[Me and co-creator Justin Roiland] have fights all the time and then we have fights about why we’re having fights,” he told an audience at Sundance Film Festival, as picked up by IndieWire. “'Well, we didn’t fight during season 2, that’s why it’s taking longer! All this fighting! So OK, let’s stop fighting!’"

Of course, these comments were shared across the Internet, leading to many people believing the pair have been genuinely arguing over the forthcoming season.

Writing on Twitter, Harmon clarified his comments, through 15 separate messages, which we’ve compiled below. In short, “the truth is not dramatic. It’s quite boring.”

Dan Harmon's Rick and Morty Twitter clarification

Re: confusion/concern about my comments in Indiewire interview regarding Rick and Morty. The “fights” I refer to aren’t “the reason for the delay.” The “fights” also aren’t what you call a fight when you have one in your home or street. I’m talking about fights like “what joke to do.” It’s the statements back to back that’s confusing: I was saying “the buck stops with me and Justin.” It was our usual perfectionism, etc. Then, I was moving on, in trademark rambling, to try to express how hard and confusing it can be in a RAM writers room. Chasing tails.

I understand and we are flattered that in an information vacuum, with the show so late, any morsel of info is going to have huge weight. But the truth is not dramatic. It’s quite boring. We love our show. It’s a weird show that we struggle to not overthink OR underthink. As for now, they’re drawing it. 

We don’t update on exactly where every episode is in pipeline for two reasons (uh oh sub enumeration): One is that we want you harassing the bosses as opposed to hard-at-work artists and editors, or writers that finished months ago. The other is that it is out of our jurisdiction to discuss schedule. That’s Adult Swim’s biz. Totally unrelated. Hence the info shortage.

So, I’m sorry I can’t say “we fractured a creative valve in sector three" or “it’s Paul’s fault. GET HIM!” No hidden truth. We slow. Sorry. Part of what I was trying to express is that WE would sit and ponder, what’s the problem here, how can we write faster, why we so slow? And then we’d go “what made us faster in season one" and then we’d go “we didn’t sit here talking about this, let’s just do this,” etc.

I tell you, as a self destructively honest guy, Justin and I have literally never fought. Season three isn’t late because of “fighting.” In fact, ironically, maybe THAT’s the delay-cause. We respect and terrify each other and always want the other to be happy.

That’s the fights cleared up then. While being unable to confirm a return date - “we’re still deep in production,” Harmon told the Sundance audience - the season will reportedly run for 14 episodes.