The voice cast behind Rick and Morty has shared an exclusive update about Season 9's "killer" episodes. The long-running animated series, known for its wild sci-fi adventures and dark humor, just aired Season 8 on Adult Swim.
In an exclusive interview with The Direct's David Thompson, Rick and Morty voice actors Ian Cardoni (Rick) and Harry Belden (Morty) shared an update on recording for Season 9. Belden said Season 9 is "going really, really well," noting that Cardoni "just wrapped his principal recording" while he still has one "banger" episode to finish:
"So good. It's going really, really well. And yes, we are recording it. Ian just wrapped his principal recording on it. I've got one more episode to get through, and it's a banger of an episode, I can say."
Cardoni encouraged fans to catch up on Season 8's adventures, teasing that Season 9's story will build directly on it and benefit from the show's current "really good groove:"
"[Season 9] is going to build on all the really exciting stuff in [Season 8], so tune in, catch up if you haven't yet... We're in a pocket now where we've got a really good groove going with our team and we're so grateful that they trust us with these roles and they're happy with what we've come up with. I think the fans will be really pleased with what they hear and see for Season 9, particularly after the adventures of Season 8."
Belden also praised the show's continued momentum, "the bar, it just keeps going up," expressing confidence that Season 9 "is gonna do it again:"
"I mean, really the quality, the bar, it just keeps going up. I mean, seriously, at least in my personal opinion, like Season 7, best season I'd ever seen. Season 8 comes in, tops it. I think Season 9 is gonna do it again. Because these episodes are just, they're killer."
While recording is wrapping up for the leading actors, Cardoni did clarify that they don't have any information on the Season 9 "air date," in fact, he joked, "They didn't even really tell us when [Season 8] was coming out until close to it:"
"[We] certainly don't have any air date information for you. I wish we knew...They didn't even really tell us when [Season 8] was coming out until close to it."
Rick and Morty Season 8 broke a long-running streak when it debuted in 2025, marking the first time the mainline series took a full year off since 2019. The hiatus followed industry-wide delays from the 2023 writers' and actors' strikes, pushing production well into 2024 and ultimately delaying the season’s release.
This break came after Season 7 wrapped in late 2023, the first season without co-creator Justin Roiland. While 2024 featured the Rick and Morty anime spin-off, no new episodes of the core series aired. Season 8 recently completed its ten-episode run on Adult Swim, seeing a surprisingly emotional moment for Rick Sanchez as he sacrificed his memories of Diane.
When Will Rick and Morty Season 9 Release?
Rick and Morty was renewed through Season 12 in October 2024, ensuring new episodes will continue airing through likely 2029. While the series skipped a release in 2024, the plan moving forward is to return to an annual release schedule. That makes sometime in 2026 a safe bet for Season 9's debut.
Historically, even when Rick and Morty has dropped seasons in back-to-back years, it's never done so in the same month, probably ruling out a May 2026 premiere since Season 8 kicked off in May 2025. Based on the comments from voice actors Cardoni and Belden, late summer or early fall 2026 is shaping up to be the most likely release window.
