Rick and Morty’s President Curtis spinoff locks in a release date
The Rick and Morty spin-off is almost here.
If you thought Rick and Morty had already plundered every corner of its madcap universe, think again. The Adult Swim juggernaut is about to drop a brand new spin-off called President Curtis, and it looks... well, exactly as daft as you’d hope. Here’s everything going on, made as clear as possible.
From Background Gag to Headliner
President Andre Curtis, the slightly-unhinged, always-confident Commander-in-Chief who shows up now and then on Rick and Morty, is stepping into the limelight. The pitch is basically: these are the political and interdimensional headaches that even Rick Sanchez can't be bothered with. The official blurb, to squeeze the best bit out of it: 'Follows President Andre Curtis and his eccentric staff as they deal with various crises that Rick Sanchez typically ignores.'
If that's not a set up for maximum chaos, I don’t know what is.
Why Now, Why Him?
It’s not exactly a secret that Rick and Morty fans have a weirdly deep affection for the president. Maybe it’s Keith David voicing him – or just that mix of bravado and barely-concealed panic. Either way, creators Dan Harmon and James Siciliano (yes, the same minds that fuel the mothership show) cooked up the spin-off. There’s also some pointed humour in the early teasers, with the usual blend of sci-fi weirdness and completely inappropriate government behaviour.
For extra spice, Harmon describes it as 'more X-Files than Doctor Who.' Think: monsters, investigations, loads of crude jokes, and constitutional mayhem.
Meet the (Eccentric) Staff
- Keith David returns as President Curtis (with all the swagger and reckless confidence fans have come to expect)
- Stephanie Beatriz (Twisted Metal) joins as a brand new character in the president’s chaotic admin
- Jim Rash (Community) is on board too, bringing some of that oddball energy you’d want for the job
Launch Plans and Other Practical Details
Adult Swim is going all in with this one. The first episode of President Curtis will air directly after Rick and Morty Season 9’s finale on 26 July at 11:30pm in the US. Pretty strong lead-in (and let’s face it, if you’re up at that time on a Friday night, you were never leaving the TV anyway).
They premiered the pilot at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival— apparently because, as Adult Swim boss Michael Ouweleen put it:
'There's no better animation-loving crowd than Annecy, which makes it the perfect place to debut this new series. We can't wait for everyone to see how great President Curtis is on his own when the series premieres next month!'
Fair enough. The new trailer is out and, by the look of it, the show’s playing with all the same comic timing and oddball sci-fi as its parent series.
First season’s getting ten episodes, sticking with that tried-and-tested Rick and Morty structure — likely rolling out weekly after the premiere. And if you’re not watching live, President Curtis is set to hit HBO Max the day after broadcast.
It’s obvious Adult Swim is hoping viewers will jump straight from the season finale into this new stretch of universe-wrecking political drama. Should be all the spectacle you’d expect, plus a few constitutional violations for good measure.