Rick and Morty opens a portal on its way to another record.

Rick and Morty is one of the most popular animated series of all time, and for good reason. The sci-fi series, which is currently in its ninth season, has done it all. From story-focused episodes that introduce new lore and move the show’s overall plot forward in game-changing ways to one-off episodes based on fun concepts to the most bizarre stories ever told in animation, Rick and Morty has got viewers covered. Still one of the best sci-fi TV shows around, Rick and Morty season 9 just broke a major record for the animated series, and it’s all about the fans.

Rick and Morty season 9 has debuted with a stellar 89% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing. Those positive reviews from viewers are significant, as not only do they show that the audience thinks the season 9 premiere landed well, but it also ranks higher than the other seasons of the show’s new era. After Justin Roiland, who co-created the show and voiced both Rick and Morty, was fired in 2023, Rick and Morty seasons 7 and 8 went on to have a 52% and a 68% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, respectively.

Based on that, not only is Rick and Morty season 9’s audience score high, but it is also easily the best for the sci-fi series in this new era after Roiland was fired. That is not the only metric that has improved for the hit show. Rick and Morty season 9 currently holds a rare perfect 100% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes after nine reviews. That stands as the best for the show in all of its nine seasons so far. Seasons 7 and 8 are at a strong 77% and a stellar 93% critics’ scores, respectively. The series is trending upwards.

After Roiland was fired from the show, Rick and Morty recast the two title roles with different actors. Now, Ian Cardoni voices Rick Sanchez, and Harry Belden gives life to Morty Smith, with both actors replicating Roiland’s iconic voices for the animated characters. So far, only one episode of Rick and Morty season 9 has been released. In “There’s Something About Morty,” the show brought back Evil Morty, who teams up with Rick to stop a multiversal threat and ends up making Morty jealous. After that, a betrayal leads to one of the sci-fi series’ best fight sequences to date.

In ScreenRant’s Rick and Morty season 9 review, Ben Gibbons gave the returning animated series a 9 out of 10. According to the writer, the sci-fi series’ new season is living proof that “adult animation has never been better.” Gibbons also praised the show’s smooth animation and how the series seamlessly mixes many different elements, such as a dysfunctional family, sci-fi vehicles and gadgets, and more, to deliver a thoroughly entertaining batch of 10 episodes. According to FlixPatrol, <em>Rick and Morty </em>is currently the 2nd most-watched TV show on HBO Max worldwide, so the series’ success continues to grow.