Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland was fired by Adult Swim after being accused of domestic abuse. While the decision was made not to press charges, the floodgates had opened and a series of sexual abuse and misconduct claims followed.
Roiland has strongly denied everything, though he was unable to shake off a resurfaced podcast appearance which saw him make inappropriate comments about underage girls.
All of this left Rick and Morty in something of a mess, with the decision ultimately made to recast Roiland's roles. During the first six seasons, he was credited with at least 25 roles and filling the void...well, it's not an easy task.
In the season 7 premiere, newcomers Ian Cardoni and Harry Belden were confirmed as the new Rick and Morty, while John Allen was tapped to play Mr. Poopybutthole. They're all soundalikes and, while the trio did an admirable job, something just didn't feel quite right.
That may explain the poor negative response to the show.
As of now, Rick and Morty season 7 has just 57% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the worst-reviewed season to date. It's important to note that this score will change greatly in the weeks ahead as there are still another nine episodes to go. However, it's not a good start.
For comparison's sake, season 1 has 97%, season 2 has 91%, season 3 has 96%, season 4 has 96%, season 5 has 86%, and season 6 has 91%.
It appears even fans have largely rejected the show upon its return as its Audience Score is a dismal 33%.
Is all of this really down to the change in voice actors? The premiere certainly wasn't Rick and Morty's strongest outing, but with the characters lacking Roiland's unique performance, the jokes arguably didn't land quite the same way.
Roiland possibly returning to the show is completely off the table (and understandably so) but it will be interesting to see where Rick and Morty goes from here. The show can still turn things around over the coming weeks, but if this response has an impact on ratings...well, Rick may not get his 100 seasons after all.
"Rick and Morty are back and sounding more like themselves than ever!" reads the synopsis for the show's return. "It's season seven, and the possibilities are endless: What's up with Jerry? EVIL Summer?! And will they ever go back to the high school?! Maybe not! But let's find out!"
"There's probably less piss than last season," it continues. "'Rick and Morty,' 100 years! Or at least until season 10!"
Rick and Morty season 7 premiered on Adult Swim on October 15.