EVERY “Rick & Morty” Episode Ranked

With Justin Roiland leaving the show for reasons that won’t be repeated here, I can’t help but feel that it’s the end of an era for “Rick & Morty”, one of my favourite comedies. Almost every episode is good, but there were some stinkers in the mix … let’s rank them all!

Beware of some SPOILERS ahead if you haven’t caught up with latest seasons, and don’t complain if I spell the title of an episode incorrectly. What chance did I have?

Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:

Bad

61 – Rickdependence Spray (5-4)

For the longest time, I didn’t even think Rick & Morty was capable of making a bad episode. Sure, there’d been a Season 4 episode that wasn’t to my tastes (more on that in a bit …), but at least it had its defenders.

“Rickdependence Spray”, on the other hand, was universally loathed on release. It felt like it was written by a teenager who’d never seen the show, and the sperm monsters were nowhere near as funny as the showrunners thought.

60 – Claw and Hoarder: Special Ricktim’s Morty (4-4)

I’ve seen mixed opinions on “Claw and Hoarder: Special Ricktim’s Morty”, but I could personally never get into it.

The bad-mouthing fantasy characters felt like a pitiful attempt at shock humour, and the plot goes absolutely nowhere.

Meh

59 – Gotron Jerrysis Rickvangelion (5-7)

The most forgettable and inconsequential Rick & Morty episode, which might make it the worst one of all.

“Gotron Jerrysis Rickvangelion” has nothing meaningful to say about the anime it’s parodying, and the jokes all fall flat.

58 – Interdimensional Cable 2: Tempting Fate (2-8)

I perked up when I saw they were doing a sequel to a beloved Season 1 episode, but my interest in “Interdimensional Cable 2: Tempting Fate” went downhill from there.

The titular improvised advertisements are nowhere near as funny as before, and the B-plot of Jerry’s member being considered for a big transplant feels like forced shock humour.

57 – Rick & Morty’s Thanksploitation Spectacular (5-6)

Is it just me that thought the writers would be done with the turkey plotline after five minutes?

I was disappointed with how unimaginative “Rick & Morty’s Thanksploitation Spectacular” ended up being, and the dialogue in particular was at a series low.

56 – Bethic Twinstinct (6-3)

The worst episode of the latest season, and one of the most boring Rick & Morty episodes to date.

“Bethic Twinstinct” alternates between an awkward Beth plot and a boring “realistic videogames” plot, and I was dying for both to wrap up quickly.

OK

55 – Amortycan Grickfitti (5-5)

The Hellraiser references were fine, I guess, and Morty and Summer taking Rick’s car on an adventure is a neat idea, but the whole package is forgettable.

54 – A Rick in King Mortur’s Mort (6-9)

What could have been a fascinating glimpse of inter-planetary warfare devolved into generic penis jokes.

53 – Childrick of Mort (4-9)

I’m glad Jerry got some time to shine, but “Childrick of Mort” felt like too many shallow ideas crammed together quickly.

52 – Raising Gazorpazorp (1-7)

The only episode from the first season I wasn’t sold on – Season 1 is pretty much banger after banger!

Morty raising a violent alien kid is decent, and this is the first true Summer adventure, but it’s nowhere near as memorable as the rest of the season.

51 – Big Trouble in Little Sanchez (2-7)

Strangely, the A-plot of Rick turning himself into a teenager is by far the least interesting plot of “Big Trouble in Little Sanchez”, and drags the whole thing down.

It’s Beth and Jerry’s marriage counselling B-plot that serves both the laughs and the visual treats – I love the final battle where Jerry keeps getting cloned.

50 – Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender (3-4)

I’m surprised it took as late as Season 3 for Rick & Morty to parody superhero team-up movies.

The critique doesn’t go as deep as I’d have liked, and the only truly funny gag was Rick leaving a drunken message to the janitor.

49 – Rickmancing the Stone (3-2)

A generic Mad Max parody with a mildly fun Morty arm plot thrown in.

48 – Analyze Piss (6-8)

Everyone seems to love “Analyze Piss” from the recent season … apart from me.

Aside from one harrowing scene, it’s a mostly forgettable episode that wastes its premise on a super-charged Jerry.

47 – Juricksic Mort (6-6)

Definitely one of the more random Rick & Morty episodes. Dinosaurs show up, they leave, nothing changes.

46 – A Rickconvenient Mort (5-3)

Morty’s relationship with Planetina is a bit boring, so Rick and Summer have to carry the episode with their planet-hopping party spree.

45 – The Rickchurian Mortydate (3-10)

I remember being extremely disappointed by Season 3’s finale, but in hindsight “The Rickchurian Mortydate” is a harmless episode with decent jokes and solid action.

Good

44 – The ABCs of Beth (3-9)

The Beth-Rick relationship was mostly swept under the rug for the first few seasons, so I’m glad “The ABCs of Beth” gave them some time in the spotlight.

Rick creating an entire world for his daughter is a totally believable thing for his character to do, and the ambiguous ending where Beth asks to be cloned had fans speculating for years.

43 – Pilot (1-1)

All things considered, Rick & Morty has one of the strongest pilots I’ve seen.

The comedy is sharp right out the gate, and the only complaint is that the plots get way more complex and engrossing in almost every other episode.

42 – Rick: A Mort Well Lived (6-2)

The Die Hard references get old fast, but otherwise “Rick: A Mort Well Lived” has an interesting plot that served to strengthen both Rick and Morty’s characters.

41 – Anatomy Park (1-3)

“Rick creates a theme park inside a homeless man” sounded utterly ridiculous at the time, but these days that premise would be just another day at the Rick & Morty office.

“Anatomy Park” has some good action and a fun final act, but it’s not too memorable on the whole.

40 – One Crew Over the Crewcoo’s Morty (4-3)

The heist movie jokes are too niche for me, but I can appreciate the humour and what they were going for.

39 – Ricktional Mortpoons Rickmas Mortcation (6-10)

The most recent finale has a crazy twist and some great action, but otherwise it felt kinda tame as season finales go.

38 – Promortyus (4-7)

The out-of-sync storytelling makes “Promortyus” a fun watch, but otherwise it’s nothing to write home about.

37 – The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy (3-5)

The Rick-Jerry dynamic is one of my favourites, and their adventure in “The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy” sure is a wild one.

36 – Ricksy Business (1-11)

A bit of a random finale, but “Ricksy Business” introduces some major characters and is generally a fun time.

35 – Never Ricking Morty (4-6)

One of two Rick & Morty episodes that fully leans into the meta comedy. The train setting is cool, but sometimes the plot goes a little overboard.

34 – Full Meta Jackrick (6-7)

The other heavily meta episode.

I’d give the slight edge to “Full Meta Jackrick” over the other one for its creative characters.

33 – Get Schwifty (2-5)

The songs in “Get Schwifty” are incredible, but the rest of the plot can be a bit slow.

32 – Something Ricked This Way Comes (1-9)

Rick fights the devil and Jerry helps Morty with a science fair project. Good stuff.

31 – The Old Man and the Seat (4-2)

Jerry creates an app with Taika Waititi and Rick battles his toilet arch enemy – the ending is what bumps this up a few places.

30 – Rixty Minutes (1-8)

Hot take time – the Interdimensional Cable improv stuff is fun, but it’s overrated as hell.

It’s the B-plot of Beth and Jerry rekindling their love that sets this episode apart from the rest in the “Good” tier.

Great

29 – Rattlestar Ricklactica (4-5)

I love the butterfly effect-type plot “Rattlestar Ricklactica” goes for, and while it doesn’t spiral into as much chaos as I’d have liked it was still a fun episode.

28 – Morty’s Mind Blowers (3-8)

Season 3’s answer to the stale “Interdimension Cable” premise was “Morty’s Mind Blowers”, and I immediately liked it more than the original format.

While not every vignette worked, some of these forgotten adventures ended up being really funny and memorable.

27 – Lawnmower Dog (1-2)

Though I did enjoy the pilot, it was “Lawnmower Dog” that really got me hooked on the show.

The plot of dogs gaining intelligence spirals out of control incredibly quickly, and it was the perfect showcase of the writers’ abilities to blend comedic chaos with thought-provoking sci-fi.

26 – Solaricks (6-1)

I don’t like how the Season 5 finale cliffhanger was effectively swept under the rug, but otherwise “Solaricks” is a great episode that sets up a new series arc nicely.

25 – Mortyplicity (5-2)

“Mortyplicity” felt a little derivative of “Total Rickall” … but since I love that episode so much, I wasn’t complaining!

24 – Rest and Ricklaxation (3-6)

Rick and Morty have to fight their own aggressive toxins in “Rest and Ricklaxation”, and I love the various directions the plot ends up going.

23 – Final DeSmithation (6-5)

Rick and Jerry is the most underrated pairing of the show, and their fortune cookie adventure was one of the funniest of the recent season with some great action to boot.

22 – Edge of Tomorty: Rick Die Rickpeat (4-1)

All of the parts of Morty using foresight crystals to choose the best future in “Edge of Tomorty: Rick Die Repeat” were fantastic, but the ending felt a little broad.

21 – Forgetting Sarick Mortshall (5-9)

“Forgetting Sarick Mortshall” is the rare case of both plots working really well both together and in their own right.

Rick adopting two crows for sidekicks is a great gag, and Morty battling his portal fluid buddy leads to an awesome climactic fight.

20 – Pickle Rick (3-3)

One of the stupidest TV episodes I’ve ever seen, and I loved it.

“Pickle Rick” shows the lengths that Rick will go to to avoid family therapy, and his solo adventure was extremely engaging.

19 – Meeseeks and Destroy (1-5)

Lots of fans have “Meeseeks and Destroy” in their top ten for the A-plot alone – Jerry struggling with his Meeseeks is amazing, and the chaos that follows is trademark Rick & Morty.

The B-plot of Morty’s adventure, however, left a sour taste in my mouth. It’s not a great plot to begin with, but the attempted sexual assault felt really out of place in a light-hearted comedy show.

18 – Mort Dinner Rick Andre (5-1)

“Mort Dinner Rick Andre” is a great opener to Season 5 with two great plots.

Rick hosting a dinner for his eternal nemesis Mr. Nimbus is pretty funny, but it’s Morty’s subplot of getting wine from a time-skipping dimension that serves the biggest laughs.

17 – Auto Erotic Assimilation (2-3)

I really love the hive mind planet premise and what the writers did with it, but it’s the melancholy ending of “Auto Erotic Assimilation” that really sticks in my mind.

16 – M. Night Shaym-Aliens! (1-4)

“Lawnmower Dog” was the first indication that I’d like this show, but “M. Night Shaym-Aliens!” was the first episode to truly blow my mind.

The writers pile twist upon twist on top of each other in quick succession, and I also really like Jerry’s simulation subplot.

15 – Night Family (6-4)

Season 6 didn’t have too many stand-out episodes, but “Night Family” felt like a return to classic Season 1 adventures.

All of the Night Family stuff is genuinely creepy, and the battle where everyone keeps getting knocked out and awoken made for some of the best visual gags of the series.

14 – Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort (5-8)

I love episodes that give us a better glimpse at Rick’s emotions, and nothing seems to stir the mad scientist more than his best friend Birdperson.

His journey through Birdperson’s mind is equal parts funny and tragic, and provides some insightful backstory to both characters.

13 – Star Mort Rickturn of the Jerri (4-10)

One of the most action-packed Rick & Morty episodes, “Star Mort Rickturn of the Jerri” is a great showcase of the entire Smith family, as well as a culmination of the various plot threads throughout the series up to that point.

12 – Look Who’s Purging Now (2-9)

I’m not a fan of the Purge movies and how they’ve been milked to death, so it was amazing to see Rick & Morty take the piss in such an overt way.

Morty’s turn into outright psychopathy is amazing, and there are some really fantastic one-liners throughout.

11 – A Rickle in Time (2-1)

Rick & Morty went as big as possible for the Season 2 opener.

“A Rickle in Time” has one of the best mind-bending plots in the series, with some great multi-dimensional humour and an emotional Rick moment to cap it all off.

Amazing

10 – Rickmurai Jack (5-10)

“Rickmurai Jack” starts with a pitch-perfect anime parody, and yet that’s nowhere near the best aspect of it.

It’s amazing to return to the Citadel of Ricks after so long, and the showdown with Evil Morty was just as bombastic as I was hoping for.

9 – The Wedding Squanchers (2-10)

“Rickmurai Jack” was very nearly my favourite Rick & Morty season finale, but there’s something about “The Wedding Squanchers” that has stuck in my mind for so many years.

Tammy’s betrayal at the wedding is a genuinely shocking twist, and the ending where Rick gives himself up to save the family is the best cliff-hanger in the series.

8 – Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind (1-10)

“Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind” introduced two concepts that would go on to shape the series.

The Citadel of Ricks is one of the coolest sci-fi locations I’ve ever seen, and the Evil Morty twist is legendary.

7 – The Rickshank Rickdemption (3-1)

After the amazing cliff-hanger of “The Wedding Squanchers”, fans eagerly tuned in for the Season 3 opener to see how Rick would get out of this one – and “The Rickshank Redemption” didn’t disappoint in the slightest.

The escape from the galactic prison is equal parts intricate, ingenious and outright bombastic, which is everything I want this show to be.

6 – The Ricks Must Be Crazy (2-6)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sEbe9gveN4&pp=ygUXdGhlIHJpY2tzIG11c3QgYmUgY3Jhenk%3D

My favourite Rick & Morty episodes are ones that take an already fantastic premise and push it to its limits, and “The Ricks Must Be Crazy” is the definitive example of that.

The microverse within a microverse plot gets just as chaotic as I’d hoped, and Rick is on particularly petty form throughout.

5 – The Vat of Acid Episode (4-8)

Just as Season 4 was starting to hit a bit of a rut in terms of stand-out episodes, “The Vat of Acid Episode” came along and instantly became a classic.

It’s the ultimate Rick revenge plot – the level of cruelty he shows towards Morty just to prove a point would be horrifying if it wasn’t so damn hilarious.

4 – Mortynight Run (2-2)

I’m a big David Bowie fan, so the Starman-inspired Space Fart immediately bumped “Mortynight Run” into the top tiers.

The episode is jam-packed with iconic locations and moments, from Jerryboree and Blips & Chitz to the jovial alien assassin and the Bowie-style musical number.

3 – Rick Potion #9 (1-6)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-2NIvUBpu8&pp=ygUOcmljayBwb3Rpb24gIzk%3D

The first half of Season 1 provided great episode after great episode, but it was after watching “Rick Potion #9” that I knew this show was an all-timer.

The catastrophic consequences of the love potion are animated really well, and the ending where Rick and Morty replace their dead counterparts in another universe really set the tone for the rest of the series.

All-Time Great

2 – The Ricklantis Mixup (3-7)

Rick & Morty has grown a reputation for being that goofy sci-fi comedy show, so everyone was shocked when they did a genuinely insightful societal critique.

The various tales of the Citadel are written and animated unbelievably well, and “The Ricklantis Mixup” ends on yet another GOATed Evil Morty twist.

1 – Total Rickall (2-4)

“Total Rickall” is actually one of the most contained episodes of Rick & Morty, but all of the plot developments and gags within the Smith household are pushed to their absolute limits.

This is probably the funniest episode of the show with all of its insane flashbacks and character revelations, and the rapidly multiplying cast only add to the amazing chaos. If anything, it was great to finally see the Smith family fight back for once!

Aaaand that’s my list! You can check out some of my latest blog posts below: