New ‘Rick and Morty’ Episode Not on Tonight, Series Still on Hiatus

Rick and Morty is on a midseason break right now, meaning there is no new episode on Sunday night. The acclaimed sci-fi comedy show is halfway through its fourth season, and fans are already itching for more. Sadly, there is not much information on when the show will return yet. Rick and Morty Season 4 premiered in November after over 2 years off. Fans reveled in the new episodes, which came almost every week after that, but the streak ends here. This Sunday is the first week of Rick and Morty‘s midseason hiatus.

Adult Swim did warn fans that Rick and Morty Season 4 would be split into halves from the very start. When the premiere day was announced, it promised five new episodes in 2019, and now we’ve gotten them.

Since then, the network has only said that Rick and Morty will be back “in 2020.” Of course, that could mean anything, and knowing Rick and Morty’s production schedule, many fans are not optimistic.

Thankfully, there is some reason to be hopeful. Rick and Morty landed a massive 70-episode renewal deal in 2018, so it is guaranteed to stick around for some time. That job security means that the show’s staff can work more efficiently, according to co-creator Justin Roiland.

“We want the episodes to stay good, but we do also want to try to turn them around a little quicker now that we have this big order, I think it gives us the ability to be faster,” he told Polygon last June. “We’re not going to do these long breaks, these chasms in between seasons anymore. We’re going to schedule vacation time and just keep the machine going. It’s going to be really cool.”

Right now, some fans even speculate that the Rick and Morty team may be working on episodes far ahead of those that are airing now. Co-creator Dan Harmon has discussed the ongoing writing process on his podcast, Harmontown, which ended earlier this month. Since he made it clear that he and the writers were still showing up to work every day while Season 4 was airing, many assumed they were already working on Season 5.

On top of that, Rick and Morty‘s distribution will be streamlined next year too. The show will be included in the new streaming service HBO Max when it launches in May of 2020, making it easier than ever for fans to watch without cable. If the show begins to drift from the airing guidelines of a cable schedule, fans will definitely be glad.

The first half of Rick and Morty Season 4 is now available on the Adult Swim app and on digital stores. The rest will air some time in 2020.