Adult Swim is doing what every network does when they have one successful property in an otherwise turbulent landscape: milking it for everything it's worth.
The network announced President Curtis, a Rick and Morty spin-off series starring Keith David as the interdimensional leader who's appeared in the main show. It's coming in July, joining the Vindicators spin-off in the growing Rick and Morty extended universe.
Now, before we get too cynical - and trust me, we will - let's acknowledge that Keith David is a treasure. That voice could make a phone book sound authoritative. If you're going to build a spin-off around anyone, he's a solid choice.
But let's talk about what this really signals: Adult Swim is hedging its entire animation strategy on a single franchise because the alternative - developing new original content in the current environment - is apparently too risky.
The animation industry is in crisis. Studios have been gutting their animation divisions, canceling shows mid-production, and shelving completed work for tax write-offs. Warner Bros. Discovery, Adult Swim's parent company, has been particularly ruthless about this. In that context, leaning heavily on the one guaranteed hit makes business sense. But it's also creatively limiting.
Rick and Morty itself is an interesting case. The show's creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland (the latter no longer involved following misconduct allegations) signed a massive 70-episode deal that essentially guarantees the show will run forever. Now we're getting the Marvel Cinematic Universe treatment: a main series, multiple spin-offs, presumably some crossover events.
The Vindicators series already tested this waters - it was fine, perfectly serviceable, exactly what you'd expect from a spin-off exploiting a minor element of the main show. President Curtis will likely follow the same pattern: good enough to satisfy hardcore fans, forgettable enough that it won't threaten the main series' legacy.
What we're losing in this strategy is what made Adult Swim exciting in the first place: the willingness to take chances on weird, original voices. The network that gave us Aqua Teen Hunger Force, The Boondocks, Moral Orel - shows that came from nowhere and built passionate followings - is now in the business of franchise management.
But again, it's hard to blame them entirely. When your corporate overlords are deleting finished shows and your budget is being slashed, you go with what works. Rick and Morty works. Keith David works. A spin-off that requires minimal marketing because the brand sells itself? That works too.
It's just a shame that "what works" and "what's creatively bold" have become mutually exclusive.
In Hollywood, nobody knows anything - except that when in doubt, make more of what already succeeded.
