Rick and Morty Season 9 begins Sunday night on Adult Swim, with the first episode set to air at 11 p.m. ET on May 24. The premiere, titled “There’s Something About Morty,” runs about 22 minutes and will be available to stream on HBO Max the next day, on Monday, May 25.
The new season gives fans 10 weekly episodes, with the finale scheduled for Sunday, July 26. For viewers keeping track of when the next chapter drops, the cadence is simple: one new episode each week at the same time, first on the cable channel and then on HBO Max the following day. That makes the return easy to follow and keeps the show in a steadier rhythm than the long gaps that once defined adult animation.
Rick and Morty has been one of the most popular adult animated series for more than 12 years, but the show now feels more like a regular fixture than a mystery box. The big mythology swings that once defined the series are mostly behind it. Evil Morty’s takeover of the Citadel of Ricks wrapped up in the Season 5 finale, Rick killed Rick Prime midway through Season 7, and Season 8 brought no major lore leap beyond Morty Jr.’s return after a long absence. The trailer for Season 9 points instead to intergalactic adventures, a fight with killer house and sentient furniture, Morty being captured by Neanderthal-like creatures and an episode built around martial arts.
That shift matters because the series is now living with the consequences of changes already made behind the scenes and on screen. Adult Swim cut ties with co-creator and lead voice actor Justin Roiland in 2023, and the two title roles were filled by separate people in Seasons 7 and 8. The network renewed the show for Season 10 in 2023 and then through Season 12 in 2024, a path that carries the series through at least 2029, according to a report from a trade publication. A President Curtis spinoff is also slated for later in 2026, widening the franchise even as the main show keeps to its weekly schedule.
The clean answer to what comes next is that Rick and Morty Season 9 is no longer a question about whether the show will continue. It already has. The real story now is whether this newer, more settled version of the series can keep enough energy in the room week after week, starting with Sunday night’s premiere and running all the way to the July 26 finale.
