Posted in: Adult Swim, Hulu, Opinion, Rick and Morty, streaming, TV, TV | Tagged: Adult Swim, hulu, Justin Roiland, Koala Man, opinion, rick and morty, solar opposites

Justin Roiland Fans Review-Bomb Solar Opposites; Rick and Morty Next?

To no one's surprise, Justin Roiland fans are venting frustrations by review-bombing Solar Opposites. We're guessing Rick and Morty is next.

If you're reading this, then you know what the deal has been this year with Justin Roiland (Adult Swim's Rick and Morty; Hulu's Solar Opposites, Koala Man). Back in January, the news hit that Roiland was charged with one felony count of domestic battery with corporal injury & one felony count of false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud, and/or deceit. Not long after the news hit, Adult Swim, Squanch Games, Disney & 20th TV Animation cut ties with Roiland. And then, in March, we learned that the domestic violence charges against him were dismissed "as a result of having insufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt," said Kimberly Edds, spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney's Office. But for Solar Opposites and Rick and Morty, Roiland's status didn't change. With regard to the former, Dan Stevens (Legion) was brought aboard to take over voicing Korvo; with the latter, a search was conducted for an actor or actors to take over Roiland's roles (with the fall premiere date for Season 7 dropping next week – with a possible preview of the new actor(s)). But now, it seems that some of Roiland's people are trying to take out their frustrations on how they feel he's being treated by review-bombing the fourth season of Solar Opposites.

Though there aren't enough professional reviews to register on the "Tomatometer," the few that are there appear to have a collective favorable opinion on the season. But then you take a look at the Audience Score and see 41% and… well, let's just say that you didn't need to do a deep dive into the reviews to see that Roiland's fans were looking for revenge – and targeted the Stevens, the season, and the streaming series to get the pound of flesh they think they're owed. Of course, when you do dig deeper into the reviews and see how many one-star reviews are all based around folks believing Roiland was mistreated, it becomes pretty clear that these folks have issues – and they have nothing to do with an animated series. But with Rick and Morty – a show that millions associate Roiland with much more than Solar Opposites – we're talking about a show with a bigger spotlight. And for these folks, that means a bigger target. Of course, we've made it perfectly clear that we think Rick and Morty has been doing even more amazing work as Roiland's involvement in it slowly declined – so we're fine with him being replaced.

Here's a look back at what Rick and Morty Co-EP Steve Levy and Adult Swim President Michael Ouweleen had to share regarding Justin Roiland and the new voice actor(s) being brought aboard – as well as how the Adult Swim series' writing team kept the ship going (all the way to another Emmy nomination – and another possible win):

On Roiland Being Replaced, Voice Acting Being Just One Part of Series & If Viewers Will Notice

Ouweleen: "The idea is that we feel that they are the same characters. Listen: voices are obviously super important in an animated series. And, of course, none of us wanted to go through what we went through. But I've been in animation for a long time, and I know that what makes a series is its different parts coming together. If the voices are obviously a big part, there is also the writing of the characters, their design… I have reason to believe that the transition will go well."

Levy: "The quality of writing has never been better, and all the screenwriters have stayed. I don't think anyone will bat an eyelid hearing the new voices."

Ouweleen: "[On recasting process] But it's looking good. It's a rather unique situation… I'll take an example: there have been several great Bugs Bunny voice actors, and I love what Jeff Bennett has done with them. But it's not Mel Blanc! And yet we recognize the character. I even think that for 'Rick and Morty' we will do even better… It will be fine. It'll be great."

On How "Rick and Morty" Team Responded to Justin Roiland's Departure

Levy: The pill was hard to swallow. We were shocked and disturbed by what happened. But we stuck together, and we put all our energy into the series. We decided to stay positive, and in the end, we produced the best drawings, scripts, and animations of the entire series. And Dan Harmon [the co-creator of Rick and Morty] has always been in the trenches with us every step of the way. He always has an eye on everything, and sometimes that means he asks us to rewrite entire scripts, but for the good of the series. He never walked away after Justin left.

Ouweleen: There is no guide on how to react to this kind of thing. And it's not normal to experience that. Of course, it's hard; of course, it hurts. But when a whole team works on a series, the series actually becomes more important than one person. Season 7 will be pivotal; we know it, but I think we've never done better so far.

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