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Rick and Morty Season 6 Starts Strong; S06E01 "Solaricks" For Free

Published Tue, 13 Sep 2022 12:48:12 -0500

by Ray Flook

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After this past Sunday's examination of simulation theory & organized religion in S06E02 "Rick: A Mort Well Lived" (check out our review here), we shared a look at what's ahead with this Sunday's new episode of Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland's Rick and Morty. But for this update, we're taking a look back at season-opener S06E01 "Solaricks" because the numbers are in. And it's pretty clear fans are happy to have the dimension-hopping duo back. The Adult Swim series return (which is available temporarily free, below) drew more than 1 million viewers in Live+3, an increase of 57% from its September 4th premiere (with numbers expected to grow). If you dig deeper into the key demos, the gains are even more impressive: gains with Adults 18-24 up 55% (90K), 18-34 +60% (335K), 18-49 up +65% (713K), and 25-54 +65% (731K). Looking at Nielsen's Total Day numbers across all cable, the premiere was tops among young adults 18-24 and 18-34, and second behind HBO's House of the Dragon with adults 18-49.

And just in case anyone out there is wondering if Rick and Morty are a global thing? The series has been the top performer on HBO Max among animated shows in Europe since the launch of the streamer. In addition, the series ranks in the Top 10 best-performing series on the steamer in 2022, with Nielsen noting a 500+% increase in viewership on HBO Max in Latin America during the week after its initial premiere. Ranking as the top comedy across all U.S. cable platforms in 2017, 2019 & 2021, Rick and Morty has been screened 10+ billion times globally, across linear, digital, and streaming (based on Adult Swim's numbers). And just in case you now find yourself in the mood to rewatch the sixth season premiere, Adult Swim was kind enough to release S06E01 "Solaricks" for free on YouTube… and we have it waiting for you below (and check out our review here):

Now here's a look at what Harmon and producer Steve Levy had to say about the second episode with Inside The Episode: "Rick: A Mort Well Lived." following that, we have a teaser for this weekend's episode, S06E03 "Bethic Twinstinct" (which, despite the video game-themed promo, looks to be dealing more with the Beth/Space Beth dynamic):

Rick and Morty: Tales from Alternate Dimensions

Directed by Masaru Matsumoto (Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars) and stemming from Sola Entertainment, the Halloween-inspired The Great Yokai Battle of Akihabara sees Rick looking to build the ultimate AI toaster until a trip to Akihabara for spare parts takes a twisted turn for our dimension-hopping duo. Think screws. Now here's a look at The Great Yokai Battle of Akihabara, followed by looks at four previously-released shorts:

Directed by Takashi Sano (Tower of God), produced by Sola Entertainment, and animated at Telecom Animation Film, the anime short Rick and Morty vs. Genocider finds Morty going on an adventure to Tokyo, Japan, to try and help stop "The Genocider." And yes, it's beautiful, emotional, and some really weird stuff happens:

Sano returned with the new short (produced by Sola Entertainment and animated by Telecom Animation Film), Summer Meets God (Rick Meets Evil)– following up on his previous short, Rick & Morty vs. Genocider. Here's a look at the newest short, with a focus on Summer and Jerry that goes in ways we didn't expect:

Written and directed by Kaichi Sato and produced by Studio DEEN, "Samurai & Shogun" finds Rick WTM72 (Yohei Tadano) and Shogun Morty (Keisuke Chiba) in a Lone Wolf and Cub-themed dimension. A nasty group of Ninja Ricks isn't willing to let go of Shogun Morty without a fight – an option that Rick WTM72 is more than willing to oblige. From there, we have a look at the follow-up short that was released last month, continuing the story, Samurai and Shogun Part 2:

In the creative spirit of Samurai & Shogun by Kaichi Sato and Rick & Morty vs. Genocider from Takeshi Sano, here's a look at Rick and Morty in the Eternal Nightmare Machine– where even the "Rick-mobile" can prove deadly, and you'll wonder like we do why Scary Terry isn't a downloadable character for a fighting game like Mortal Kombat: