‘Rick and Morty’ Doesn’t Need Justin Roiland to Be a Great Sitcom

There’s kind of a stigma around being a Rick and Morty fan. The reasons are too plentiful to go into, although they perhaps can be distilled into two words: Szechuan sauce.

But those of us who do enjoy the Adult Swim cartoon—for its no-holds-barred humor, affecting character development, and narrative ambition—have found it harder than usual to defend the show. Reports broke earlier this year that Justin Roiland, who co-created the show with Dan Harmon (Community) and voiced Rick, Morty, and several other characters, had been charged with domestic violence. After prosecutors dismissed the charges, allegations of sexual assault and grooming attempts followed—and amid it all, he was fired from the show that had made him famous.

Roiland’s alleged behavior is awful, disturbing, and infuriating. But in some way, it’s been heartening to learn that Roiland had a seriously reduced role in making Rick and Morty in recent years. Harmon and other members of the creative team spoke about how Roiland had stopped writing or even coming into work since Season 3, performing the voices from home. Losing Roiland, then, seemed unlikely to affect the show’s quality going forward. But at the same time, Rick and Morty’s voices are a large part of the humor—could new actors replicate their trademark tenors without missing a beat?

Read more at The Daily Beast.