Not too long ago, the common perception about animation was one of being a thing for kids, just a silly colorful time waster without any seriousness and depth. But the perception of animation both in film and television has shifted over the past two to three decades thanks to the successes of Pixar and some TV shows. The Simpsons [seasons 2-8], South Park, Archer and more recently Bojack Horseman are, in my opinion, some one of the best TV series ever made, these shows gave animation credibility among the audience and media.

I’m bringing this up because many might have a hard time believing that an animated TV show loosely based on Doc and Marty from Back to the Future about the journeys of a burnt out drunk crazy scientist and his grandson through dimensions and universes, is among the best TV shows out there. I am talking about Rick and Morty (Adult Swim) created by Justin Roiland (Adventure Time) and Dan Harmon (Community)

Rick And Morty was based on Roiland's short films The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti, — and it has got to be one of the greatest Sci-Fi comedies ever written since Futurama's original airing. Rick (voiced by Roiland), is a mad scientist with a shock of blue hair and a near-permanent slick of spittle and booze on his chin, and Morty (also voiced by Roiland) is his 14-year-old scared and uptight grandson. Rick and Morty is intelligent, funny, and raunchy in all the right ways. The animation is very well done and the writing is extremely clever. Each episode take the protagonists on a new adventure that feels like a mix of Doctor Who and Futurama, but with a lot more crueler humor.

The show dabbles in serious matters while presenting them in a comical style, like for instance the alcoholic grandpa Rick has the awesome realization, that hardly anything we do really matters, so we, as the audience can just accept it and laugh at that. I don’t think the series would ever work as a live action show, firstly because it would be a bit depressing for most people due to the nihilistic views of Rick [which I personally love] if he wasn’t an animated character and secondly because it would be very expensive to make all the special effects and C.G. graphics necessary.

I just finished binge-watch the long awaited second season that just aired on Adult Swim over the summer. The ten episodes are full of strong entries, aside from a few missteps. This season was definitely darker than the first one in its storytelling, with moments like Rick trying to kill himself or being too drunk to actually accomplish anything as well as a very grim finale with a massive cliffhanger that makes me want season three to start now.

The second season of Rick and Morty is all about Rick Sanchez. Several storylines are about his past, including a former romance and the reasons behind his longstanding interplanetary friendships. There’s also a serious underlying theme where Rick is facing life-changing decisions not just for himself, but for the whole Smith family that he has to keep leaving behind for their own safety. Season two took everything up a notch, the music was very well picked, there were so many great tracks used, they really helped set the tone for each episode, some of these tracks will make you laugh, some dance and others cry, it’s a great mix. This season also had some of the best cameos on television, Christina Hendricks, Patton Oswald and Stephen Colbert just to name a few. The worst thing about season two of Rick and Morty is that I will have to wait for a long time until season three.

Roiland and Harmon really knows how to hit fans in the feels, they push the boundaries of what is acceptable and what is insane but they do it so well that you really can’t help but love the show and If you have not watched yet you should check it out, you won’t be disappointed.