Die-hard fans of Adult Swim's cult favorite hit Rick and Morty are jonesing for Season 3, but they'll have to settle instead for a Season 2 marathon this week on Cartoon Network—and the title characters' first-ever commercial.
This might not be what loyalists had in mind, but the 30-second spot for Carl's Jr. and Hardees pretty accurately captures the nattering, chaos and poor choices that make the series so much fun. That's likely because show creators Dan Harmon (Community) and Justin Roiland created the ad, with an assist from the burger joint's creative agency, 72andSunny, and media firm Initiative.
And the response, judging by the YouTube comments, has been pretty positive. "It says a lot about a show when your happy to see them even in sponsored shorts," says the most upvoted comment.
In the spot, mad scientist Rick busts into his grandson Morty's room in the middle of the night, not for an intergalactic adventure but for a fast-food parade. Morty is, predictably, apoplectic. Who wants to be rousted out of bed by a thieving Tex Mex Bacon Thickburger?
This is the second time the cable channel and the restaurant chain have mashed up animated stars with high-calorie sandwiches. Carl Brutananadilewski of Aqua Teen Hunger Force stripped down to a banana hammock and did his best Paris Hilton car-washing imitation last fall to hawk the chain's fresh-baked buns. Now Rick and Morty shill for bunch of anthropomorphized specialty burgers that sling sauce everywhere.
Entertaining? For sure. Appetizing? Maybe that's not the point.