Rick and Morty's new voices took six months to find

It's been almost a full decade since Rick and Morty first premiered on Adult Swim, but none of its many twists and turns have shaken the animated sci-fi comedy series as much as co-creator Justin Roiland's firing from the cult series after allegations of domestic violence and "troubling behavior" reports surfaced. Now, season 7 has just started airing without him behind the iconic voices of the titular characters.

Such a huge but needed change for the show wasn't done quickly, as showrunner Scott Marder and co-creator Dan Harmon (of Community fame) explained to The Hollywood Reporter: "We heard thousands. It went on for six months. It was really wide. It almost went so wide that we debated doing a global hotline though we knew it would wind up being a prank line", explained Marder. "Rick was a lot harder than I expected; everyone sounded like Macho Man Randy Savage or like a cousin of his. No one sounded exactly like Rick. It was tricky". They eventually cast Ian Cardoni (Clear History) in the role.

As for Morty, Rick's grandson, the part went to Harry Belden (Joe Pera Talks with You). According to Harmon, Morty is "becoming less and less of a punching bag and more of a partner to Rick", which is something fans and casual audiences alike have noticed over the years. Of course, this natural evolution and the new voices give the creatives the chance to maybe do "more changing", but they're not rushing to do so: "Another way of asking what you’re asking is to say once we’ve watched two seasons of the show from here and we’re back in a writers room saying, “Is it going to affect our writing of the characters having lived with these new voices for a while?” On a nuanced level, for sure. Assuming we keep watching the show while we’re writing."

The full interview is well worth a read if you're a huge Rick and Morty fan, or maybe are planning to jump back in after some time away from the show, as it gives some great insights into much of the larger creative process that surrounds the two iconic characters and where things may be going in the near future.

On top of Rick and Morty's seventh season, there's plenty of great shows to watch right now on streaming and broadcast TV, and way more to look forward to. Figure out your calendar with our always-updated guide to all the major upcoming TV shows.