Family Guy has never shied away from making jokes at the expense of others, from politicians to other TV shows to its own cast members, but in season 19, it surprisingly took a shot at fellow animated series Ricky and Morty. In Family Guy season 19, episode 13, “PeTerminator,” Stewie cracks a joke aimed at the other super successful TV show, and it felt a little more personal than usual. Stewie and Brian are on a mission to discover who sent a Terminator – modeled on Peter – back in time and to do so, they use Rick’s portal gun from Rick and Morty. Stewie quips, “I stole it from Rick and Morty–they borrowed plenty from us.” It comes across as a pointed shot, and there are several reasons why the creators of Family Guy could be accusing Rick and Morty of copying them.
Family Guy is no stranger to rivalry. The now infamous double episode in South Park season 10, “Cartoonwars,” deconstructed Family Guy’s entire approach to joke writing and Family Guy has since poked fun at South Park’s animation style. Family Guy has mocked the Simpsons several times, including in season 7, episode 9, “The Juice is Loose” when Mayor Adam West says to Homer, “We don’t love ya’ like we did in 1993.” The showrunners have even taken shots at spinoff series The Cleveland Show and its eventual cancellation. Despite this, Family Guy has mostly steered clear of criticizing Rick and Morty, which made the accusation of copying even more surprising.
While Family Guy continues to be an undeniable success, its viewers have been steadily dropping off. It started off strong, with 22 million viewers for season 1, episode 1, “Death has a Shadow,” and seasons 2 to 12 enjoyed a strong average of 6 to 7 million viewers per episode. However, in recent years the figures have fallen and most recently season 20 dropped below 2 million per episode for the first time. Rick and Morty’s figures have never really wavered and have sat comfortably around the 1 million per episode mark for its entire five-season run. Additionally, it has received consistent critical acclaim, while later seasons of Family Guy haven’t been so well received. This is despite the fact that Family Guy led the way in making adult animation more mainstream and Rick and Morty would have found it difficult to find the success it has without Family Guy doing it first. The creators could be accusing Rick and Morty of copying the success of Family Guy while riding its coattails.
There are also more literal examples of Rick and Morty copying Family Guy. In Family Guy season 8, episode 1, “Road to the Multiverse,” Family Guy introduces the idea of Stewie and Brian jumping between universes through a device invented by Stewie. The show utilizes this concept multiple times in future seasons. Rick and Morty’s entire premise revolves around an oddball duo traversing the multiverse with the aid of a device invented by Rick, his portal gun, despite it premiering years after the Family Guy episode. It’s likely why Family Guy took the opportunity to “steal” Rick’s gun back in season 19–it belonged to Family Guy first. A more specific incident is Family Guy season 9, episode 7, “Road to the North Pole,” where Stewie replaces himself and Brian with robot versions of themselves at the dinner table. In Ricky and Morty, season 3, episode 2, “Rickmancing the Stone” Rick replaces Morty and Beth in exactly the same way, during a scene set around the dinner table.
With Family Guy‘s viewership declining in recent years while Ricky and Morty continues to develop a cult following with consistently well reviewed seasons, the frustration is understandable. With some very similar story beats cropping up in both shows, it’s unsurprising that Family Guy’s writers took a bit of a swipe at their competitor. It’s unlikely that it will be the last shot Family Guy takes at Rick and Morty as long as the two series are on air.
