Rick and Morty, which follows the interdimensional exploits of nihilistic mad scientist Rick Sanchez and his sweet, fretful grandson Morty Smith, became a near-instant classic upon its premiere in 2013. Started as a Back to the Future parody, the Rick and Morty blends sci-fi concepts with classic family drama, with Morty’s parents Jerry and Beth and his sister Summer often joining the titular pair on their cross-dimensional adventures.
Created by Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland, the now-legendary Adult Swim show has amassed a devoted fanbase, critical acclaim and become one of the premiere animated shows airing today.
With Rick and Morty Season 8 now fully released, there’s no better time to look back at some of the best episodes of all time. Here are our favorite Rick and Morty episodes.
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The Best Rick and Morty Episodes of All Time
It’s no easy task splitting the hairs of which episodes make a “best of” list and which don’t for any show. It’s especially hard for a show like Rick and Morty that is so beloved by a fanbase that harbors some strong opinions. But, here’s where the consensus stands on the top Rick and Morty episodes of all time.
Total Rickall (Season 2, Episode 4)
Memory parasites infiltrate the Smith household and implant false memories. Rick warns the family to be wary of any zany characters that appear out of nowhere. Just ask his new friend that he just met, Mr. Poopybutthole. The family must kill all the parasites, even ones that appear to be family and friends before they lose their grip on reality and themselves.
The Ricklantis Mixup (Season 3, Episode 7)
In the Ricklantis Mixup, Rick and Morty prepare to visit Atlantis when they meet a parallel Rick and Morty collecting donations for the Citadel Redevelopment Fund. Rick scoffs at the charity, since he was the one who destroyed the Citadel of Ricks in the first place. While our Rick and Morty jet off to Atlantis, the episode tells the story of the Citadel that has not only been rebuilt but is now populated entirely by Ricks and Mortys.
Pickle Rick (Season 3, Episode 3)
To avoid attending family therapy, Rick does what any mad scientist would do: He turns himself into a pickle. Soon enough, Pickle Rick finds himself in a metaphorical pickle when he’s swept into a sewer drain. This episode is a tale of the extreme lengths Rick Sanchez will travel to avoid emotional vulnerability, and it provides a strong case for why counseling is valuable.
Meeseeks and Destroy (Season 1, Episode 5)
Morty has had enough and tries to quit all future adventures with Rick. But the family is jonesing for science solutions, Jerry needs help with his golf game, Beth wants to become a more complete woman and Summer is desperate for a popularity boost at school. To help, Rick introduces Meeseeks boxes, helpful blue creatures who complete one task before disappearing and definitely not causing any chaos.
Rick Potion #9 (Season 1, Episode 6)
Morty asks Rick to create a love potion that will make his crush Jessica fall for him. The only thing that could possibly go wrong is if someone has the flu. Because then it will cause the potion to mutate, spread and turn earth into a Cronenberged dimension. But it’s not like kids at school ever get sick, so there’s nothing to worry about.
Rixty Minutes (Season 1, Episode 8)
Bored as he flicks through the channels, Rick installs interdimensional cable to get TV shows from across the multiverse. Meanwhile, Jerry, Beth and Summer become obsessed with viewing alternate versions of their lives, leading to marriage troubles and Summer questioning her existence. Morty consoles Summer with a line that should be painted on some reclaimed wood and hung in a living room: “Nobody exists on purpose, nobody belongs anywhere, everybody’s gonna die… come watch TV?”
Mortynight Run (Season 2, Episode 2)
Teaching Morty how to drive the flying saucer while on an important errand, Rick is shocked to find Jerry has snuck aboard the ship to witness this exciting moment in his son’s life. He can’t bring Jerry on the errand, and they can’t drop him off at home, so Rick decides to bring Jerry to Jerryboree, an intergalactic daycare for Jerrys. Meanwhile, Morty is mortified to learn that Rick’s important errand involves him selling a weapon to an alien assassin and tries to stop it.
Auto Erotic Assimilation (Season 2, Episode 3)
Rick reunites with his ex-lover Unity, a hive mind controlling an entire planet. The rekindling of their relationship quickly devolves into destruction that tears the planet apart, forcing Unity to leave Rick for everyone’s good. Heartbroken, Rick retreats to the basement to contemplate his life.
The Ricks Must Be Crazy (Season 2, Episode 6)
Rick and Morty enter the microverse Rick has created inside his car battery. Exploring nested universes and the ethics of creating life to serve as a power source, this episode balances multiple philosophical themes with the help of a character named Zeep Zanflorp. Find us another show that can do that.
Mortyplicity (Season 5, Episode 2)
Killer squids are after the Smith family, but thankfully Rick has created decoy families for this very purpose. But when the real and decoy families discover each other’s existence, the killer squids are old news and the battle gets familial.
Anatomy Park (Season 1, Episode 3)
Jerry is feeling conflicted for the holidays when he meets his mother’s lover who has turned his parents’ relationship into a throuple. Morty has a haunting holiday himself when he ends up at a theme park of infectious diseases inside the body of an amateur Santa.
Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind (Season 1, Episode 10)
It’s a humble morning for Rick who is sitting down to a nice breakfast when all of a sudden, he is kidnapped by a gang of alternate Ricks and brought to stand trial at the Council of Ricks for crimes against Ricks. The season one finale kicks off what will be a series-long adventure into the multiverse.
The Wedding Squanchers (Season 2, Episode 10)
Rick is invited to Birdperson and Tammy’s wedding but has no interest in attending. When Jerry is accidentally transported to the planet hosting, Rick has no choice but to bring the family along to save him.
The Vat of Acid Episode (Season 4, Episode 8)
Sick of the constant dangers of their adventures, Morty demands Rick build him a “save game” device so that he can live without fear of fatal consequences. Rick agrees but prefers his original “break in case of emergency” device: a vat of acid.
Unmortricken (Season 7, Episode 5)
Rick and Morty search the multiverse for Rick Prime and in the process team up with an old enemy to take him down. A high stakes chase across alternate timelines with alternate characters makes for one of Rick’s most daring and personal adventures.
Fear No Mort (Season 7, Episode 10)
Rick and Morty enter a new realm called the “Fear Hole” which forces them to confront their greatest fears. A “Carnival of Nightmares” leads Rick to seemingly reunites with his dead wife Diane as Morty faces his fear of public ridicule.
A Rickle in Time (Season 2, Episode 1)
After unfreezing time from the previous season’s finale, Rick, Morty and Summer accidentally create dimensional rifts and parallel universes. An attempt to coral them ends up with Albert Einstein getting bullied. It’ll all make sense when you see it.
The Rickshank Rickdemption (Season 3, Episode 1)
The Season 3 premiere opens on Rick’s imprisonment in the galactic jail. In an attempt to free him, Beth, Jerry, Summer and Morty contend with the Council of Ricks and the Citadel of Ricks. We’re now taking guesses for how you think the Chicken McNuggets Szechuan sauce factors into all of this.
Morty’s Mind Blowers (Season 3, Episode 8)
After another one of their harrowing interdimensional adventures, Rick wants to settle in for some relaxing Interdimensional Cable. But Morty wants to rid his mind of the memory looping in his head. Rick agrees and introduces Morty to the secret underground chamber beneath the garage that contains Morty’s archived memories. What could go wrong!
Edge of Tomorty: Rick Die Rickpeat (Season 4, Episode 1)
Rick takes Morty on a morning adventure to Forbodulon Prime to get some death crystals, which allow the holder to see their possible deaths. When Morty accidentally comes into possession of one of them and sees some of his possible deaths, he… uh… doesn’t handle it well.
Rattlestar Ricklactica (Season 4, Episode 5)
After accidentally killing a space snake astronaut, Morty tries to make amends by sending an Earth snake as replacement. Instead, the intelligent snake society learns about alien life, develops time travel and seeks to wage war against the Smiths.
Star Mort Rickturn of the Jerri (Season 4, Episode 10)
The family does a Star Wars where Beth confronts her clone, Space Beth before they are both captured by the Galactic Federation. Rick finds himself preoccupied trying to stop a megaweapon from destroying Earth.
Mort Dinner Rick Andre (Season 5, Episode 1)
Rick must make peace with his oceanic nemesis Mr. Nimbus, who accuses him of violating an ancient treaty. Morty finds himself in the most nerve-wracking situation of his young life: A movie date with Jessica.
Rickmurai Jack (Season 5, Episode 10)
Rickmurai Jack opens with Rick’s crow obsession and anime series-style action sequences established in the prior episode. Soon, Rick is caught in the crosshairs of Evil Morty and Rick Prime as he tries to bring down the Central Finite Curve.
Solaricks (Season 6, Episode 1)
Picking right up from the season five finale, Rick and Morty float through the ruins of the Citadel of Ricks without functioning portal technology. When Space Beth comes to the rescue, Rick tries to fix his portal gun but accidentally sends everyone to their home dimensions. Another of those, it’ll make sense when you get there episodes.
Night Family (Season 6, Episode 4)
Rick creates a device that lets his sleeping body do the things he doesn’t have time for while he’s awake. When the Smith family finds out, they want in. Things take a horrifying turn when they’re night selves rebel against their day selves for trapping them in a hell of tedious tasks.
Lawnmower Dog (Season 1, Episode 2)
When Jerry wants a quick fix for Snuffles peeing on the carpet, Rick reluctantly gives him a device that will enhances the dog’s intelligence, but not without risk. In an attempt to get Morty good grades from now on, Rick installs an Inception device to trick his teacher into giving Morty all A’s.
M. Night Shaym-Aliens! (Season 1, Episode 4)
Rick, Morty and Jerry find themselves trapped in a labyrinth of virtual reality simulations by aliens trying to steal Rick’s dark matter formula. As Rick and Morty try to escape from the simulation, Jerry reaps the rewards of a “world” that keeps coming up Jerry.
Big Trouble in Little Sanchez (Season 2, Episode 7)
When it’s learned that vampires are real and they attacked a lunch lady at Morty’s school, Rick transfers his consciousness into a teenage clone to help fight vampires at the school. Meanwhile, amidst a marital spat, Rick sends Beth and Jerry to alien couples therapy.
Look Who’s Purging Now (Season 2, Episode 9)
On a search for some wiper fluid, Rick and Morty get caught in an alien planet’s Purge festival. Morty wants to help those in trouble while Rick is just trying to find the wiper fluid and enjoy the spectacle.
Interdimensional Cable 2: Tempting Fate (Season 2, Episode 8)
When Jerry accidentally eats from an ice cream pint Rick was using to develop a mutant bacteria, he’s rushed to an alien hospital. Rick, unsatisfied with what’s playing on the waiting room TV, rigs up his inter-dimensional crystal for interdimensional cable.
The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy (Season 3, Episode 5)
Rick takes a down-in-the-dumps Jerry on an intergalactic adventure to a resort where guests are immortal. Meanwhile, Summer, in a self-conscious emotional space of her own, uses one of Rick’s inventions for her own vanity.
Rest and Ricklaxation (Season 3, Episode 6)
After another traumatic adventure, Rick and Morty decide they need some time to unwind. They visit an alien spa and try out a new detox machine that removes their negative personality traits. But it naturally doesn’t go as planned and they soon find themselves wondering if those traits were so bad after all.
The Old Man and the Seat (Season 4, Episode 2)
Jerry helps develop a dating app with Rick’s intern Glootie and it’s so effective that Summer is whisked away by paramour after paramour. Right after Rick explicitly told Jerry not to work on Glootie’s app, he discovers someone has been using his secret toilet. Just great!
Mort Ragnarick (Season 7, Episode 9)
When Rick can’t enter the afterlife due to briefly killing Jerry, he has Bigfoot kill him so he can rob Valhalla of an infinite energy source. But not on the Pope’s watch.
Hot Rick (Season 8, Episode 10)
Rick discovers Memory Rick has infiltrated Jerry’s mind. Rick and Beth hunt him down in Jerry’s body and get a trip down memory lane along the way.
Summer of All Fears (Season 8, Episode 1)
Rick punishes Morty and Summer for not returning his phone charger by placing them in a Matrix. But when he falls asleep at the controls, the punishment goes much farther than he planned for and Morty and Summer seek their revenge.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many seasons of Rick and Morty have been released?
There are currently eight seasons of Rick and Morty.
What happened to Justin Roiland from Rick and Morty?
Justin Roiland, the series co-creator and longtime voice actor for both Rick and Morty, was fired from the show over domestic violence charges and allegations of workplace misconduct.
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