Rick and Morty - Ah Geez, Fans, I Dunno

[// Pregenerate link to episode ahead of time: - clicktotweet.com- sharelinkgenerator.com]: # This week, are we getting Rick-ity wrecked in order to learn about Rick and Morty fandom? Not exactly, but I guess that's the waaaaaaaay the news goes. We ARE chatting with Tyler Marchant (host of the [Cynical Cartoons Podcast](http://www.futurehorsepod.com/)) to learn more about the fandom and the appeal of Rick and Morty! Next week, we'll be visiting the Ministry of Silly Walks to learn more about fans of Monty Python! ## Where can I learn more about Tyler Marchant? The best way to learn more about Tyler are to check out his podcasts, [Cynical Cartoons](http://www.futurehorsepod.com/category/cynical-cartoons/) or [Tynami](http://www.futurehorsepod.com/category/tynami/). You can also [support him on Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/Futurehorse)! ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **History and Origins:** > Rick and Morty is an American adult animated science-fiction sitcom created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon for Cartoon Network's late-night programming block Adult Swim. The series follows the misadventures of cynical mad scientist Rick Sanchez and his fretful, easily influenced grandson Morty Smith, who split their time between domestic life and interdimensional adventures. The series premiered on December 2, 2013, and the third season concluded on October 1, 2017. A fourth season has been mentioned, first by Harmon in a September 2017 interview, and later in the post-credits scene of the third season's finale. > > — [Wikipedia - Rick and Morty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_and_Morty) **Search Data:** [Interest in Rick and Morty is definitely on the rise](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=today%205-y&q=%2Fm%2F0z6p24j), overall (though is in a recent period of decline). It has had some huge spikes in interest, namely at the beginning of October 2015 (airing of season two premiere) and much more dramatically April 1, 2017 (Secret season three premiere) and during July to October 2017 (the remainder of season three). The top 10 countries, by search volume, are: Canada, Australia, United States, New Zealand, Ireland, Russia, Belarus, United Kingdom, Norway, and Israel. **Size of Fandom:** Based on the data... - There are over 700 000 subscribers to [r/rickandmorty](https://www.reddit.com/r/rickandmorty/) (the 75th most active subreddit, according to [this YouGov article](https://today.yougov.com/news/2017/10/23/dont-underestimate-rick-and-morty-fans/)) - It has [almost 200 000 ratings on IMDB](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2861424/ratings?ref_=tt_ov_rt) (and a score of 9.3 / 10) Based on the scant data available, we would estimate the number of fans to be in the **low millions**. **Fan Demographics:** According to a [data provided by YouGov](https://today.yougov.com/news/2017/10/23/dont-underestimate-rick-and-morty-fans/): > - 70% of fans are men > - 44% are ages 25-34 > - 36% make less than $30 000 annually > - 87% use the internet as their primary source of information > - 71% think that ads are a waste of time > - 68% consider themselves to be introverts > - 61% don't feel there's a sense of community where they live > > — [YouGov - Don't underestimate Rick and Morty fans](https://today.yougov.com/news/2017/10/23/dont-underestimate-rick-and-morty-fans/) [// Older male millenials ]: # **Fast Facts:** - Archive Of Our Own has over [2500 Rick and Morty fan works](https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Rick%20and%20Morty/works) - ...Over 800 are rated as 'Explicit' - ...Over 1300 are categroized as M/M, over 500 as F/M, and almost 500 as Gen - ...The largest non-Rick and Morty fandom crossover: Gravity Falls (almost 400) ### [Last Episode's](http://fanthropological.com/e/overwatch-team-fortress-2-but-with-more-diversity-fight-me/) Famous Last Words **Z** Does the Sci-fi help Rick and Morty transcend English? **G** What makes people think that they're watching a 'smart' show? How does that influence how they feel about watching Rick and Morty? **T** Why did they greenlight the show based on the short, Doc and Mharti? [// In 2006, Roiland was fired from working on a television series he regarded as intensely creatively stifling, and funneled his creative energies into creating a webisode for Channel 101. The result was The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti, an animated short starring parodies of Doc Brown and Marty McFly, characters from the Back to the Future film trilogy. In the short, which Harmon would dub "a bastardization, a pornographic vandalization", Doc Smith urges Mharti that the solution to all of his problems is to give him oral sex. The audience reacted to it wildly, and Roiland began creating more shorts involving the characters, which soon evolved beyond his original intentions and their obvious origin within the film from which it was culled ]: # [// Harmon was briefly fired from Community. Adult Swim, searching for a more prime-time, "hit" show,[6] approached Harmon shortly afterward, who initially viewed the channel as unfit for his style. He also was unfamiliar with animation, and his process for creating television focuses more heavily on dialogue, characters, and story.[5] Instead, he phoned Roiland to inquire if he had any ideas for an animated series. Roiland immediately brought up the idea of using the Doc and Mharti characters, renamed Rick and Morty. ]: # ### The Verdict **G is in.** Has enjoyed all the episodes... **T is out.** Has a hard time associating with fans. Something to watch, like _American Dad_ or _Family Guy_. **Z is out.** Competed for attention and lost. **Tyler is in.** Came in guns blazing to take the show down... but wants to support it. Owes a lot to the show. ### This week's spotlight **[Take This](http://www.takethis.org/)** _Take this_ is a registered non-profit in the United States that was started in 2013 by veteran journalists Russ Pitts and Susan Arendt and clinical psychologist Dr. Mark Kline, Psy.D. in response to the tragic suicide of a colleague of theirs. The organization is known for running "AFK Rooms" at different conventions and in general hopes to help fans who are dealing with mental health issues (among other things). **[The 2018 Fandom Survey](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScsdtskIFcb-m6BuZ8HwjsTDBApouWOdOO1HVVbAuY-cQBuhA/viewform)** We want to learn more about fans, regardless of fandom. Please help us, help you learn more about fans by completing the 2018 Fandom Survey! Results will be compiled towards the end of the year. [// Plugs go here ]: # ### Famous Last Words This week's famous last words around *next week's* fandom, Monty Python! **G** Why does reciting a thing that you're watching it make it better?? **Tyler** How important is it to a fan to have grown up watching it? **T** Why do so many groups ape Monty Python given a lot of their appeal is their absurdity and unpredictability? **Z** Is being a Monty Python fan being an Anglophile (or vice versa)? ## Where can you find us online? We are everywhere! Most notably though, we like to hang out in a few places on social media: - If you want to help us to create more amazing fannish content, become a patron on [Patreon](http://patreon.com/thenickscast); even as little as a dollar a month pledge really helps us out! - If you want to be part of our podcast (or just want to check us out), we record our podcast LIVE on [twitch.tv](http://twitch.tv/thenickscast) every Monday at 20:00 Eastern Time! - For all the latest updates, check us out on [Facebook](https://facebook.com/thenickscast) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thenickscast) - To see the latest hijinx from our conventions or even our daily lives and adventures, check us out on [Instagram](https://instagram.com/thenickscast) - For our latest convention updates, *Let's Plays*, and other in-real-life video, [check out our YouTube channel](http://youtube.com/thenickscast) - We're also on [iTunes](https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/fanthropological/id1163621210), and [Google Play](https://play.google.com/music/m/Icmngxz7yhaoivdvivvf6q6c2pu?t=Fanthropological), and would love it if you could leave a review and rating! - if you want to reach us, and for some reason none of those work for you, try [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) - You can check out [our website](http://thenickscast.com); that will mostly bring you back to this stuff. - Everything is `thenickscast`, so if you can't find us, go on your social network and search for that! ## What is "Fanthropological"? How did you read this far without asking this question?! Fanthropological is an anthropological (ish) podcast where we bring the fan's-eye view to you! Each week, we take a look at a different fandom, dig up interesting background, trivia, and history, and try to get to why it is that people are a fan. We also try to highlight good causes related to that fandom, and find interesting things that fans have created to share those to the world. Each episode is about an hour. Ish. ## Who is "The Nickscast"? *We* are the Nickscast! Three products of late-80s / early-90s pop culture who love exploring fandom and everything geek ... who also happen to have been best buddies since high school, and all happen to be named Nick. Yes, we are super creative (dare we say, the _most_ creative). *Ahem* We are Nick Green, Nick Terwoord, and Nick Zacharewicz: We started the Nickscast as a labour of love, and as a place to entertain and to discuss our love of fans and fandom, and all that is shiny and interesting in that realm. It's what lead us to start our first podcast, our satellite podcasts, Fanthropological, and so much more. We want to help others learn more about different fandoms, and to create empathy with other fans: We dream of a world where other fans aren't "those Weird-o's", but just folks with different tastes. A world where fandom is full of discourse and analysis, and there are plenty of tools and resources to help. Fans building communities to do good in the world. *Because everyone's a fan.* ## Credits ### Sources - [Archive Of Our Own - Rick and Morty works](https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Rick%20and%20Morty/works) - [Google Trends - Rick and Morty](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=today%205-y&q=%2Fm%2F0z6p24j) - [r/rickandmorty - Home](https://www.reddit.com/r/rickandmorty/) - [YouGov - Don't underestimate Rick and Morty fans](https://today.yougov.com/news/2017/10/23/dont-underestimate-rick-and-morty-fans/) - [Wikipedia - Rick and Morty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_and_Morty) - [AVClub - Rick And Morty’s worst fans don’t deserve Rick And Morty](https://www.avclub.com/rick-and-morty-s-worst-fans-don-t-deserve-rick-and-mort-1818667256) - [AVClub - Rick And Morty fans are going to war with each other over this Szechuan sauce thing](https://www.avclub.com/rick-and-morty-fans-are-going-to-war-with-each-other-ov-1819283376) - [Know your meme - To Be Fair, You Have To Have a Very High IQ to Understand Rick and Morty](http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/to-be-fair-you-have-to-have-a-very-high-iq-to-understand-rick-and-morty) - [Lifehacker - Horrible Rick & Morty Fans Demonstrate How Not to Be a Fan](https://lifehacker.com/horrible-rick-morty-fans-demonstrate-how-not-to-be-a-1818972295) - [Al Araby - Serial Rick Wemorti: Why Not Have a Laugh?](https://www.microsofttranslator.com/bv.aspx?dl=en&mkt=en-CA&ref=SERP&refd=www.bing.com&r=true&a=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.alaraby.co.uk%2Fjeel%2Fculture%2F2017%2F10%2F10%2F%25D9%2585%25D8%25B3%25D9%2584%25D8%25B3%25D9%2584-%25D8%25B1%25D9%258A%25D9%2583-%25D9%2588%25D9%2585%25D9%2588%25D8%25B1%25D8%25AA%25D9%258A-%25D9%2585%25D8%25A7%25D8%25B0%25D8%25A7-%25D9%2586%25D9%2585%25D9%2584%25D9%2583-%25D8%25BA%25D9%258A%25D8%25B1-%25D8%25A7%25D9%2584%25D8%25B6%25D8%25AD%25D9%2583) - [El Mundo - The 10 + 1 Reasons Why “Rick & Morty” is the Best (Animation) Series of the Moment](https://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.elmundo.es/f5/mira/2017/07/30/597b5e7b468aeb6b788b45f2.html&prev=search) - [IGN (Spain) - Why We Like “Rick and Morty”](https://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://es.ign.com/movies/72744/blog/por-que-nos-gusta-rick-and-morty&prev=search) - [Know Your Meme - Rick and Morty Fans](http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/rick-and-morty-fans) - [Les Inrockuptibles - “Rick and Morty” The Most Sad and Poetic Comic Animated Series of the Moment](https://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=https://www.lesinrocks.com/2015/08/26/series/rick-and-morty-la-serie-animee-comique-la-plus-triste-et-poetique-du-moment-11769384/&prev=search) - [Quora - What Is so Addicting[sic] about “Rick and Morty”? Why?](https://www.quora.com/What-is-so-addicting-about-Rick-and-Morty-Why) - [r/RickAndMorty - Home](https://www.reddit.com/r/rickandmorty/) - [Silenzine - How Much Do You Know about Rick and Morty? [Quiz]](https://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=https://www.silenzine.com/cuanto-sabes-rick-y-morty/&prev=search) - [Topito - Top 15 Reasons to Watch “Rick and Morty,” The Best Animated Cartoon of Life](https://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.topito.com/top-raison-rick-et-morty-serie-peferction&prev=search) - [Vice - Is “Rick and Morty” as Smart as Its Fans Think It Is?](https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/59dba8/is-rick-and-morty-as-smart-as-its-fans-think-it-is) - [Vice - The Story Behind that “Rick and Morty” House](https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/8x8ajp/the-story-behind-that-rick-and-morty-house) - [Vice - Why Broke Millennials Love “Rick and Morty”](https://www.vice.com/en_id/article/bj8zyd/why-broke-millennials-love-rick-and-morty) - [Wikipedia - Rick and Morty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_and_Morty) - [YouTube - Werner Herzog Explains Human Culture](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw1cdRew-Zg) - [Zhihu - I Want to Go Crazy with You -- “Rick and Mortimer” Commentary](https://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=zh-CN&u=https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/22005937&prev=search) ### Music / Sound - ["Rick and Morty Remix"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhdXgSUrCCI) by Leslie Wai - All other music and sound for this week's episode were provided by Nick Green! ### Artwork - ["Glasses"](https://thenounproject.com/term/glasses/132894) by [Anton Anuchin](https://thenounproject.com/antonwebium) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/) - [“Vortex”](https://thenounproject.com/icon/22970/) by [Eliricon](https://thenounproject.com/mordarius) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/) - [“Drunk”](https://thenounproject.com/term/drunk/17063/) by [Matt Brooks](https://thenounproject.com/Mattebrooks) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)