Rick And Morty Creator Dan Harmon Has A Galaxy Brained Take On Canon You Have To Read To Believe

Dan Harmon, “Rick and Morty” co-creator and the thoughts behind “Community,” considerably revolutionized the up to date strategy to character growth through the Dan Harmon Story Circle. Harmon’s framework is efficient for almost each kind of storytelling, together with narrative options and episodic tv. At the time of publication, he has earned three Primetime Emmy Awards, which is to say that he is aware of a factor or two about storytelling. I lately attended a FYC screening for Adult Swim in honor of “Smiling Friends,” “Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal,” “HAHA, You Clowns,” and “Rick & Morty,” which included Tartakovsky, Joe Cappa, and Harmon having a dialog with Adult Swim President Michael Ouweleen.

Tartakovsky, Cappa, and Harmon characterize three completely different generations of animated showrunners, and every brings wildly completely different vitality to the fold. Cappa, as an illustration, was precisely as quietly sensible as he was when I interviewed him about “HAHA, You Clowns” last fallwhereas Tartakovsky stays a dwelling legend within the house, identical to he was when we spoke about his 2025 film “Fixed.” Harmon, nonetheless, is the one one of many trio that I’ve but to get face time with, although after years of listening to him discuss his course of, it is laborious to not see him like an eccentric professor spouting profundities between intergalactic jokes dripping with darkish, existential nihilism.

At one level through the dialog, Harmon talked about “hating canon” regardless of the viewers loving it, prompting a query from members of the Television Academy within the viewers about his stance. His response was probably the most Dan Harmon reply conceivable, explaining that his relationship to canon as a author is like an aeronautical engineer’s relationship with gravity. It’s the type of galaxy-brained strategy to storytelling I anticipate from somebody like him, however very like his Story Circle, it is one thing I can not cease enthusiastic about.

Canon, for these unaware of its precise which means, is the physique of labor accepted as genuine and authoritative inside fiction media. It’s the official storyline and the sanctioned guidelines by which a narrative should abide. It is “Star Wars” canon that Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker’s father, whereas every little thing within the animated anthology collection “Star Wars Visions” is non-canonical. For Dan Harmon, who has to juggle multiverses, time touring, and alternate realities on “Rick and Morty,” canon can complicate issues. As he defined when requested to elaborate on his emotions about canon:

“The metaphor I use is that canon, ie, serialization, what we all love about television — I don’t want people to misunderstand that I think it’s wrong, it’s just, I equate it with gravity if you work in aeronautics. It’s like, the whole point of what you’re doing, it only works with it there, but it’s the thing you are fighting against. The whole point is to defy it. It is what brings everything down, and yes, your goal is to succumb to it.”

Canon is the anchor that retains chaos in examine, then, even when it means setting guardrails for inventive expression. Harmon additionally admitted that he fears canon as a result of if the story is compelling sufficient for audiences to spend money on the characters you have created, “it just elevates the chances for you to do things wrong.” Ultimately, Harmon mentioned, “It’s a me problem. I’m scared of commitment.” I’ve in contrast his reference to canon to that of a poisonous relationship. “The audience and I trust each other too much, and I come home drunk and just s*** my pants.” He then joked, “That’s not a metaphor. It happens. You can Google it. I just got my doctor to tell me it’s normal.”

One of the core appeals of a present like “Rick & Morty” lies in its limitless potentialities, with unpredictable storytelling that offers audiences a anything-goes model of comedy that continually breaks expectations. After explaining his emotions about canon, Dan Harmon was additionally requested how his well-known Story Circle matches with these emotions and, in flip, how obedient he’s to the construction that he famously created. Unsurprisingly, Harmon’s strategy is one primarily based on breaking the foundations as soon as you have mastered them. This is how I put it:

“I believe story models are supposed to be like compasses. So, it’s like, you take mushrooms and go to Joshua Tree. If you can find your way to your car while you’re tripping balls, then you’re Quentin Tarantino. You don’t need a story model. Like, good, go with that. If you don’t know where you parked, then there are age-old techniques like putting a stick in the sand, and moss will grow on the north side of it. That, to me, is what story models are supposed to be for. If you barf out a story that is satisfying, you’re Michael Jordan. Who cares what a double dribble is?”

He’s clearly doing one thing proper. “Rick & Morty” remains one of the most popular animated shows on television and boasts a rabid fandom that rivals that of any main legacy IP. And you do not attain that stage of success or recognition with out a story that audiences care about.