Recently, Fast Company spoke with Dan Harmon about the third season of the hit animated series he co-created with Justin Roiland, Rick and Morty. Although there was no space for it in the piece we published, one of Harmon’s remarks from the interview seems worthy of an outlet in its own right. Below, he talks about striving to make a show that demands repeat viewings.
Related: Pickle Rick and Space Prison: Inside “Rick and Morty” Season 3 With Dan Harmon
“We’re definitely aiming for re-watchability, 100%,” Harmon says. “It’s certainly the way people watch TV now. There are still shows that are delicious on a single viewing that you’d probably never think about watching again. And if those shows are successful right now in that sense, it’s because they’re so huge they can count on a syndication package down the line. For instance, I just watched five episodes of Seinfeld at 3 a.m. with my girlfriend and in their own way, network sitcoms like that can be re-watchable over a period of 15 years if they’re really good. But we’re now in an era of TV where I think your content–if you want to be talked about at work–you need it to be re-watchable in an almost immediate sense. You want to create something that cries out to the viewer, ‘Please watch me again tomorrow! Or do a marathon with your friend next week!’ We kind of consider that a bar we need to hit to make Rick and Morty relevant.”
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