Justin Roiland was dropped from the series earlier this year (Picture: Adult Swim)
Rick and Morty fans have expressed their frustration after being left ‘disappointed’ by the new voice actors who have replaced axed Justin Roiland – although others have disagreed.
In January this year, it was announced that Adult Swim – the TV channel where the animated sitcom airs – had cut ties with Roiland, after he faced charges of domestic abuse.
A couple months later, he was cleared of the charges, and he wrote in a statement published on social media: ‘I have always known that these claims were false – and I never had any doubt that this day would come.’
Last month, it was alleged in an NBC News expose that he used his fame to develop relationships with young fans, some of whom were underage.
Metro.co.uk contacted Roiland’s representatives for comment at the time, with his attorney, Andrew Brettler, telling NBC News that the allegations made against the animator were ‘false and defamatory’.
On Sunday October 15, Rick and Morty returned for its new seventh season, the first without Roiland voicing the two lead characters, Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith.
The seventh season has brought a new era to the series as newcomers voice Rick and Morty (Picture: Adult Swim)
Some viewers who tuned in to watch immediately noted how different they thought Rick and Morty sounded, with one saying that the newcomers – Ian Cardoni as Rick and Harry Belden as Morty – ‘are just sound-alikes’, adding that ‘the show is definitely suffering for it’.
‘Super disappointed in the voice change,’ another said, as someone else wrote: ‘Really considering boycotting #RickAndMorty. The voices are close, but no cigar. Rick and Morty both sound so off. It’s pretty close sometimes, there’s other parts where it doesn’t sound like him at all.’
One person described the change as ‘terrible’, while another remarked that in their opinion, ‘it legit sounds horrible’.
However, others reacted far more favourably to Roiland’s replacements.
‘Great start! The new voice actors sound damn near identical. I mean, you can hear a slight difference on Rick’s voice, but you get used to it quickly,’ one stated on X (formerly Twitter).
Roiland co-created the animated series with Dan Harmon (Picture: Michael Kovac/Getty Images for IMDb)
‘New voices are chef’s kiss,’ someone else said, as another chimed in to add: ‘Immediately I picked up on the voice change but it’s really really close.’
One fan called out the other viewers who had been critical of the new voice actors.
‘All the people who hated the premiere are really just letting the new voices get to them for no reason at all! The voices are perfect, yes you can hear a slight and I mean SLIGHT difference but it’s not bad! Y’all are just hating for the sake of hating honestly!’ they affirmed.
‘Just finished watching the season 7 premiere and I was not disappointed. Proves it can go on without Justin Roiland although the new voices will take a little time to get used to but it almost sounds the same. Even the heart of the show didn’t change,’ another shared.
In addition to the reactions over the new voice actors, fans were also left in a state of awe after Hugh Jackman was revealed to be guest-starring in the season premiere as a fictionalised version of himself.
Rick and Morty airs on Adult Swim, with new episodes broadcast on Channel 4’s platform in the UK.
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Others jumped in to defend the newcomers.