‘Rick and Morty‘ Roasts Hulu ‘Comedy‘ in Latest Episode
Rick Sanchez doesn’t seem to be a fan of Jiro Dreams of Sushi.
Unlike many of its contemporaries in 2025, Rick and Morty is one of those rare comedy shows wherein each episode is full of jokes that make you laugh, usually through the use of humor. In a modern media landscape where the “comedy” genre includes so many streaming-original movies and TV shows that explore themes of trauma, grief and addiction with all the humor and playfulness of an end-of-life planning checklist, the Adult Swim mega-hit manages to touch on various sensitive topics with a gleeful lack of taste and through ample jokes that leave fans crying from laughter instead of regular, unfunny crying.
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In tonight’s episode “Valkyrick,” the Rick and Morty writers took a shot at the home of the movement to redefine the word “comedy” when it comes to awards consideration, as well as their own streaming hub: Hulu. Hopefully, the streaming giant is better at taking a joke than writing one.
Following the above cold-open to “Valkyrick,” the episode cuts to Rick eating at the cool sushi spot deep in the garage’s sub-basement first introduced in the Season Six finale “Ricktional Mortpoon’s Rickmas Mortcation.” After failing to secure an extraction from The Defiance following a not-botched assassination, Space Beth interrupts Rick’s sushi-hammering session to ask for backup, reticently telling her father, “Well, uh, funny story — or, maybe not that funny.”
Rick then cheekily replies, “Are you pitching a Hulu original?”
While this lighthearted dig doesn’t textually call out any specific Hulu series, it’s likely a ribbing reference to the critically revered, laugh-a-season, FX-on-Hulu original series The Bear, the success of which first sparked the still-raging debate in pop culture over whether a show can be considered a comedy if it can go an entire episode without even attempting a single joke.
Well, when The Bear returns on June 25th, it will have the opportunity to change Rick’s mind about how funny Hulu originals can be. Or, at the very least, it can showcase some bomb sushi — he might appreciate that even more than an actual joke every now and then.
