Before Rick And Morty became a runaway smash hit on Adult Swim, creator Dan Harmon lead another cult favorite TV show. Unlike Rick And Morty, Harmon's show Community was plagued with drama, scandals, and multiple cancellations. Despite low ratings and internal conflict, over the years Community has been recognized as one of the best sitcoms of the 2010s.
Since Community never got a fair chance at success, and creator Dan Harmon still loves his NBC sitcom, both shows are fittingly full of references to each other. Whether it is through guest stars, throw away gags, or background easter eggs, here are ten times that Rick And Morty crossed-over with Community.
10 Tony Hale Guest Starred On Both Shows
Dan Harmon has a tradition of working with the same friends on multiple projects, so there are many instances of cast and crew crossing over on both shows. Tony Hale, who is best known for playing Buster on Arrested Development represents one of those instances.
In the season 1 episode of Community entitled "Beginner Pottery," Hale plays a neurotic pottery teacher who can't stand students who do impressions of the pottery scene from Ghost. Hale's character in the season 3 episode of Rick And Morty is a member of the post-apocalyptic Deathstalker gang named Eli. Eli lives next to Summer in shabby suburbia during her brief stay in the Mad Max-esque universe.
9 Abed And Rachel Watch Rick And Morty
This little easter egg is a blink-and-you-miss-it level of detail. During the season 5 episode of Community entitled "Analysis Of Cork-Based Networking," keen-eyed viewers will spot Rachel and Abed watching Rick And Morty on TV.
The easter egg is hard to spot as it takes place during a montage while the camera quickly pans around the two characters. It is unclear which episode of Rick And Morty they are watching, although it is likely from season 1 as both aired in 2014. There is probably some eagle-eyed fan that can deduce the exact episode and moment from a single frame.
8 Keith David Guest Starred On Rick And Morty
Keith David joined the cast of Community in the sixth and final season, along with Paget Brewster. On the show, David plays Elroy Patashnik, a washed-up tech mogul who previously made innovations in VR technology. When the VR fad passes, Elroy decides to reinvent himself at Greendale Community College.
Keith David's role on Rick And Morty is a lot more memorable than Elroy Patashnik. David plays the president in the season 3 finale of Rick And Morty, who finds himself in an ego-fueled contest with Rick Sanchez.
7 John Oliver Guest Starred On Rick And Morty
John Oliver played the recurring role of Ian Duncan on Community, an alcoholic psychology professor who is old friends with Jeff Winger. His character on the show was the first indicator of the types of characters that would become a staple of Community's run on television.
In season 1 of Rick And Morty, John Oliver also plays Dr. Xenon Bloom, a microscopic doctor leading a tiny team in building a theme park inside of a homeless person. This episode is not only a great parody of Jurassic Park, but it is also a modern staple of Christmas TV specials.
6 Jim Rash Guest Starred On Rick And Morty
Jim Rash is another Community regular who made their way into the Rick And Morty sound booth. On Community, Jim Rash played the fan-favorite Dean Pelton, an eccentric administrator desperate to be part of the study group. Dean Pelton was best known for taking any opportunity to wear gender-bending costumes as well as his corny dean-related puns.
Jim Rash guest-starred in season 2, episode 7 of Rick And Morty as an intergalactic marriage counselor and therapist, Glexo Slim Slom. When Jerry and Beth's marriage proves to be too much for him to handle, the counselor declares their relationship the worst he has ever encountered before fleeing for his life.
5 Justin Roiland Cameo In Community's Series Finale
Justin Roiland is Dan Harmon's other half on Rick And Morty. He is credited as co-creator of the show as well as for providing a plethora of voices, including those of the show's title characters. It's quite poetic that Roiland cameos in Community's final episode, a perfect send-off towards bigger, better, and more animated things.
Roiland plays a fittingly off-the-wall character, named Ice Cube Head. Instead of appearing in the flesh like the rest of Community's cast, Roiland does what he is best at and provides his talented voicework for the puppeteered character.
4 Gillian Jacobs Guest Starred On Rick And Morty
Gillian Jacobs was one of the staples of Community throughout its entire run. On the show, Gillian plays Britta Perry and is often the butt of the gang's jokes due to her hypocritical hippie nature. Britta's humor comes from her total lack of self-awareness and how relentlessly she ruins everything. There's a reason why every other character on the show says that Britta is the worst.
On Rick And Morty, Jacobs guest-starred as Supernova, who is a cosmic superhero and member of The Vindicators. The Vindicators episode of Rick And Morty was effectively a parody of The Avengers, and Jacobs's comedic style was a welcome addition to the team.
3 Rick's Private Bathroom Was Originally An Idea From Community
The season 2 episode of Rick And Morty entitled "The Old Man and the Seat" became an instant classic as soon as it aired. In it, Rick relishes in having a private bathroom surrounded by alien beauty. Conflict ensues when he realizes his bathroom was used by someone else, and Rick goes out of his way to find and punish said pooper.
In an interview with The Independent, creator Dan Harmon revealed that this plotline was originally created with Community in mind. Harmon states that "There was one concept that was always floating in the air which was the idea of doing an episode about Jeff Winger being a shy pooper. I ended up grafting that over to Rick and Morty."
2 Joel McHale Guest Starred On Rick And Morty
If Gillian Jacobs's character was Community's punching back, then Joel McHale's character was the heart at the center of it all. On Community, McHale plays Jeff Winger, the quintessential slacker. He is too cool for school, but he has a heart of gold and a meticulously gelled haircut which evokes just the right amount of "I don't give a damn."
In the season 3 episode of Rick And Morty, entitled "Rickmancing The Stone," McHale plays the bucket-headed badass, Hemorrhage. Like his character on Community, Hemorrhage has a rough exterior that hides a sensitive and insecure interior.
1 The Unity Community Gag
Perhaps the most obvious cross-over between Rick And Morty and Community takes place in the season 2 episode entitled "Auto Erotic Assimilation." In this episode, Rick gets back together with his hive-mind ex-girlfriend, named Unity. Unity is able to take over the minds and bodies of countless individuals, assimilating them into her control.
Unity uses her power to entertain Rick throughout the episode, and that involves making him her own version of Community. During the gag, Rick watches TV and tells Unity “Ok, now make them cry, but happy cry. Now make them all make fun of the blonde one. Now make them all do it on the table. I can’t believe you created a whole show for me. Now cancel it. Ok, now put it back on. Alright, I’m bored.” Rick's commentary sarcastically surmises Community's entire run, including its unceremonious double cancellation.
