The animated television series "Rick and Morty" was created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon. Roiland is also known for voicing the main characters Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith in the show until 2023. The show first premiered on Adult Swim in December 2013 and combines science fiction with dark humor and satire. The creation of the series originated from an animated short parody of "Back to the Future" that Roiland made for Channel 101, a short film festival co-founded by Harmon. The two creators had been collaborators since their meeting at Channel 101 and developed the show together with Adult Swim's encouragement to build a family around the characters as part of the storyline.