The Rick and Morty spin-off President Curtis has been dedicating a significant amount of time to building complex backstories for its new characters, a creative direction that has led to the season's least successful episodes, according to critics. This approach mirrors a mistake the original series, Rick and Morty, made in its earlier seasons.
In the episode "Knox," Special Agent Francis O'Doyle, revealed to be half-leprechaun, is framed for stealing gold from Fort Knox by his mother. The episode follows his efforts to clear his name with assistance from White House Chief of Staff Rho Banks. While President Curtis himself remains a strong lead, the show's focus on developing the lore and past of supporting characters like O'Doyle and Banks has been criticized for lacking humor and failing to engage the audience.
This tendency towards intricate lore-building echoes Rick and Morty's own struggles. For years, the writers of Rick and Morty engaged in a debate over whether the show should lean more episodic or serialized. While the exploration of Rick's background, the multiverse, and the Citadel of Ricks offered interesting narrative threads, it sometimes overshadowed the standalone adventures that fans had come to enjoy. Though the show has found a better balance in recent seasons, particularly after the Citadel's destruction, President Curtis appears to be repeating the earlier pitfalls.
Another episode, "Ghosts," also featured extensive mythos-building with Banks' origin as a cyborg confronting past traumas. Despite the depth of these storylines, critics noted a frustrating lack of comedic payoff, a stark contrast to the humor derived from characters like Jerry and Summer in the original series. President Curtis, portrayed by Keith David, is largely credited with carrying the comedic weight, with the supporting cast yet to establish similar memorable personalities.
The hope is that future episodes of President Curtis will shift focus from complex character origins and lore to the more immediate and bizarre historical narratives that have proven successful. The show's strengths are seen in its ability to explore unique premises, such as the secret son of JFK living on the Moon, rather than intricate backstories involving cyborgs and leprechauns. While the series has been renewed for a second season, a move towards more standalone, humor-driven stories is encouraged to avoid the narrative stumbles that plagued its predecessor.
