'Rick and Morty' Wins Best Animated Series at 2018 Critics' Choice Awards

Rick & Morty took home the prize for Best Animated Series at the Critics' Choice Awards Thursday.

The irreverent Adult Swim comedy, created by Justin Roiland and Community creator Dan Harmon, beat out FX's Archer, FOX's The Simpsons and Bob's Burgers, Netflix's BoJack Horseman, and Amazon's Danger & Eggs.

Rick & Morty is expected to debut its fourth season sometime in late 2019.

"They really take their time," said series writer Ryan Ridley. "I never understood why everybody — all parties, Dan, Justin, and Adult Swim — didn't get their shit together, and make the show fast; I just don't get it. It doesn't make any sense to me. I'm sure they all have their reasons."

Harmon, who was fired from cult-hit Community in its fourth season, wants to prove that he's "grown" with Rick & Morty season 4.

"I want to prove it with the first 10 [episodes] of season four — prove it to ourselves, to production, to the network — that it's so easy that we'll earn additional episodes," Harmon said. "Because I never got this far on Community."

The Rick & Morty showrunner made headlines earlier this month for his treatment towards Community writer Megan Ganz, who Harmon says he treated "like garbage."

Harmon added he "stained" the NBC comedy and Ganz's talent with his "selfish, childish sh—t."

Rick & Morty drew the ire of McDonald's workers in past months for its Szechaun Sauce promotion, inspired by scientist Rick's taste for the sauce that was once a limited-time-only promotional dipping sauce offered by McDonald's restaurants in partnership with the 1998 animated Disney movie Mulan.

"It's just a f—king dipping sauce, guys," Roiland said, following controversies raised by McDonald's revival of the now highly coveted condiment. Fan outrage inspired by limited quantities of the sauce later caused McDonald's to bring Szechaun sauce back in bigger numbers.

Rick & Morty's third season delivered Adult Swim its highest-ever ratings, making the 'toon the #1 comedy on television with adults ages 18 to 24 and 18 to 34.

The fan-favorite animated show has inspired video games, top-selling apparel lines at Spencer's and Hot Topic stores, a virtual reality game, and a comic book series. Rick & Morty returns to Adult Swim sometime in 2019.