Rick and Morty‘s new spinoff will begin on July 26 at Adult Swim the same night the original show’s ninth season ends. President Curtis will see Keith David’s Commander-in-Chief having his own adventures free of the multiverse’s drunkest grandpa. Considering how many times Rick and Morty have partnered with (or against) their world’s POTUS, it’s been unclear exactly how this new show will differentiate itself from the old one. But co-creators Dan Harmon and James Siciliano have provided an analogy any alien-loving pop culture nerd will understand. They said if Rick and Morty is the franchise’s Doctor Who, then President Curtis is its X Files.
Harmon and Siciliano spoke to Deadline about their upcoming spinoff, which will start with a quick meta crossover to address “the elephant in the room.” Once Rick and Morty depart, though, they say President Curtis quickly establishes its own “staff and world.” The show will also separate itself from its popular predecessor in the kind of stories it tells. Here’s what Harmon said about why they wanted to do the series. He also addresses why it is different from the show that created David’s POTUS (who is slightly retconned to be a lot less worried about his approval ratings and a lot more focused on saving all Americans):
If we wanted Rick to do an X Files-level mission on Earth, like going to find the Hodag in Rhinelander, Wisconsin or the Loch Ness Monsters, he could do that, but his circle is broader. The comparison I make is it’s like Doctor Who and The X Files. Both involve aliens, but you have a different perspective there. It allows the tonality to stay the same, but it’s not redundant.
Essentially we’re getting the same kind of Rick and Morty silliness, but with a different scope. The multiverse is out, ghosts and local monsters are in. Sounds good. Especially when we know just how funny President Curtis already is.