How Disney Cancelled the Really Gay Solar Opposites
- Fred
- Aug 3
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 6
Way, way back in the year 2013, Rick Harmon and Justin Roiland premiered their cartoon Rick and Morty on Adult Swim and, almost immediately, the cartoon was a massive hit. Almost right from the rip, it generated millions in merchandise.
But the animation process was a mess. Harmon's background was in sitcoms and Roiland's was in edgy animation. The first Disney cartoon, ironically, was almost 100 years ago, and Harmon and Roiland treated the actual process of making cartoons like it was harder than splitting the atom.
Despite being renewed for a 7 season, 70 episode extension after Season 3, it had taken the duo 4 years just to make the first 30 episodes. Then the show celebrated their renewal with a 2 year hiatus. There were loud and persistent rumors that there were major behind-the-scenes issues.
Almost immediately after getting the Rick and Morty renewal, Justin Roiland signed a deal to create Solar Opposites for Hulu. Unknown to the public, Roiland was the subject of internal investigations at Cartoon Network for bad behavior with fans and other female writers. Before word leaked out about those investigations, Roiland developed a second series for Hulu, Koala Man.
In the year 2020, Hulu reported that Solar Opposites was its most watched animated program.
Also unknown to the public, Rick and Morty had cut Roiland out of the creative and production process and simply sent the series' co-creator scripts to record his voice parts at his own home.
But in the grand scheme of things, none of that really mattered.
If Solar Opposites co-creator Mike McMahan wanted to keep Solar Opposites going, he had the juice to keep the series afloat.
Or did he?
Despite stellar numbers for Hulu, and the Solar Opposites promoting the hell out of Hulu itself, technically Hulu doesn't exist. It has been assimilated by the Disney Death Star.
You don't like the sci-fi mixed metaphor? That's what Disney wants in a nutshell. On one front, they want to appear LGBT Friendly to make money and to lure creative types, while on the other hand, they want to appear Conservatively Family-Based so they can market Snow White, Lady and the Tramp, and the Little Mermaid in perpetuity.
And the Solar Opposites are, by far, the gayest cartoon I have ever seen. They are over-the-top, raunchy, LGBT boundary pushers.
This is pure speculation, but I think that Mike McMahon signed a deal with Comedy Central in 2024 to produce the animated version of the Golden Axe to get off of a sinking ship.
But the business of animation is booming. Earlier this year, Fox announced additional seasons of the Simpsons, Family Guy, Bob's Burgers, and American Dad! It makes no sense whatsoever to end production of a very popular Solar Opposites.
This is where I would have guessed that Fox would probably pick up Solar Opposites, but if Fox buys out the cartoon, who would be the showrunner? And where would they stream it? Back on Hulu with their other shows, which is owned by Disney? Very doubtful. Could Netflix swoop in and reboot it with the same voice actors but an entirely different production team? Highly unlikely.
I asked AI, "why is Solar Opposites ending? "Solar Opposites is ending because, while it could have continued, the creators decided to conclude it with a satisfying ending for the main story arc, particularly the storyline involving the Wall."
I don't believe that for a second.
Could there be a spinoff of "The Wall" storyline, or the "Silvercops" storyline? Again, as I write this article, I am watching ads for a rebooted King of the Hill and a twice-cancelled Futurama, both also on Hulu, which is like saying Disney.
Solar Opposites is not a cult YouTube production, it has proven it can pull big numbers on a corporate platform. Shows like that just don't go away....
Unless someone doesn't like your content.
Editor's Note - 3 days later:
Solar Opposites co-creator Mike McMahan confirmed the show was not "brought to an end," but cancelled. Hopes to land "somewhere else."
Comments