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Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, the creators of Rick and Morty, had a tough act to follow. Season 1 introduced Rick, a mad scientist and self-destructive alcoholic with deep-seated emotional problems, and his grandson Morty, the sometimes reluctant companion on Rick’s dark, violent, and often emotionally scarring “adventures”. This dark send-up of the mad scientist/plucky sidekick pairing seen in Back to the Future, Doctor Who, Jonny Quest, and countless other films and shows quickly developed into something far more ambitious. Rather than settling for an edgy parody of Sci-Fi Adventure tropes, Roiland and Harmon soon began incorporating moments of genuine pathos, in-depth characterisation, and an elaborately realised and wildly imaginative mythology, while simultaneously undercutting it all by deconstructing the genre. Following that up was an unenviable task, but the second season manages to match the quality of the first and then some.

While season 1 largely focused on Morty, and the trauma Rick regularly puts him through, this season has taken a closer look at Rick, and the deep sadness and pain that compels him to act the way he does. In Auto-Erotic Assimilation, Rick encounters an old flame (who happens to be a planet-occupying hivemind), and is left in a suicidal state after she leaves him due to his destructive tendencies. Big Trouble in Little Sanchez places Rick’s brain in the body of a teenager, causing his suppressed unhappiness to bubble to the surface. While things always return to relative normality by the start of the next episode, things are intentionally left unresolved, and breed lingering doubts that hang over the show’s head.

Throughout all this serious, depressing subject matter, the show remains absolutely hilarious. In Get Schwifty Rick and Morty take a break from their existential crises to save the earth through the power of song; Total Rickall serves as an extended parody of clip-shows; and Mortynight Run features Morty befriending a majestic cosmic being named “Fart”. The voice acting is also top notch, with Justin Roiland pulling double duty as Rick and Morty alongside a massive range of guest actors, including Christina Hendricks, Keith David, and Stephen Colbert. Season 2 also features some of the most ingenious concepts of the series so far, the standout being The Ricks Must Be Crazy, in which Rick and Morty journey into the microscopic universe within Rick’s car battery. By doubling down on the creative energy of the previous season, Roiland and Harmon have cemented Rick and Morty as easily one of the best adult cartoons ever made.

You can watch Rick and Morty Season 2 for free at adultswim.com, two weeks after the episodes come out in America.