Obviously, Dan Harmon Didn’t Throw Shade at ‘Game of Thrones’
Earlier this week, the Internet directed its collective side-eye at Dan Harmon when this apparent Game of Thrones dis aired immediately following Sunday night’s episode of Rick and Morty (the same night GoT aired its much-buzzed-about Season 7 finale):
Some fans and critics like Vulture’s Hunter Harris assumed that the short spot was a post-credits, post-stinger, post-vanity card vanity card courtesy of Harmon and co. Harmon had to go so far as to post a withering response via Instagram, inexplicably directed at some poor imagined Adult Swim intern:
What Harmon neglects to explain, and what would have been obvious to anyone who actually watches Rick and Morty when it airs on Adult Swim, is that these interstitial promos are a hallmark of the network. These “bumps,” as they’re known, are generally 15-second network promos that air between shows. Usually it’s just a black screen with a random joke in white text, followed by the Adult Swim logo, but they frequently get weird, reflecting the late-night programming block’s absurdist, stoner vibe.
The bumps have become kind of an art form. The site BumpWorthy has archived every single bump since 2001, and Adult Swim released an app in which fans can create their own interstitial jokes.
Chalk the whole misunderstanding up to Harmon’s signature meta-humor, but it still feels odd that this even became a thing. Oh, and it’s probably safe to assume that someone—maybe an intern!—at Adult Swim is crafting a bump in response to Harmon’s response right now!
