At Comic-Con 2025, Adult Swim announced President Curtis, a new Rick and Morty spinoff built around Keith David’s chaos-agent commander-in-chief. It’s a sharp move. Curtis has always had presence, and now the show finally meets the scale of the performance.

“President Curtis has always been one of our favorite characters to write — he’s the only person in the multiverse who can go toe-to-toe with Rick and still hold office,” said series creators Dan Harmon and James Siciliano. “Now we finally get to go on sci-fi missions from Curtis’ point of view. And with Keith David leading the charge, it’s going to be a wild ride.”

David added, “President Curtis has always been a blast to play. Getting to explore his world more deeply in this new series is a dream. I can’t wait for fans to see what kind of chaos he stirs up when Rick isn’t around to steal the spotlight.”

The legendary scene-stealer has long been the secret weapon of whatever he’s in: animated or live action, villain or statesman. If you know, you know. His voice alone carries authority. But what makes this announcement hit harder is what came before it.

Earlier this year, David starred in Duster, a stylized crime drama where he played Ezra Saxton, a character so calmly menacing he made every scene feel like it could explode. That show had teeth. It also had almost no time to live. HBO Max pulled the plug after one season, and I wrote about that loss here.

Which is why I’m so excited about this President Curtis announcement. The show builds around David from the start. And because it’s animated, there’s no chance his character gets sidelined or written out, which happens far too often.

And there’s real potential in the setup. Rick and Morty has always explored power through the lens of chaos, but this spinoff lets institutional power take center stage. According to Deadline, the show will follow the President and his team as they deal with everything “from interdimensional diplomacy to paranormal investigations and unexplained phenomena.” The possibilities are endless!

Even if it turns out to be 22 minutes of presidential meltdowns and intergalactic double-crosses, I’m in. David can carry absurdity with the same weight he brought to Duster’s silences and that’s exactly what this kind of series needs.

In a year where bold, original shows keep getting cut short, it’s good to see Adult Swim double down on what works: sharp writing, weird stakes and a lead who can run the table.