‘Rick and Morty’ Season 9 Episode 5 Release Date and Time: Here’s When ‘Jer Bud’ Is Coming and Why Jerry’s Already Having a Terrible Time

The wait between episodes of ‘Rick and Morty‘ season 9 is one of the finer forms of weekly television torture, and the countdown to episode 5 is no exception. With the season already delivering some genuinely wild installments, the next chapter is shaping up to be a Jerry Smith spotlight nobody asked for but probably everyone needs.

‘Rick and Morty’ season 9 episode 5, titled “Jer Bud,” premieres on Sunday, June 21, 2026, at 11 p.m. ET and PT on Adult Swim. That gives fans just under a week to process what the previous episode threw at them before diving headfirst into whatever worm-related chaos is heading Jerry’s way next.

The ‘Jer Bud’ Adult Swim Premiere Time and What Fans Know So Far

“Jer Bud” is the fifth episode of the ninth season of ‘Rick and Morty’ and the 86th episode of the series overall. It carries a TV-14-DLV rating. The episode’s official logline, as listed on Rotten Tomatoes, reads simply: “Man’s best friend, bro.” Cryptic, classically on brand, and absolutely promising.

In a 30-second preview, Space Beth, Beth, and Rick meet up with someone named Sweet Marie in what appears to be an attempt to cure Jerry of some kind of worm infestation. Rick, naturally, seems less interested in saving his son-in-law and more intrigued by the potential business angle of a worm operation. Sweet Marie’s henchmen also enter the scene, revealing her plan to go after the Smith family.

The title is a reference to the film ‘Air Bud,’ and this marks the fifth episode in the show’s history to include Jerry’s name, following earlier entries like “Star Mort Rickturn of the Jerri,” “Gotron Jerrysis Rickvangelion,” “The Jerrick Trap,” and “The Last Temptation of Jerry.” Jerry-centric episodes tend to walk a tightrope between poignant and painfully funny, and the setup here already suggests both are in play.

The ‘Rick and Morty’ Season 9 Episode Release Date Schedule

‘Rick and Morty’ season 9 premiered on Adult Swim on May 24, 2026, at 11 p.m. EST, with new episodes dropping weekly on Sundays at the same time. The season is scheduled to wrap up on July 26, 2026. That finale episode is reportedly titled ‘Field of Dreams,’ and a Blu-Ray and DVD release has already been set for November 3, 2026.

The full episode lineup so far runs as follows: ‘There’s Something About Morty’ on May 25, ‘Ricks Days, Seven Nights’ on June 1, ‘Rick Fu Hustle’ on June 8, and ‘A Ricker Runs Through It’ on June 15. “Jer Bud” on June 21 slots in as the season’s midpoint arrival, and the momentum heading into it is real.

Adult Swim also renewed ‘Rick and Morty’ through season 10 back in 2023 and then extended the order through season 12 in 2024, a run that would carry the show through at least 2029. Each new episode now carries the weight of a franchise that is clearly in it for the long game.

Where to Watch ‘Rick and Morty’ Season 9 Online

For fans not subscribing to cable, all new episodes are heading to Hulu and HBO Max beginning June 15, 2026, well ahead of the originally announced August 31 streaming date. That means episode 5 should land on both platforms very shortly after its Adult Swim premiere.

Warner Bros. Discovery confirmed that ‘Rick and Morty’ season 9 is launching globally in over 170 countries and streaming in 42 languages. The reach of this show is genuinely staggering at this point, and the accelerated streaming window reflects a broader industry shift toward closing the gap between broadcast and platform availability.

Showrunner Scott Marder addressed the situation directly, telling The Wrap that he and Dan Harmon have long pushed to shrink the window between Adult Swim and streaming. “I don’t know how it fell into that distribution model. We are constantly trying to shrink that window,” Marder said. “I don’t see the benefit of it.”

What Happened in Episode 4 Before ‘Jer Bud’

The previous episode, “A Ricker Runs Through It,” centered on Rick entering his garage password incorrectly too many times while drunk, sending the facility into lockdown. While he and Morty argued, a friend named Reese showed up and the trio headed out on a fly fishing trip. The episode later revealed that Reese was not a real person at all.

Owen Wilson voiced Reese in the episode. His delivery of the line about Rick and Morty being the real deal despite their constant fighting gave the episode its emotional anchor. The episode concluded with Rick and Morty transferring a cloud-like being from Jerry into Reese’s body, giving Reese a kind of second life.

It was a quietly affecting half-hour that balanced the show’s signature chaos with something resembling genuine feeling. “Jer Bud” seems poised to swing the pendulum back toward absurdist disaster, this time with Jerry at the center of a worm conspiracy he almost certainly did not see coming.

Adult Swim promised a season 9 that is “bigger, bolder, and more ambitious than ever,” and the early episodes have largely backed that up. Whether “Jer Bud” becomes a standout or a wild detour, it arrives with enough setup to make Sunday night feel urgent again. If you’ve been watching this season, share your predictions for what Sweet Marie actually has planned for the Smiths and whether Jerry’s worm problem is about to become everyone’s worm problem.