‘Rick and Morty’ Creator Dan Harmon Reveals the Complex Leprechaun Lore Invented for His New Show
Dan Harmon, co-creator of Rick and Morty, has built an elaborate leprechaun mythology for his new Adult Swim spinoff President Curtis, expanding the show's lore in much the same way his flagship series evolved beyond its original sitcom parody format. The workplace comedy, which follows President Andre Curtis and his staff, has already tackled vampires, werewolves and witches, but episode 8, "Knox", focuses on Secret Service agent Francis O'Doyle, whose leprechaun heritage becomes central to the plot when his mother Orla attempts to rob Fort Knox.
Harmon and co-creator James Siciliano said they wanted President Curtis to feel more grounded than Rick and Morty, drawing comparisons to The X-Files rather than Doctor Who, and opted to treat leprechauns as an ancient, pre-human species akin to Star Trek's Vulcans rather than aliens. They described leprechauns as a decentralised matriarchy with stomachs capable of smelting gold, explaining their fondness for the metal as practical rather than greedy. The episode ends with Orla imprisoned in a paranormal facility in the Bermuda Triangle, seemingly as part of a deliberate scheme, hinting she will return in a likely second season. President Curtis airs at 11:30pm ET on Adult Swim and follows a day later on HBO Max.
- Dan Harmon invents detailed leprechaun lore for spinoff show President Curtis
- Episode 8 explores agent O'Doyle's half-leprechaun backstory and his mother Orla's heist
- Leprechauns depicted as ancient, Vulcan-like species predating humans
New here? Start with this
Dan Harmon, who co-created Rick and Morty, has a new animated comedy on Adult Swim called President Curtis, made with James Siciliano. It centres on a fictional American president, Andre Curtis, and his staff, and has already brought in supernatural elements such as vampires and werewolves alongside its workplace comedy setup.
In a new episode, one of the president's Secret Service agents turns out to have leprechaun ancestry, and the story follows his mother's attempt to rob Fort Knox. Harmon and Siciliano have built out a detailed backstory for leprechauns in the show, presenting them as an ancient species rather than a magical or alien one, with their own social structure and reasons for valuing gold.
This matters because it shows how President Curtis, though a separate show, is following a similar pattern to Rick and Morty by steadily deepening its own fictional universe. The episode's ending also sets up a plotline that suggests the storyline will continue if the series is renewed.