The show never really read against him in the first place. Despite all the opposition Rick gets, his philosophy and viewpoint always turn out to be right in the end.

The closest they get is showing Rick as sad but even then it plays into the self-felating "tragic smart guy" who isn't understood by the sheeple around him.

Yeah again, it's immature art, since the mature artist isn't concerned with making sure people read things exactly right (think of Verhoeven GOD and chuds reading Starship Troopers as rah rah - granted in that case they're telling on themselves a bit..)