Why you should watch Common Side Effects? Everything to know about the new Adult Swim series before you tune in
Common Side Effects season 1 came to a close last week when its final episode premiered on March 30, 2025. The episode, which was titled Raid, brought all of its plots together to deliver an explosive finale while also setting up story beats for season 2 which is currently in development right now. However, with the show being a new release, it only did pick up much traction towards the end.
Common Side Effects follows a man by the name of Marshall, an ethnobotanist and mycologist, who stumbles upon a blue mushroom that can cure any kind of illness. However, this also puts him into a bunch of trouble as big corporations don't want him releasing it to the general public.
It's a show that's all kinds of weird, exciting, and emotionally impactful and it is topped with some great animation to it.
Note: The opinions mentioned in this article are that of the writer. It doesn't reflect Sportskeeda as a whole.
Did Common Side Effects live up to the hype or fall flat?
Common Side Effects definitely did live up to the hype. An original and innovative animated show, it's one of the best things to come out of Adult Swim's catalogue of projects. One of the finest aspects of Common Side Effects is its animation style. To have a good visual style, the show needs to match the tone of the plot, and the animation and the tone work in tandem together here.
The show has all kinds of weird idiosyncrasies— from tiny weird beings to grotesque moments of body horror, it's a style that is able to blend it all its innovativeness into a single package. Not to mention, the quality of the animation itself is high and there are frames that absolutely stand out as a massive highlight.
Common Side Effects bolsters an exciting conspiracy
In Common Side Effects, Marshall is constantly on the run from the big pharma company known as Reutical— who are shown to be the main antagonists of the show. One of its board members, Jonas, doesn't want the blue mushroom to make it to the market, so he puts out a hit on Marshall to make sure it never happens. This leads into a whirlwind of exciting events.
From Marshall ending up in jail, having to give up his love for Frances, and more— it paints an exciting conspiracy that is fuelled by emotional stakes. Every character is complicated in their own way, but they never come across as annoying. This is all thanks to these people being portrayed in a realistic manner that helps the viewers form an easy connection with them.
The characters of Marshall and Frances are exciting characters to follow around too as Dave King and Emily Pendergast bring depth to these characters. The two DEA agents Copano and Harrington voiced by Joseph Lee and Martha Kelly are a ton of fun too.
So, if you're looking to bite the bullet and give the show a chance, then don't wait any further as you certainly won't be disappointed by it.
All episodes of Common Side Effects season 1 are currently streaming on Max right now with season 2 in development too.
For further updates on the show, be sure to stay tuned with us.
