Season 1 – Common Side Effects

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1:09

Feb 2025

Comedy

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

28 Reviews

91%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

Two former high school lab partners stumble on a mushroom that can heal almost anything, apart from the corporate interests of the DEA, big pharma, and international businessmen.

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Critics Consensus

An addictive mix of expressive animation, heady concepts, and an offbeat sense of humor, Common Side Effects is a must-have prescription.

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Craig Mathieson

The Age (Australia)

Dec 11

4.5/5

Equal parts conspiracy thriller, psychedelic mystery, tender character study and action stimulant, Common Side Effects is a series for the here and now: a gripping us versus them adventure where the sides slyly keep changing.

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Alan Sepinwall

Rolling Stone

06/18/2025

The aesthetic is simultaneously off-putting and endearing, as if this is obviously not what people should look like, but in a way that suggests how hard it is for them to navigate this strange and broken world in which we all find ourselves.

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Coleman Spilde

Salon.com

04/07/2025

Creators Joe Bennett and Steve Hely are so adept at hooking viewers that it’s almost frightening.

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Bethan Ackerley

New Scientist

04/06/2025

Eventually, the messier elements of Common Side Effects do coalesce pretty much perfectly into a hopeful, humanistic show about making mistakes and how we go about healing.

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Isaiah Colbert

io9.com

04/03/2025

Common Side Effects is abound with lush and vivid background art; surreal, kaleidoscopic, fluid animation; and shocking violence—all working in concert with its suspenseful narrative.

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Yash K

@RT86575374 Aug 18

The execution of scenes given to animation staff is very good, but most things about the about story & some important moments were meh, felt half assed.

Nick P

@RT63399513 Aug 18

Perfect show. Well written voiced everything is just perfect.

Rosa C

@RT5678904221241 Aug 13

Absolutely brilliant, the voice acting shines through with such loveable characters.

Madge P

@Madge401 Aug 12

It’s incredible. Thought-provoking, trippy, great action and comedy. Highly recommend.

Leigh M

@bittersweet819 Aug 12

I enjoyed this show to the extent that I had to watch it twice. It was pretty good. I wonder if there's gonna be a Season 2

Alessandro M

@RT88274588 Aug 4

I can't understand the avalanche of positive reviews this series has gotten. It's just another 'couple on the run' story, with the Government and the multideath corporations and so on. Maybe it's the kind of pre-packaged conspiracy fluff that somehow manages to unite both the Left and the Right—who knows. It's definitely not the artwork, though. Oddly enough, the directing is its strongest point.

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Joseph Bennett

Creator

Steve Hely

Creator

Dave King

Marshall Cuso

Emily Pendergast

Frances Applewhite

Mike Judge

Rick Kruger

Martha Kelly

Agent Harrington

Episode 1

Aired Feb 2, 2025

Pilot

Marshall Cuso shows up in NYC with a mushroom that can cure any disease or injury; his old classmate, Frances, meets him by chance, but keeps secret that she works for Reutical, a pharmaceutical company.

Details

Episode 2

Aired Feb 2, 2025

Lakeshore Limited

Marshall is on the run, trying to flee New York; Frances confides to her boss, Rick, about the mushroom; Rick sends her to Marshall's farm to get more, but the situation gets out of hand.

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Episode 3

Aired Feb 9, 2025

Hildy

Marshall seeks advice from his old mentor Hildy; Copano and Harrington are drawn further into the mystery of the mushrooms obtained at the raid; Frances goes to Geneva with her boyfriend Nick and Rick but can't resist the call of the mushroom.

Details

Episode 4

Aired Feb 16, 2025

Dumpsite

Marshall buys a plot of land near a chemical waste site with a plan to grow more mushrooms; Frances rushes home from Europe after a huge development; Copano and Harrington investigate a connection between Marshall and Frances.

Details

Episode 5

Aired Feb 23, 2025

Star-Tel-Lite

Marshall, Frances, and their crazy neighbors deal with the aftermath of a dangerous incident.

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Episode 6

Aired Mar 2, 2025

In the System

Marshall arrives in jail and learns that some important people refuse to let him out, while danger lurks around every corner; Frances makes a fateful decision; Copano and Harrington pick up the pieces.

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Episode 7

Aired Mar 9, 2025

Blowfish

Another inmate rescues Marshall, but now Marshall owes him a favor; desperate to get out of prison, he works on a risky plan when he runs into a surprising ally; Frances grapples with a life-changing event.

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Episode 8

Aired Mar 16, 2025

Amelia & Wyatt

Marshall meets an old friend and forges a new plan; Frances receives terrible news and feels torn by it.

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Episode 9

Aired Mar 23, 2025

Cliff's Edge

Marshall finds out what Hildy is up to, but still faces obstacles; Copano and Harrington follow Marshall's trail.

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Episode 10

Aired Mar 30, 2025

Raid

Agents from the FBI and the DEA storm the site, with consequences; the fate of the mushroom is decided.

Details

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Common Side Effects: Season 1 Trailer 2

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Common Side Effects: Season 1 Trailer

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Director: Camille Bozec, Sean Buckelew, Benjy Brooke, Vincent Tsui
Creator: Joseph Bennett, Steve Hely
Executive Producer: Sean Buckelew, Greg Daniels, Dustin Davis, James Merrill, Suzanna Makkos, Mike Judge, Steve Hely, Juan Manuel Freire
Screenwriter: Joseph Bennett, Emma Barrie, Steve Hely, Jon Foor, Jean Kyoung Frazier, Dave King
Network: Adult Swim
Rating: TV-14
Genre: Comedy, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date: Feb 2, 2025

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Season 1 – Common Side Effects

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