Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Season 1 – Common Side Effects

Play trailer 1:09 Poster for Season 1 – Common Side Effects 2025 Comedy Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
100% Tomatometer 27 Reviews 89% Popcornmeter 100+ 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.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

Common Side Effects — Season 1

Common Side Effects — Season 1

What to Know

Critics Consensus

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

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (27) Critics Reviews
Coleman Spilde Salon.com Creators Joe Bennett and Steve Hely are so adept at hooking viewers that it’s almost frightening. Apr 7, 2025 Full Review Roxana Hadadi New York Magazine/Vulture This animated world may revolve around a fantastical fungus, but it contains all of our real-world frustrations, as well as our questions, about what we can actually do to improve how normalized our miseries have become. Mar 31, 2025 Full Review Judy Berman TIME Magazine But for all its big names and ambitious themes, Common Side Effects feels, in the best way possible, like the kind of indie-animation oddity you might‘ve stumbled upon at 3 a.m. on ‘90s MTV. Mar 4, 2025 Full Review Bethan Ackerley New Scientist 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. Apr 6, 2025 Full Review Isaiah Colbert io9.com 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. Apr 3, 2025 Full Review Chris McCoy Memphis Flyer Don’t let the animation fool you into thinking this show isn’t a serious work of art. Mar 27, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (56) audience reviews
Ricardo D Got 3 episodes in. Too weird and boring to continue. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 05/08/25 Full Review Andrei D Has a few ideas but has to stretch them out to make obvious points using barely sketched characters that feel more like collections of quirks Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 04/30/25 Full Review Sarah M As good as any Quentin Tarantino film. Better than breaking bad. Really really brilliant Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/13/25 Full Review Juan Carlos O Al principio me costó valorar la animación, pero terminó sorprendiendo mucho. La historia es excelente. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 04/10/25 Full Review Tyler B It seems like the people who dislike this are the same people who think the D.A.R.E program works. I'm a school teacher. I'm not a proponent of illicit drugs. What I do know is, that while this is a fictional story, it depicts perfectly the issue with big pharma. Who knows how many different treatments and medically beneficial substances have been created. They want us unhealthy. As someone who has watched people I love succumb to various different neurological diseases, I know this isn't real. But dammit, it's wonderful to see people being healed. This isn't "drugs". This is something more. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/09/25 Full Review Onthatile M With it's colorful cast of characters, unique premise and fairly nostalgic animation and art style, this show culminates into a piece of work you don't see very often in todays productions, it deserves all the credit it's been receiving. Highly recommend. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/07/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Common Side Effects — Season 1

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

View All Cast and Crew

Joseph Bennett

Creator

Steve Hely

Creator

Dave King

Marshall Cuso

Emily Pendergast

Frances Applewhite

Mike Judge

Rick Kruger

Martha Kelly

Agent Harrington

Episodes

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. Details 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. 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. Details 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. Details 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. Details Episode 8 Aired Mar 16, 2025 Amelia & Wyatt Marshall meets an old friend and forges a new plan; Frances receives bad news and is therefore torn. Details Episode 9 Aired Mar 23, 2025 Cliff's Edge Marshall finds out what Hildy is up to, but still faces obstacles; Copano and Harrington get on Marshall's trail. Details 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
View All videos

Common Side Effects — Season 1

Common Side Effects: Season 1 Trailer 2 Common Side Effects: Season 1 Trailer 2 1:09 Common Side Effects: Season 1 Trailer Common Side Effects: Season 1 Trailer 1:30 View more videos
View All Common Side Effects — Season 1 photos

Common Side Effects — Season 1

Common Side Effects Common Side Effects Common Side Effects View more photos

Season Info

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
Genre
Comedy, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date
Feb 2, 2025