Earlier this year, Netflix done went and pulled the plug on Scavengers Reign, one of 2023’s best shows that was originally on Adult Swim. The good news is, that show’s production company Green Street has a new series coming next year called Common Side Effects, and it looks every bit as visually stunning as Scavengers did.
Created by Scavengers co-creator Joe Bennett and Veep’s Steve Hely, Common Side Effects focuses on Marshall (Dave King) and Frances (Emily Pendergast), a pair of former high school labmates who discover a mushroom capable of healing almost any disease. That kind of miracle drug would be an amazing discovery in real life, so it’s no surprise when a bunch of interested parties show up looking to take it from Marshall, including phamaceutical corporations hoping to make some big bucks off of it. As he goes on the run to try distributing it to the free world, Frances finds herself wondering if it’d be better to sell the mushroom to help her secure a promotion.
With last week’s surprise killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, the show’s even more topical than it already was: as Marshall points out in the trailer, people spend so much money for medicine that barely seems to work (if at all), and corporations make tons of money off everyone’s sickness. Whatever commentary Common Side Effects provides about the United States healthcare system, it’ll also have the visuals to back it up. Scavengers Reign garnered acclaim for its Moebius-inspired art and atmosphere, and this looks to have a similarly eerie vibe. It isn’t just the sight of little gray creatures watching people die in an explosion of colors, it’s the more mundane elements, like how it shows people looking so exhausted and worn down, both in and out of the hospital.
So color us interested for Common Side Effects to hit Adult Swim and Max on February 2, 2025—but if you need more convincing, there’s a six-minute preview down below.
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