Common Side Effects
2025 • TMDB 8.5 • 1 season, 10 episodes • Animation, Drama, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Overview
Marshall Cuso is a former high school lab partner turned mushroom hunter who stumbles on something extraordinary: a rare mushroom that may be able to cure nearly every disease. When he shares the discovery with his old friend Frances Applewhite, the two of them are pulled into a sprawling conspiracy involving big pharmaceutical companies, government agents, and a secret that powerful people would rather keep buried. Common Side Effects, created by Joseph Bennett and Steve Hely for Adult Swim, is an animated series that is equal parts thriller, satire, and character comedy. Its distinctive, offbeat animation style suits a story that is at once absurd and strangely grounded, and its voice cast — including Dave King, Emily Pendergast, and Mike Judge — gives the oddball ensemble real heart. Across ten episodes, the show asks what happens when a miracle cure threatens an entire industry, and who gets to decide what healing is worth.
Creator and Main Cast
Common Side Effects was created by Joseph Bennett and Steve Hely for Adult Swim. The cast includes Dave King (Marshall Cuso), Emily Pendergast (Frances Applewhite), Mike Judge (Rick Kruger), Martha Kelly (Agent Harrington), Joseph Lee Anderson (Agent Copano), Sue Rose (Hildy), Shannon Woodward (Amelia, Diane, Linda Tree), Ben Feldman (Frat Guy, Bud Budrigger, Nick), and Sydney Tamiia Poitier (Cecily).
Seasons Snapshot
Common Side Effects has 1 season with 10 episodes, premiering on February 2, 2025, and ending with “Raid” on March 30, 2025. The series is a returning series.
Why Watch Common Side Effects?
Common Side Effects is worth watching because it is one of the most original animated series in years. It takes a wild premise — a cure-all mushroom and the conspiracy to suppress it — and plays it with surprising sincerity, letting its characters’ friendships and moral dilemmas carry the story. The animation is striking and unusual, the humor is sharp without being cynical, and the thriller plotting keeps the tension high across the whole season. It also has something genuine to say about corporate power, medicine, and trust. If you like smart, strange, and funny adult animation, this is a standout.
Trailer
Watch the official trailer on YouTube: Common Side Effects | OFFICIAL TRAILER #3 | adult swim
Where to Watch
In the US, Common Side Effects streams on HBO Max and Adult Swim. Availability was checked on JustWatch US listings on October 30, 2026, and may change over time.
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Source for facts and images: TMDB. Streaming status checked on JustWatch US, October 30, 2026.
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