The trippy Adult Swim animated series Common Side Effects is set to return for its second season, with creators Joe Bennett and Steve Hely revealing new details about its upcoming debut. The show, which follows a fungus expert named Marshall Cuso who discovers a mushroom with miraculous healing properties, will premiere on Sunday, January 24, at 11:00 p.m. ET on Adult Swim, with next-day streaming on HBO Max.
Season 2 will introduce a new antagonist named Thomas, voiced by Bob Stephenson, who developed a fervent, almost religious obsession with the Blue Angel mushrooms. "Our idea — without giving too much away — is that he came to the mushroom in his own way, and he's formed a kind of a religious obsession with it," explained co-creator Steve Hely. "When he learns that other people have it and are using it, he becomes obsessed with stopping them." Bennett added that the show aims to give Thomas depth, allowing viewers to empathize with his perspective despite his actions.
A significant plotline in the new season will delve into the concept of shared hallucinations among those who consume the Blue Angel mushroom. Bennett described this as an ongoing thread that will run parallel to the main narrative, exploring the interconnectedness of users in an alternate realm. "The idea that everybody who takes this mushroom is connected in this other realm opens up a lot of possibilities and creates some fun opportunities for very cool animation," Hely noted. This expansion into a "Portal World" also allows for more ambitious animation, with the team taking bigger swings on action scenes and utilizing more rough animation techniques.
The series will also continue to explore the complexities of the pharmaceutical industry, examining the challenges of developing and distributing medicine. "They start to realize that the people they think of as their enemies might have evolved that way for perfectly practical and sensible reasons," Hely said. "That's part of the theme of the show: You might hate the current system, but setting up a different one is very challenging."
Mike Judge, who voiced pharmaceutical executive Rick in the first season and also serves as an executive producer, remains involved. "He reads everything, and he's awesome to bounce stuff off of," Hely stated. Bennett confirmed that Rick will have a substantial role in season 2, becoming one of his favorite characters this season.
Looking beyond Common Side Effects, Bennett addressed questions about his previous series, Scavengers Reign. While acknowledging its significant fan base, Bennett stated that a second season is "TBD." He also touched upon his new Netflix series, Dealies, an episodic comedy set in a big-box store, which he described as character-based and observational, capturing everyday weirdness.
Regarding the long-term vision for Common Side Effects, Hely expressed a desire for the show to be a long-running narrative. "We want to tell 40 to 100 seasons," he said. "We see it as this constantly unfolding novel with many chapters that can expand in different directions and come back around."
