Common side effects creators on what makes this new conspiracy thriller for adults swim unique [SCAD]

Common side effects is one of the first new series to launch on Adult Swim in 2025, with the highly anticipated conspiracy thriller being one of the network’s most interesting upcoming projects. The animated series follows Marshall Kusso, a man who discovers a drug that has the potential to cure almost any illness. However, a massive pharmaceutical company hopes to take him down before he spreads this cure-all to the world of Common side effectsWith Marshall enlisting the help of Frances Applewhite, a friend who secretly works for the company.

Common side effects Features a hilarious cast of actors and comedians, starring Dave King as Marshall Kusso and Emily Pendergast as Frances Applewhite. Agents Copano and Harrington are voiced by Joseph Lee Anderson and Martha Kelly respectively, while King of the HillMike Judge is the head of the villainous pharmaceutical company.

Common side effects Series creators Joe Bennett and Steve Healey were in SCAD ANIMATIONFEST 2024The Savannah College of Art and Design’s annual celebration of the art of animation, where the duo showcased their new Adult Swim series. Screen Rant interviewed Bennett and Hely, with them discussing the inspirations behind the show and the future of the series beyond season one.

Common side effects have all kinds of inspirations

“We took some stuff like drugs, ayahuasca, drug companies, psychedelics, different kinds of medicine, what healing means for different people, wellness, law enforcement and the drug war.”

Screen Rant: What was the inspiration behind making it Common side effects?

Steve Hely: Well, Joe and I are interested in a lot of similar topics. We’ve been doing some stuff like drugs, Ayahuasca, drug companies, psychedelics, different kinds of medicine, what healing means for different people, wellness, law enforcement and the drug war. We talked about a lot of topics. We also went on a thought experiment of ‘what if there was a drug that could cure almost anything, and how would that affect the world?

Joe Bennett: Or destroy the world.

Steve Haley: Right. Weird little thought experiments are often what we talk about and engage with.

Common side effects’ mushroom cure-all has a reason behind it

“Mushrooms are really funny.”

In episode one of Common side effectsA mushroom is the source of this cure-all medicine. Why was it a mushroom that you decided to go with rather than any other form of medication?

Joe Bennett: I think because it’s earth-based and it’s provided by nature. Especially since Big Pharma is part of this, we’re thinking about something that’s not synthetic.

Steve Hely: Mushrooms are really funny. They are really old. Some of them can kill you instantly, some of them are delicious, some of them can make your mind quite funny. They have strange ways of communicating with each other. It seems like something we’ve barely scratched the surface of in terms of our knowledge.

Joe Bennett: You would believe there could be a mushroom that could do all that stuff.

Why adult swimming is the right home for common side effects

“One time it would be on Amazon, one time it was going on Max.”

Is adult swimming where you always saw Common side effects Being? If so, what appealed to you both about Adult Swim in terms of why this series would be a good fit for Adult Swim?

Steve Hely: We went on quite a journey of developing the show. Once it would be on Amazon, once it was on Max. We met with FX. But we’re psyched to be a part of Adult Swim, because everyone knows it’s a place where you can get cool, funny, interesting stuff. In some ways this is a little different than other adult swim shows. It’s a little more serialized and it’s a little more plot-driven. Hopefully the audience will be ready for that.

How Common Side Effects compares to Joe Bennett’s previous show

“I don’t know that I’d call it sci-fi. I’d say it’s a bit more of a conspiracy thriller.”

Joe, before you did Scavenger ruleWhat is a streaming show. What are some of the differences and challenges that come with making a show for streaming versus a show for cable, and which do you prefer?

Joe Bennett: It’s almost the same. For both of these shows, I think the challenge was to keep the quality high. But it is the same quick turnaround. It’s just a TV schedule, and it can be difficult at times. But I’m excited about the fact that it’s going to be linear and that it can potentially reach a larger audience now that it’s on Adult Swim. But yeah, I’d say for the most part it’s kind of the same.

Scavenger rule Was more of a hard sci-fi series because it was on an alien planet. Common side effects Is still sci-fi due to the medication, but it’s much more grounded. Why did you want to stay in the sci-fi genre while going for a more grounded tone?

Joe Bennett: I think a big part of it is the conversations I’ve had with Steve. The references and inspiration we’ve been pulling from are a lot of things that are based in reality. I don’t know that I would call it sci-fi. I would say it’s a bit more of a conspiracy thriller.

Steve Hely: With Joe’s style, it seemed like he was getting to animation that takes place in our real world. The little weird, stumbling things people talk about, the weird little interactions and timing, down to the weird facial expressions, it seems like Joe has the gift of making things real. We wanted to use that plus put a little element in it that would modify the world and see how everyone would react to that.

The cast of common side effects has a big impact on his characters

“We’re trying to encourage improvisation…”

How did working with the voice actors affect the characters? Were the characters changed when you got the voice actors, or did you present the voice actors with the characters and all their weird idiosyncrasies?

Joe Bennett: It’s a little bit of both.

Steve Hely: Martha Kelly, for example, we have in mind. She has this unique style. Dave King, in particular, is not best known as an actor. But we know him very well, and he has an authenticity that we thought we could play with. We are trying to encourage improvisation and that people say things as naturally as possible.

Joe Bennett: Embracing mistakes.

Steve Haley: Yes. We used the funny poses and laughs and sounds that people make when they’re just riffing.

Joe Bennett: But in terms of the production of animation, it was like a meeting in the middle. We would board a lot of the stuff with scratch records. But when we got the official records, we would go in and make all the nuanced changes in animation.

Steve Hely: Improvisation is actually hard to come by because it’s a hard thing to stand alone in a recording booth. It’s hard to get people to be natural, but we did as much as we could. We’ll always turn on the mics and chat, trying to get people to be as loose as possible.

What the Show’s Creators Said About the Future of Common Side Effects (Season 1 and Beyond)

“We have plans for the future.”

Based on episode 1, Common side effects Could have been live action. Why do you feel like animation is the right medium for this story?

Joe Bennett: Wait until you see the other episodes.

Steve Hely: Yeah, we push in visuals that you wouldn’t be able to do.

Joe Bennett: It would have been a real pain in the ass if it was live action.

Are you planning for Common side effects To be a miniseries, or do you have plans for future stories?

Joe Bennett: We have plans for the future.

Steve Hely: We’re about to start some preliminary work on season two. We hope it lasts a long time.

More about common side effects (2025)

Co-created by Joe Bennett and Steve Hely and executive produced by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels. Cure almost everything. But getting it into the world won’t be easy – the DEA, big pharma and international businessmen are all on the hunt to stop them. The half-hour serialized comedy thriller is produced by Bandera and Green Street Pictures.

Check out our others Common side effects Interviews:

Common side effects Releases on Adult Swim in 2025.