(Just so we’re all clear, there will be minimal spoilers in this article. I’ll only be spoiling jokes and minor plot elements but nowt major. Happy Reading.)
Why are most TV Dramas now so boring?
Years ago, you had loads of great options for gripping drama. Whether that be Life on Mars on BBC One, Black Mirror and Utopia on Channel 4 and countless great HBO dramas like The Sopranos. Fast forward to now and most drama either feels like they’re being overly gritty and disturbing, or they’re overly horny. Especially when it comes to places like Netflix and ITV. However, there are exceptions… and the one drama I’ve chosen to highlight today shows how amazing the genre could be if given the chance to be experienced. The drama that best shows that, and the one I'll be talking about today, doesn’t come from ITV, Sky, Netflix or even HBO… but from Adult Swim.
Now Adult Swim isn’t the name that would first come to mind when you think of TV Dramas.
They’re more well-known for comedies like Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Rick and Morty, Robot Chicken and more recently shows like Smiling Friends, Royal Crackers and YOLO. However, if you look more into Common Side Effects, you’ll find that despite the tone of the show being more serious, it still finds a way to blend in Adult Swim’s signature weirdness and tendency to experiment.
The show follows Marshall, a guy who discovers a mystical blue mushroom that can seemingly bring people back to life. He crashes into his former high-school friend Frances, who unbeknownst to Marshall, works for the CEO of Reutical Pharmaceuticals, Rick. Along the way, the duo uncover a conspiracy by both Big Pharma and The Government to cover-up any knowledge about the mystical mushroom.
Without delving too deep into spoilers, throughout the show we start to piece together more and more of Marshall, Frances and The Mushroom itself. We also get introduced to other characters and how the mushroom affects them, alongside the reasons why the big pharma companies want the mushroom for itself. Take a shot every time I say mushroom.
Near the end of the show, the drama ramps up.
Marshall finds out about Frances’ pharmaceutical job and the DEA starts cornering on Marshall’s mushroom supply. Throughout the season, the show slowly morphs from a dark satirical comedy to a downright poetic commentary on the heavily flawed US healthcare system. In fact, one of the initial trailers for the show dropped on the same day the UnitedHealthcare CEO was assassinated. Coincidence? I think not.
The show is a wonderful shining beacon of creativity and originality, especially in the age of companies cynically rebooting things because money. Despite me saying the show is a drama, there are still comedic moments. One that springs to mind is the introductory scene of DEA Agents Capano and Harrington, where we see Harrington buying Capano a hot-dog, whilst jamming out to Harry Belafonte’s “Jump in the Line”. Hell, them just jamming out becomes a running gag throughout the show which I personally can’t get enough of. C’mon Adult Swim, give the fans what they want and just greenlight a Capano and Harrington spin-off.
Overall, Common Side Effects is a brilliantly made drama.
It definitely shows that Adult Swim can evolve their content to more serious, dramatic works whilst still keeping all the things that made the network unique to begin with. So, why isn’t it getting the attention it deserves here in the UK?
The answer to that question is of course, Channel 4.
Yes I know, save all your comments until the end. Due to Ofcom regulations saying that you can’t broadcast adult content on children’s networks, Adult Swim has had a rocky history in the UK. Jumping from CNX to Bravo to TCM2 to FX to Fox to TruTV, before eventually finding a home on Channel 4 and E4.
However, I’d argue Channel 4 are not giving Common Side Effects, and by extension Adult Swim as a whole, the attention it deserves. Unless you’re Rick and Morty (which airs repeats on both E4 and E4 Extra), the most you’re going to get linear-wise is being unceremoniously dumped at 2am on E4, right before a repeat of whatever reality tripe they’re peddling this week.
If you compare that to countries like Canada and Latin America, where Adult Swim is given its own 24-Hour channel, it makes us look pathetic. To add further insult to injury, Channel 4’s Friday Night schedule is mostly just made up of the same old shows like Gogglebox and The Last Leg, when I’d argue airing CSE and Rick and Morty would make Friday Night C4 more relevant, like it was during the age of TFI Friday and South Park being mainstays.
Still though, I digress.
If you can, PLEASE give Common Side Effects a chance. The show is bursting with unlimited potential and I genuinely think it's one of the best TV shows at the moment. Hell it got renewed for Season 2, which I am thankful for. If you’re British, It’s available to stream now on Channel 4.