The creators of Adult Swim’s all-new comedy/thriller discuss their deep dive into the mysterious and surreal world of a newly discovered healing mushroom, big pharma, wellness culture, and their disruptive effects on society.
Adult Swim’s new animated series, Common Side Effects, which premiered this past Sunday, dives into the world of pharmaceuticals, wellness culture, and unexpected consequences with a unique blend of dark humor and surreal animation. Created by Joe Bennett (Scavengers Reign) and Steve Hely (The Office, Veep), the series explores what happens when an incredible new drug, made from a mushroom, disrupts the industry, society, and the lives of those who discover it. New episodes will debut every Sunday on Adult Swim, streaming the next day on Max.
The half-hour series follows Marshall and Frances, two former high school lab partners who share a secret: Marshall has discovered the world’s greatest medicine, a mushroom that can heal almost anything. But getting it out into the world won’t be easy – the DEA, big pharma, and international businessmen are all on the chase to stop them.
Bandera and Green Street Pictures produce for Adult Swim. Mike Judge and Greg Daniels (King of the Hill) executive produce.
AWN sat down with Bennett and Hely to discuss the origins of the show, the balance of comedy and realism, and the challenges of crafting an animated series that resonates beyond the typical "cartoon" audience.
But first, the trailer:
AWN: Big Pharma has been in the news quite a bit lately. Common Side Effects tackles it head-on with a mix of satire, thriller, and dark comedy. How did the idea for the show come about?
Steve Hely: I had worked with Greg Daniels on The Office, and Mike Judge knew Joe as an animator. They were starting a little animation studio and basically set us up on a blind date. Right away, we started talking about things like mushrooms and pharmaceuticals, wellness, and the paradoxes that come with modern medicine.
We got going on this hypothetical: What if there were a medicine that was the best thing in the world? Who would want it, who would try to stop it, and what would it mean for the people who discovered it? That premise eventually led us to a comic, dramatic, thriller-style story. We started talking about real-life people, and fake people and from there we built the characters - Marshall, Francis, and Rick. That was in 2019, and we’ve been working on it ever since.
We both wanted it to be funny without being too jokey or feeling scripted. Joe put together a little animation that helped people who were reading the script to better understand what we were thinking about for the show. People would look at the script and be like, “What is this?”
Joe Bennett: Some of the best moments in the show are small, quiet character interactions that don’t even have dialogue. Those moments make the world feel lived-in and real. The comedy comes from those real situations rather than punchlines.
AWN: The animation has a grounded but surreal quality, with elements of psychedelia. How did you approach the design?
JB: A lot of the character designs come from observing real people. I pull inspiration from people I see on the street - characters who aren’t perfect but feel real. It’s different from Scavengers Reign.
Early on, Steve and I spent time in Joshua Tree, and that landscape had a big influence. We wanted to approach psychedelia in a way that didn’t feel cliché. Since the show is about a fictional drug, we had to imagine its effects in a way that felt unique - not just swirling colors and fractals, but something that felt organic to the world.
SH: I always joke that I see people in real life and think, “Oh, that’s a Joe Bennett character.” He has a way of capturing everyday people - their flaws, their quirks - in a way that makes them feel natural. He has such a sense of humanity in his style.
AWN: Steve, you’ve worked on live-action shows like Veep and The Office. How did that background influence Common Side Effects?
SH: We wanted the same level of storytelling and character depth that you’d find in those shows. Even though it’s animation, we approached it as if these were real people dealing with a surreal situation. We’re thinking about characters, making them as real as possible, like they live and breathe, even if they’re made out of thousands of drawings.
Our sound mixer said something that stuck with us: “Sometimes I forget this is animated.” That’s a huge compliment because it means we’re achieving that grounded storytelling, even within a strange, heightened world.
AWN: Joe, your show, Scavengers Reign, was loved by audiences and critics, but got jerked around during its short run. What lessons did you learn making that series that have served you well on Common Side Effects?
JB: Great question. The biggest is trying not to think about the constraints, about trying to make a show as cheaply or quickly as possible. It takes a lot of work to make a show like this. We have to draw a lot of stuff, and it takes a long time. If our show gets the same reactions that Scavengers Reign got, I’m going to be very happy.
I want the new show to feel hand-drawn, and as human as possible. We know there’s a budget, a schedule, but we figure, let the story and the visuals come first, and we’ll figure out the rest. So, the biggest thing I learned was don’t worry about execution. Just focus on the story.
AWN: Adult animation has evolved in recent years. How do you see Common Side Effects fitting into that landscape?
JB: I want this to be a show that people say, “That was a great show,” not just, “That was a great animated show.”
SH: We hope people who love Succession, Breaking Bad, or other great live-action series give this a chance. Animation isn’t just for cartoons - it’s a powerful storytelling medium, and we want this show to stand alongside the best.
AWN: Mike Judge voices a character in the show. And of course, he and Greg Daniels are EPs. What was it like working with them?
JB: Mike’s such a natural. Every time he came in to record, the first take was already great.
SH: He also managed to create a completely unique character. Even though he’s Mike Judge, the voice he came up with for Rick feels fresh and different.
He and Greg have been very supportive of us. I learned a lot about writing from working with Greg over the years. We run ideas by them from time to time but they both just encourage us to follow our vision. They’ve been cool about protecting that dynamic.
AWN: What has been the biggest challenge in making the show?
SH: Writing it was a challenge because we wanted every decision to feel true to the characters. That takes a lot of thought - what would they really do in these situations?
JB: On the animation side, we’ve had plenty of challenges, but they’ve been fun to solve. We have an amazing team - some from Scavengers Reign, some new - but everyone believes in making something fresh and different.
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
