A surreal and inventive new project from the creatives behind some of the best animated shows of all time is now streaming completely for free. The first two episodes are currently available with more coming each week, and it could become the first cartoon smash-hit of 2025. Tackling hot button issues like Big Pharma, corrupt governments and conspiracy theories, the series takes two high school friends on a surreal journey when they discover a magical new drug that can cure any illness.

Marshall Cuso (played by Dave King) and Frances (Emily Pendergast) soon find themselves on the run after discovering a vast government conspiracy to keep the miracle drug a secret from the public. The first two episodes of Common Side Effects are now streaming on Adult Swim and Channel 4 in the UK and has already received critical acclaim. It’s co-created by Joseph Bennett, whose recent underrated series Scavengers Reign is widely considered one of the best animated shows of the 2020s, if not of all time.

The creative team also includes Steve Healy, writer for 30 Rock, and The Office, and it’s executive produced by Mike Judge, best known for iconic animated shows Beavis and Butt-Head and King of the Hill, who also has a voice role as pharmaceutical CEO Rick Kruger. The Hollywood Reporter has given Common Side Effects a rave review, describing it feeling “furiously relevant, dryly hilarious and strangely haunting”.

They noted its impressive roster of creatives as “some of the finest purveyors of workplace comedy”, which also includes The Office’s Greg Daniels, adding, “it shows in the series’ knack for finding the comic banality behind all of Marshall’s exotic action-packed escapades. “Wherever it goes, the result, for now, is a series that feels not quite like anything else on television. It’s unpredictable and genuinely exciting.

“It’s funny in a dark way but also occasionally in a laugh-out-loud way (thanks, often, to the A+ comic timing of Marshall’s pet tortoise Socrates). “It’s almost terrifyingly timely, tapping into the feelings of fear, exhaustion and boiling rage pulsing through so much of our discourse about drug companies, health insurance and capitalism.”. IGN, in another enthusiastic review, called the show “a breath of fresh air within the Adult Swim line-up.

“The way its propulsive, gripping plot explores modern healthcare is deeply relevant,” they continued. “The animation helps to highlight the absurdities of this broken system by mixing elements of psychedelia and horror into an otherwise grounded drama. “We’ve only seen four episodes so far, but Common Side Effects has the potential to be one of the greatest Adult Swim shows of all time.”.

General viewers who have been quick to the mark have also given the series a strong reception. “This show is amazing so far,” one Redditor said after the two-part premiere, and someone else agreed: “Yeah I definitely am watching this going forward. Great so far and hope the tortoise makes it.”. And another reaction read: “I’m really liking the feel of this show. If this brings Scavengers Reign to Adult Swim I’ll be happy.”.