What to Expect from the Next Dose of Common Side Effects
Good news, weird TV lovers: Common Side Effects is officially coming back for a second season. Yes, really. As of March 28, 2025, Adult Swim greenlit the return of its trippiest, most oddly prescient series about mushrooms, pharma bros, and the ongoing healthcare absurdity we all live through.
This announcement landed just days before Season 1 dropped its finale episode on March 30. Perfect timing to leave us clutching our crystals and wondering what happens next. But before we spiral into another late-night Reddit hole trying to decipher mushroom metaphors, let’s dig into what this renewal means—and what Season 2 might serve up.
The Official Word from Adult Swim
The confirmation came straight from the top. In a March 28 press release, Adult Swim president Michael Ouweleen gave the creators, Joe Bennett and Steve Hely, a glowing endorsement.
“Joe and Steve did their job by creating a boundary-pushing and genre-defining series. We’re thrilled to bring it back.”
And honestly? He’s not wrong. From its premiere, Common Side Effects marched to the beat of its own slightly unhinged drum, blending sci-fi, satire, and stoner comedy into something entirely fresh.
Bennett and Hely also chimed in, clearly pumped to keep the bizarre train rolling:
“We are grateful for the enthusiastic response to Common Side Effects and are thrilled to continue exploring this world… Our goal with the show is to transform planet Earth and…”
The quote trails off there. Mushroom dream logic, probably. But message received: they’re aiming big. Like, planetary big.
Let’s Recap: What Just Happened in Season 1?
Season 1 took us on quite the ride. We met Marshall and Frances—two former high school lab partners who stumble into something way over their heads: a miracle mushroom with massive healing potential. Naturally, the pharmaceutical world isn’t thrilled. Chaos ensues.
By the time the season finale hit on March 30, things had escalated dramatically. The feds raided the lab. Reutical Pharmaceuticals grew even more sinister. And Marshall and Frances? They found themselves back in the desert of Joshua Tree, somehow more connected than ever.
Loose Ends Still Hanging
While the season gave us plenty of answers, it also left some juicy questions dangling:
- What exactly is the Blue Angel mushroom? Its full capabilities remain a mystery. We know it heals, but how?
- What’s Reutical really up to? The Big Pharma stand-in is hiding more than shady boardroom meetings.
- Why is the government so invested? Those agents didn’t kick down the door for fun.
These threads are ripe for untangling in Season 2. And if the first season is any clue, it’ll be anything but straightforward.
Where Could Season 2 Go? Let’s Dream a Little
Okay, now that the formalities are out of the way, let’s get speculative. No spoilers here—just pure fan-fueled daydreaming about where the story might head next.
A Deeper Dive into the Blue Angel
Sure, it glows. And it heals. But where did it come from? Is it alien? Is it ancient? Some fans suspect a connection to indigenous medicine or secret military research. Others think it could be biotech from the future. However it pans out, we’re crossing our fingers for more backstory—and maybe even a few trips inside the mushroom’s “consciousness.”
More Savage Pharma Satire
Season 1 didn’t hold back when mocking the American healthcare system. But there’s still plenty of room to roast. Price-gouging, patent trolls, miracle cures being shelved to protect profits—these are real issues, and Common Side Effects turns them into animated absurdity.
Season 2 could lean even harder into the political commentary. Think Succession meets Rick and Morty with a side of psilocybin.
New Characters (and Maybe More Creatures?)
Marshall and Frances are the heart of the show, no doubt. But there’s space for a few new faces in this wild universe. Maybe a rogue scientist who studied the mushroom before Reutical locked it down. Maybe a whistleblower from within the pharma giant. Heck, maybe a sentient mushroom.
Yes, we said it.
What the Creators Have Teased
While details about Season 2 are still hush-hush, Bennett and Hely have hinted at expanding the universe. In a recent interview, they mentioned wanting to explore the mushroom’s origins more deeply, as well as pushing the show’s format in new directions.
What does that mean? Flashbacks? Timelines bending? Alternate realities? We’d bet on at least one episode that completely rewires our brains, storytelling-wise.
And considering the creative freedom Adult Swim tends to allow, there’s no reason to expect anything less than boundary-busting weirdness.
Why This Renewal Matters
Yes, it’s just a TV show. But Common Side Effects hit a nerve. It took some very real anxieties—our distrust of Big Pharma, our desperation for cures, our search for meaning in a chaotic world—and turned them into a surreal, animated rollercoaster.
It gave us laughs, but also made us think. Sometimes even in the same scene.
So the fact that it’s getting a second season? That means this strange little mushroom tale struck a chord. It resonated with people who want their cartoons smart, subversive, and just a little bit out there.
Final Dose: Let’s Get Weird Again
Here’s the bottom line: Common Side Effects is coming back. The story isn’t over. And if Season 2 builds on the quirky genius of the first, we’re in for a treat.
So clear your schedules. Stock up on weird snacks. Rewatch Season 1 if you must. Because sometime soon, Marshall and Frances will return to take us deeper into the mushroomy unknown.
And if we’re lucky? Maybe they’ll blow the lid off the entire pharmaceutical-industrial complex while they’re at it.
Stay tuned, stay curious, and keep your third eye open.
