If you’ve ever watched “Common Side Effects” and wondered what you didn’t get to see — buckle up. Grab your safest hallucinogen and keep your phone ready, because things are about to get deliciously unhinged. The show’s first season tossed more wild ideas at the wall than Rick Kruger at a quarterly review, but naturally, not everything stuck. Writers Joseph Bennett and Steve Hely, known for clever left turns and whip-smart banter, put it all on the table, then hacked away mercilessly.
Now, let’s poke through the hidden files, the test tubes shoved into desk drawers, and the snippets only the most eagle-eyed superfans noticed in passing. Here are the deleted scenes, abandoned subplots, and the positively mad ideas that nearly crash-landed in Season 1 — plus a spicy scoop on why they didn’t make it.
The Extended DEA Briefing: More Copano, Please
First up, let’s talk about everyone’s favorite conspiracy-magnet, DEA Agent Copano. If you thought he was out there, just wait. Early drafts of Episode 3, “In the System,” originally featured an extended DEA briefing, showing Copano and his endlessly-exasperated partner, Harrington, locking horns big time. This sequence didn’t just give Copano more space to air his government-lizard-people theories. It set the stage for more banter, more conflict, and a much deeper push-pull vibe for this odd-couple pairing.
And yet, showrunners cut the scene. They wanted the episode to barrel forward. Sacrificing five minutes of comedy gold meant we lost early clues about Copano’s underlying motivations and why Harrington grinds her teeth so much. But hey, sometimes you need to kill your darlings, or at least let them host a conspiracist podcast after hours (we’ll get there, trust me).
Marshall’s Flashbacks: Fungus Among Us
Mycology nerds, you almost scored a treat. Episode 4, “Dumpsite,” once included a surprisingly heartfelt flashback. Marshall, our neurotic scientist hero, remembered discovering a rare blue mushroom while volunteering overseas. The story was moist (no, not sorry) with emotion — it stitched together Marshall’s backstory and explained why he risks so much for a single, weird fungus.
So, why toss this gem? The team ditched it to focus on the “now.” They wanted all tension glammed up for the present. Viewers, therefore, had to piece together Marshall’s mushroom obsession from barked dialogue and haunted stares. Was it the right call? Debatable. But it definitely kept the action humming.
Frances’ Family Heartbreak Gets Ghosted
Let’s take a break from the science. Frances, part-time physician and full-time rule-bender, nearly had a whole subplot about her mother’s battle with dementia. In drafts for Episode 5, “Star-Tel-Lite,” Frances confronted her family’s medical history while working reckless overtime on the blue mushroom project.
The point? To show that desperate times make for questionable morals, and not always on the job. But with so many conspiracy threads already, the writers feared audiences might miss the point. So, poof — gone. All that’s left are a few blink-and-you’ll-miss-it hints about why Frances digs so deep for a miracle cure.
Rick Kruger: Boardroom Farmer Extraordinaire
Oh, Rick. The king of unintentional comedy. If only you’d seen the sequence where our favorite awkward pharma boss got fixated on a farming simulator video game — in the middle of a crucial meeting. In Episode 6, “In the System,” this nearly happened. It was meta. It was silly. It said a ton about corporate inattention.
Naturally, this was too bonkers. The tension sagged, the stakes deflated, so the bit got axed in the name of drama (and decency). Although, a few gamers online still campaign for the deleted footage. Never say never, folks.
Zane’s Animal Smuggling Side Hustle
Marshall’s half-brother, Zane, spends most his screen time making trouble. But, you were almost treated to a side quest involving illegal importation of tropical animals. Beginning in Episode 7, “Blowfish,” this animal-smuggling plot was designed to show that when it comes to moral ambiguity, Zane and Marshall aren’t as different as they seem.
The downside? Too many moving parts muddied the central spore-laced storyline. The subplot got the axe — though a certain Siberian gecko cameo did survive. Look, we’re not complaining about random lizard content.
Boardroom Betrayal: Corporate Espionage Gets Cut
Pharma drama without corporate sabotage? Hard to believe, but true. In Episode 8, “Amelia and Wyatt,” early scripts included a juicy twist. One Reutical board member quietly crossed over to a rival company, plotting classic pharmaceutical double-dealing. Imagine, a web of secret phone calls and coded emails, all while Kruger obliviously waterboards his houseplants.
Alas, more intrigue meant less focus. The team killed the subplot, fearing the show would spiral into soap opera territory. Still, keep an eye on every handshake next season. You never know who’s plotting a hostile takeover.
Copano’s Conspiracy Podcast: Gone But Not Forgotten
Remember Agent Copano and his penchant for UFO-level drama? For a hot second, the writers wanted him to host a late-night conspiracy podcast. Occasional interludes would’ve seen Copano breaking down ancient mushroom cults, secret government weather machines, and why his dental hygienist is probably MI6.
But in the end, the team nixed the bit for time and tonal consistency. Still, a few background Easter eggs scream the podcast did, in fact, exist in this universe. We’ll follow that rabbit hole all season long, and you should too.
The Mushroom Mythology: Folklore Fizzles Out
At one point, the blue mushroom wasn’t only rare — it was downright mystical. Early Season 1 scripts had the fungi entwined with centuries-old folklore. Secret societies. Eerie rituals. Maybe even a holy grail made of spore networks.
And then, reality called. The showrunners wanted the show anchored in present-day paranoia, not Shamanic hallucinations. So, the mythos faded to black, taking with it any hope for an annual Mushroom Festival episode.
Frances and Nick: Relationship Meltdown Offscreen
Drama alert! Frances, on the verge of unravelling the world’s weirdest health crisis, nearly lost her relationship with boyfriend Nick. Scenes in Episode 9, “Cliff’s Edge,” spelled out exactly how Frances’ reckless pursuit of a cure tested their bond.
But, to sharpen the focus on the crumbling Reutical conspiracy, this subplot also went into the compost heap. The cost? We missed out on Frances’ more vulnerable side and the toll secrets take on love. Expect these emotional aftershocks to echo in Season 2 — if Nick sticks around, that is.
The Alternate Ending: Smash the Shrooms or Save the World?
And finally, fans: the mother of all what-ifs. The first cut of the Season 1 finale, “Raid,” ended not with hope but with destruction. Here, Marshall and Frances torched the remaining blue mushrooms, choosing humanity’s safety over utopia. In the end, the writers switched gears, letting our heroes gamble on healing the world — leaving all the doors open for more chaos.
Why the switch? To pump some optimism into the finale, tease future plotlines, and keep us all coming back for another dose.
What’s Next in the Shadows?
So, there you have it — just a taste of what nearly landed on your screen. Sometimes, the stories that don’t make it shape the ones that do. The writers at “Common Side Effects” chose to cut, condense, and reshuffle plotlines, not just to save time, but to keep hearts pounding and theories buzzing on Twitter feeds and Discord chats.
One thing’s certain: Nothing on this show is ever wasted, not even a deleted scene. Today’s lost subplot is tomorrow’s deep lore. With Season 2 brewing, keep your eyes peeled and your mind open. Who knows? That deleted farming sim could reappear as an Easter egg that cracks the entire series wide open.
Keep watching, keep sleuthing, and — above all — never trust a pharmaceutical company that can’t keep its lizards straight. See you on the next deep dive, mushroom detectives!
