Common Side Effects Renewed for a Second Season

Created by animator Joseph Bennett, who co-created the similarly great Scavengers Reign (which did not get a second season from Max), and veteran comedy writer Steve Hely (whose TV credits include Letterman, The Office, 30 Rock and Veep, and who won the Thurber Prize for American Humor for his 2009 novel How I Became a Famous Novelist), Common Side Effects is about a mushroom that miraculously cures any human ailment, and the extreme lengths the medical, pharmaceutical, and insurance industries will go to destroy all proof of its existence. Produced by King of the Hill co-creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, Common Side Effects premiered in February to positive reviews but little hype. The acclaim grew with every episode, and so did word of mouth—to the point where the infamously animation-averse David Zaslav-era Warner Bros. is bringing it back for a second season.

“We are grateful for the enthusiastic response to Common Side Effects and are thrilled to continue exploring this world with our amazing team and the fans who have embraced the show,” Bennett and Hely say in a statement included in the press release announcing the renewal. “The opportunity to push the boundaries of animation and storytelling on Adult Swim is like a wonderful mushroom dream. Our goal with the show is to transform planet Earth and restore the human spirit. For now, we will settle for a second season.”

Judge (and his immediately recognizable voice) might be the biggest name in the cast, as dyspeptic pharmaceutical CEO Rick Kruger. Dave King and Emily Pendergast voice the two leads: Marshall Cuso, the off-the-grid fungus researcher who discovers the miraculous Blue Angel mushroom, and Frances Applewhite, his high school lab partner who’s now the executive assistant to Kruger. Baskets‘ Martha Kelly and Joseph Lee Anderson voice Agents Harrington and Copano, two unconventional DEA agents on Cuso’s trail. Ben Feldman (from Superstore and Mad Men) recurs as Frances’ unambitious boyfriend Nick, Danny Huston adopts a Swiss accent as the shadowy archvillain (and pharmaceutical board member) Jonas Backstein, and Sydney Poitier voices the National Security bigwig Cecily, who works with Backstein to track down Cuso and destroy the Blue Angel. Other recurring actors include Lin Shaye, Sue Rose, Alan Resnick, Shannon Woodward, and Christine Ko; Veep‘s Timothy Simons, Review‘s Andy Daly, and Search Party‘s Shalita Grant have guested in minor roles.

Common Side Effects‘ first season is currently streaming on Max, with that finale airing this Sunday on Adult Swim.