Common Side Effects’ creators see the US healthcare system as the show’s villain
1 min read
Summary
Adult Swim’s new show, Common Side Effects, follows Marshall Cuso, a well-meaning scientist who discovers a magical mushroom that can heal any ailment.
The show’s creators, Joe Bennett and Steve Hely, drew inspiration from real-world figures like mycologist Paul Stamets and ethnobotanists Terence McKenna, Wade Davis, and Richard Evans Schultes to create the show’s characters.
The pair spoke with retired DEA agents to understand the war on drugs from within and sought to avoid framing any of the show’s characters as villains, arguing that the series reflects the reality of living within a capitalist system that is violent and dehumanizing by design.