5 Best Shows Like Common Side Effects

Adult Swim's Common Side Effects is one of the best animated shows of 2025, and now that the first season has come to a close, here are five other shows that fans of Common Side Effects need to watch. The incredibly weird animated conspiracy series comes from creators Joseph Bennett and Steve Hely, with the show's Adult Swim and Max releases turning it into a massive hit. Common Side Effects season 1, episode 10 ended the show's first season, and while a second season is in development, there are still options for fans who already miss Common Side Effects.

Common Side Effects tells the story of Marshall Cuso, a fungal expert who finds a mushroom that has the power to cure anything - even death. However, this discovery makes him a target for one of the world's largest medical companies, Reutical, with them knowing that Marshall's discovery could destroy their business model. Thus, Marshall gets in contact with a former high school peer and Reutical employee Frances Applewhite, with the duo attempting to decide what to do with the seemingly magical mushroom while avoiding Reutical and the authorities.

5 The Second Best Hospital In The Galaxy

Another Animated Medical Series

One of the most unique aspects of Common Side Effects is its focus on medicine and the medical industry, with it mixing real-world medical practices with sci-fi storylines. Amazon Prime Video's The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy is another one of the rare animated shows that tackles this, although in a unique way. The animated series focuses on a group of alien doctors in a space hospital, with the cast of The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy taking on new intergalactic illnesses in each episode. While the series is more episodic and comedic, it is a great pick after Common Side Effects.

4 The Shivering Truth

A Grim Animated Comedy Series

Common Side Effects has been a hit for Adult Swim, and fans of the series and the programming block need to go back and watch one of Adult Swim's best shows in recent years. The Shivering Truth is an stop-motion anthology comedy series that goes in some incredibly dark directions. Throughout its two seasons, The Shivering Truth covers grim topics like death and morality, with similar themes being explored in Common Side Effects. The Shivering Truth is one of Adult Swim's most acclaimed shows in years, although many viewers missed out on watching it.

Marshall Kusso looking out at the screen and also staring at a turtle in Common Side Effects

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3 Pantheon

Another Animated Narrative Series

Another incredible animated show that fans of Common Side Effects need to check out is 2022's Pantheon. The AMC+ series follows a teenage girl named Maddie who discovers that her dead father has actually had his consciousness uploaded to the cloud, with him being just one of many people who has met this fate. Maddie must discover how this happened and deal with the fallout of this discovery, with the sci-fi and conspiracy aspects of the series making Pantheon feel a lot like Common Side Effects.

2 Inside Job

Netflix's Conspiracy Comedy Sitcom

When it comes to animated conspiracy shows, one of the most popular is Netflix's Inside Job. The series tells the story of Cognito, Inc, an American organization that secretly runs the world from the shadows. Inside Job centers comedic stories around real-life conspiracy theories like the hollow Earth, reptilian aliens, and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, with it tackling many of the most popular ones. While Common Side Effects' conspiracy thriller storyline is more focused, Inside Job's broad conspiracy comedy makes it one of the best animated series of the 2020s.

1 Scavengers Reign

The Previous Show From The Creator Of Common Side Effects

For fans of Common Side Effects, the most obvious pick for what to watch next is Scavengers Reign. Scavengers Reign was released in 2023, with it being created by Common Side Effects creator Joseph Bennett and his co-creator, Charles Huettner. Despite receiving positive critical responses, Max canceled Scavengers Reign after the end of its first season, putting an early end to the series.

Marshall holding a sick tortoise in Common Side Effects season 1

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Scavengers Reign is a sci-fi series that tells the story of the survivors of a cargo ship that is crashed on a distant alien planet. While on the planet Vesta, the survivors must figure out how to live among the alien flora and fauna while also attempting to find their way back home. The show's beautiful animation and unique sci-fi world are just some of what makes Scavengers Reign so great, with it being a great pick for fans of Joseph Bennett's newest series, Common Side Effects.

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