Skip to content

Life

Stunning new animated series tells the story of a cure-all mushroom

A naturalist finds a hallucinogenic mushroom with the power to cure all ailments in the animated series Common Side Effects. Big Pharma is hot on his trail in this beautifully made show, says Bethan Ackerley

By Bethan Ackerley

26 March 2025

Common Side Effects Press images — Marshall (voiced by Dave King) finds the amazing Blue Angel mushroom
Warner Bros. Discovery

Common Side Effects
Joseph Bennett, Steve Hely
Channel 4 (UK); Cartoon Network, Max (US)

One of the best shows I watched last year was Scavengers Reign, a lushly animated sci-fi series about an interstellar cargo ship that crashes on a planet full of strange, dangerous life. Sadly, it was cancelled after a single season. So, I was pleased to learn that one of its creators, Joseph Bennett, had partnered with writer Steve Hely on a new animated show called Common Side Effects, all about a…

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox! We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.

Sign up

Unlock this article

or

Existing subscribers

More from New Scientist

Explore the latest news, articles and features

The complexity of female sex hormones calls for more science, not less

Health

The complexity of female sex hormones calls for more science, not less

Leader

Free

Surprising insights into the causes of PMDD promise better treatments

Health

Surprising insights into the causes of PMDD promise better treatments

Features

Subscriber-only

A Person Standing In A Foggy Rainforest BY Daniel Ernst Image ID: #14980

Health

The wild idea that we all get nutrients from the air that we breathe

Features

Subscriber-only

The Last of Us S2 E2 The Last of Us Season 2 - Episode 2

Life

Is the fungal science in The Last of Us going off the rails?

Comment

Subscriber-only

1

How the US military wants to use the world's largest aircraft

2

Supergiant crustaceans may cover more than half of the deep-sea floor

3

How an ancient alchemy technique is transforming modern chemistry

4

Earliest galaxy ever seen offers glimpse of the nascent universe

5

The most – and least – satisfying jobs out there, according to science

6

Sea level will rise fast even if we limit global warming to 1.5°C

7

AI doesn't know 'no' – and that's a huge problem for medical bots

8

Major US cities like New York and Seattle are sinking at a rapid rate

9

US East Coast faces rising seas as crucial Atlantic current slows

10

Astronomers double down on claim of strongest evidence for alien life