Created by John Whittington and Toby Ascher, this series follows Knuckles the Echidna (Idris Elba) who is getting used to life on earth following the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. He ends up going on a journey of self-discovery as he agrees to train Deputy Sheriff Wade Whipple (Adam Pally) as his protégé and teach him the ways of the Echidna Warrior. A new threat arises to challenge them in the form of a former lackey of Doctor Robotnik who is intent on obtaining Knuckles’ power.
The Sonic franchise is no stranger to television, having had several animated adaptations in the past, but this marks the first live-action show to be made as part of the surprisingly successful Sonic the Hedgehog film universe created by Jeff Fowler. Idris Elba’s take on the beloved red echidna was a major standout in the second film for many people, so the fact that he is getting his own small spinoff series is not a surprise given how popular he was for both critics and audiences. But there is one important question to ponder: Is this series an entertaining and necessary watch or is it just a cheap product banking on the character’s popularity from the second film?
After watching all six episodes I can honestly say I had a mostly good time with this wacky yet entertaining limited series, though I definitely was left wanting something different than what we got. It’s a very low-stakes spin-off story that plays off like a fun 90s stoner comedy that takes place in the Sonic film universe, and while it may not be appealing to most people I found it to be an entertaining watch that has some well-done elements making for a decent laid back watch.
The cast of the show does an alright job performance-wise for their respective characters, though the central characters played by Idris Elba and Adam Pally are easily the best parts of the series as a whole both together and individually.
Idris Elba incorporates more of the solemn protector angle of Knuckles from the games and once again does a good job playing the character, providing endless amounts of humor and awesome action whenever he takes center stage. While he does get unfortunately sidelined in most of the second half of the series he still gets great moments to shine. He also gets a good amount of development as he comes to terms with accepting and adapting to his new life on Earth. And as mentioned before he gets extremely solid moments of action in this series that make me look forward to his role in the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
Adam Pally’s Wade was a very lovable surprise in this show since in the films he always came off as a one-note joke character that contributed very little to the plot. In this series, Wade is expanded upon as a character, going from a one-note joke character into a very lovable doofus that delivers massive amounts of heart and laughs. He does end up having a lot of screen time in comparison to Knuckles yet I very much liked his story largely due to Pally’s wholesome performance as well as some of the heartfelt themes tied in with his character.
It’s also surprising to see just how much great chemistry Adam Pally and Idris Elba end up having together. I ended up liking their pairing a lot more compared to Ben Schwartz’s Sonic and James Marsden’s Tom Wachowski. Their friendship and fun interactions are what make this series feel like a stoner show without the heavy adult elements that would make the show inappropriate for younger viewers.
The supporting cast was a bit hit or miss for me and it was mostly due to either the performances they were given by their respective cast members or the weak material they had. The ones that definitely hit for me were Wade’s family members including his sister Wanda Whipple (Edi Patterson) and Wendy Whipple (Stockard Channing). Initially, I was expecting only unfunny sitcom nonsense to come out of these three, but not only did they end up being really funny but they also gave emotional weight to the show on a number of occasions.
The relationship between Wade, Wanda, and Wendy, is strained due to past trauma which is portrayed in both comical yet also sincere ways. And with some help from Knuckles, we get to see them work through their problems and it ends up being surprisingly heartwarming, teaching younger audiences a good lesson regarding unconventional family units as well as being there for one another.
Sonic (Ben Schwartz), Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey), and Maddie Wachowski (Tika Sumpter) only have guest appearances in the show but they are still the best in their respective roles, making them additional hits.
Another two performances that worked for me came in the form of an absurdly hilarious performance by Julian Barratt as Jack Sinclair and a brief but entertaining performance by Christopher Lloyd as Pachacamac, the deceased elder of Knuckles’ tribe who returns as a ghost.
The characters and performances that didn’t work for me were mainly Cary Elwes as Pistol Pete Whipple and the main three villains of the show including Agent Mason (Scott Mescudi), Agent Willoughby (Ellie Taylor), and The Buyer (Rory McCann). The villains provided some intrigue and tension at the beginning of the series but I ended up losing interest in them quickly, due to a lack of development and performances that lack the charm, charisma, and tonal balance of Jim Carrey’s Eggman.
The Buyer felt menacing as a threat but he barely gets much attention in the show despite having a great action scene in the finale and being played by a great actor who turns in a good performance. And as for Mason and Willoughby, they are played off as your typical henchman duo that look cool on paper but are given overbearingly lame performances by Scott and Ellie, who feel like they are forcibly trying to be funny with their line deliveries as if they are trying to match Jim Carrey’s level of comedy. But let’s be clear about one thing, no one can match Jim Carrey’s level so it’s best to not even try to attempt to match his work.
As for Pistol Pete Whipple, he definitely feels like the most campy and tonally inconsistent character in the show. Cary Elwes is a good actor but his performance here was just so bizarre and all over the place that I could never really tell what he was trying to do with this character. While he ends up being a decent rival for Wade’s story I just didn’t feel much for his character as a whole as I felt he was just so over the top and not in a good way.
In terms of narrative, this show’s aim is a family version of a 90s stoner comedy led by Knuckles and Wade, and I do think works but honestly, I was hoping it would be something different. I wanted a much more Knuckles-focused adventure, and even though I certainly got some of that in this series I was left wanting more of it.
While I did like Wade’s story I much preferred a big exploration of Knuckles and his past that only got lightly touched upon in both the second film and this show. I could see fans being disappointed about the direction this show goes as well as the fact that it doesn’t do much to set up the upcoming third installment, aside from giving Knuckles and Wade some more development, which makes this series not much of a required watch.
That being said I do still think there’s enough in this show that still makes it worth watching. For instance, while some of the jokes can fall flat others ended up being unexpected gut-busters for me. They even snuck in a dark joke that had a great build-up and a great payoff to the point that I had to pause the episode because I was laughing so hard. For a series that is primarily aimed towards families, I’m glad they were able to sneak in some hilarious adult humor here and there.
What the show also does incredibly well is provide some of the best action sequences that I dare say surpass action in the films due to the way they are filmed, choreographed, and animated. Whether it’s his flaming fists, his infamously silly glide, or badass energy pulses, the action scenes are extremely reminiscent of how the character moves in the video games and provide some of the best entertainment of the show, making me excited for the action in the next installment. Even the finale has some awesome action in its final act and does a good job culminating the narrative threads of both Knuckles and Wade for a heartfelt and heroic ending combining the two.
I will also admit that the show does a good job of paying homage to the games, both through subtle and non-subtle ways. The Reno casino setting purposely looks like some of the casino levels in some of the games and there are even a few name drops of certain levels such as “Ice Cap Zone” that I found to be clever.
Another huge praise I can give to this series is the amount of effort that goes into the CGI effects. Initially with this being a show on Paramount + I was afraid it was going to look extremely cheap like the recent Halo adaptation but thankfully the CGI for all of the Sonic characters in the show is very much on the same level as the films. I might even go as far as to say this is perhaps the most detailed CGI of the live-action Sonic franchise we have had so far, with so many details going into the fur, textures, and even clothing. Even the individual quills of Knuckles are rendered in such wonderful clarity and his eyes are extremely expressive, giving him a more defined personality in the show that I really liked.
Cinematography-wise, this show does have some excellent camera work, especially for the action scenes, with my favorite being a 360-degree dolly shot action sequence that was equally hilarious and badass at the same time. Even if you aren’t a fan of the writing of this show you have to admire the technical elements are seriously well done.
This show also features a decent score by composer Tom Howe, but also an entertaining selection of 90s songs that add to the tone of the show and provide some great needle drops for the action. I especially loved the use of the song “The Warrior” by Scandal as the opening theme of the show as I feel it definitely fits the character.
Even though this show isn’t exactly what I and many fans would have wanted for a Knuckles spinoff I still enjoyed it as a whole. It may not be an essential watch but it’s a laid-back and decent enough show that I would still recommend giving it a go if you have Paramount +. I’m going to give Knuckles a B- = 83.
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