Common Side Effects S01E01: Pilot
High school lab partners Marshall and Frances uncover a conspiracy by big pharma and the government to suppress a rare mushroom that could cure all diseases.
Common Side Effects Season 1 Marathon, episodes 1-3
80 minutes
We are thrilled to present a marathon screening of the first season of Common Side Effects, an acclaimed Adult Swim series that has been hailed as one of the year’s best conspiracy thrillers. This series is made by Sean Buckelew, writer, director, and founding partner of Green Street Pictures. Buckelew, who received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2019, brings an experimental edge to the series as an executive producer, writer, and episodic director. His expertise in high-concept storytelling, also seen in his work on the Emmy-nominated Scavengers Reign, has helped Common Side Effects earn its own Emmy nomination for Outstanding Animated Program.
Produced by Mike Judge, the series follows Marshall, a fungi expert who discovers a mushroom capable of curing all illnesses and even resurrecting the dead. What follows is a phenomenal, blackly comic tale of guns, death, and love as Big Pharma steps in to suppress a discovery that threatens their profits. The show delivers a wild critique of how deeply the US is beholden to corporate greed, all told with a unique charm and the darkest sense of humour.
This screening is introduced by Sean Buckelew.
This program screened as part of Kaboom Animation Festival 2026
Showing in this program
Common Side Effects S01E02: Lakeshore Limited
Marshall is on the run, trying to flee New York; Frances confides to her boss, Rick, about the mushroom; Rick sends her to Marshall's farm to get more, but the situation gets out of hand.
Common Side Effects S01E03: Hildy
Marshall seeks advice from his old mentor, Hildy. Copano and Harrington are drawn further into the mystery of the mushrooms obtained at the raid.
