The Good, the bad, and Knuckles
Knuckles Paramount+ Series Review
It’s only been a few hours or so since I’ve finished watching the Knuckles Paramount+ Series. My expectations for the show were low as is. I expected to watch Knuckles do some cool stuff while adjusting to his life on Earth. After completing the six-episode event, the series is disappointing and leaves much to be desired for the titular character.
Knuckles Series — Where to Begin…
Announced in February 2022, alongside Sonic the Hedgehog 3, fans can expect to see more Knuckles in a spin-off series after watching his appearance in Sonic 2.
However, after the formal announcement, nothing much was said publicly about the project until it went into production in April 2023.
That’s over a year later.
The lack of discussion and news around the Knuckles Series was concerning. I know the Actors and Writers strike did not make things around the industry any easier but the radio silence from 2022 to 2023 did not look good. It looked even worst when the Fall 2023 release date rolled around and Paramount said nothing.
Until the first trailers came out and I was pleased with what was shown off. The series was bringing the same goofy action fans have come to know and love from the films.
However, like I said earlier, the Knuckles Series is a let down. The show focuses too much on Wade and not enough Knuckles. Also, the show lacks any compelling reason for fans to care about Wade’s world.
Investment into this series is very low if you were expecting Knuckles to be the main star. Instead, he shares it with comedic side character, Wade.
What Went Wrong? Knuckles Series
As many early reviews pointed out, the Knuckles Paramount+ Series spends way too much time on Wade and not enough on Knuckles. I thought this was a joke and reviewers might’ve been over-exaggerating for the sake of clicks.
But they are correct. The Knuckles Series spends a ton of time developing Wade’s character as he goes on this journey with Knuckles to become a better “warrior.” Meanwhile, Knuckles is trying to adjust to his new home on Earth and Wade is the one to show him the ropes. The duo sort of help each other out in this regard.
Focusing on Wade is fine but the way the series goes about it leaves much to be desired. I understand the show has to cater to a PG audience but I could never get invested into Wade’s family and his cast of characters.
It feels like a Saturday morning cartoon where the comedy and jokes work but the characters have zero depth.
After about episode three, I started to check out of the series. Especially in episode four where 85% of the episode Knuckles is absent. For once in a six episode format, I wish the series was actually shorter so we can get to the point.
Why not have Sonic show Knuckles the ropes around Earth as he related to him in the beginning of episode one? How Sonic was able to adjust because of his loving and patient family?
Instead, Knuckles is told by Pachacamac to find Wade to make him into a better warrior to adjust to his new life on Earth…because that totally makes sense.
Make this a three to four episode event with the later bad guy coming after Sonic and Knuckles later on for some good action sequences.
Speaking of bad guys, the villains are fine. They’re just another obstacle Knuckles and Wade have to get past and pose no real threat to our characters. Super forgettable and I’m okay with that. Kid Cudi stands out so much in his scenes, I couldn’t help but be distracted by his presence.
The Positives — Knuckles Series
On the bright side, whenever Idris Elba’s Knuckles is on screen, he definitely steals the show. Not only is it because you want to see his goofy interactions but visually the CGI on his looks great.
The action sequences with Knuckles are spot on too for the character. The echidna really get to flex his moveset from the games throughout his series and I loved to see it.
The humor did work for me personally. I understand a lot of the stupid and corny jokes might not land for most but I was laughing throughout the first few episodes.
I also understand why they split the series between Knuckles and Wade as having Knuckles constantly walking and talking throughout would’ve cost millions of dollars. But if you’re going to have a spin-off series like this, you might as well go all in on the concept.
I’m sure many fans (including myself) expected to hear more about Knuckles’ origin story aside from Pachacamac’s appearance in a few scenes. But instead, we got this weird buddy duo series with Wade that sadly doesn’t stick the landing.
Maybe if the spotlight was more even between Wade and Knuckles and three to four episodes, I think the Knuckles Series would’ve been a lot better.
Across the six episodes, you’re looking at a runtime of about 2 hours and 45 mins. That’s longer than both previous Sonic movies even though the episodes don’t last longer than 25 to 30 minutes.
Whether you want to watch it or not, I don’t think the Knuckles Series will have any serious implications for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 later this year. If you want some fun laughs and want to see Knuckles do some cool stuff every now and then, go watch the series. Otherwise, you can skip it entirely.
VIDEO — coming soon
Travis “tvsonic” Vuong
Business e-mail: travisvuong56@gmail.com
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