Solar Opposites
Solar Opposites is an American adult animated sitcom created by Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland and Mike McMahan for Hulu.[1] Originally created for the Fox Broadcasting Company, the project was shelved, then bought by Hulu. The series debuted on May 8, 2020.[2] The series was originally ordered as 2 seasons consisting of 8 episodes each. In June 2020, the series was renewed for a third season consisting of 12 episodes. The second season is scheduled to be released on March 26, 2021.[3]
| Solar Opposites | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | |
| Developed by | Josh Bycel |
| Voices of |
|
| Composer | Chris Westlake |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers | Sydney Ryan J. Michael Mendel (season 1) |
| Editor | Lee Harting |
| Running time | 21–24 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Distributor | Disney Platform Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | Hulu |
| Original release | May 8, 2020 – present |
Premise
Solar Opposites "centers around a family of aliens from a better world who must take refuge in middle America. They disagree on whether this is awful or awesome."[4]
Cast and characters
Main
- Justin Roiland as Korvo: an intelligent alien scientist who hates Earth and wants to leave as soon as possible.
- Thomas Middleditch as Terry: Korvo's optimistic and naive partner who enjoys being on Earth and is fascinated with human culture.
- Sean Giambrone as Yumyulack: Korvo's replicant who is a self-proclaimed scientist and bounty hunter. He tends to shrink people he dislikes to add to his terrarium, called the Wall, which has evolved into its own mini-civilization.
- Mary Mack as Jesse: Terry's replicant who is generally kind and wants to fit into human society.
Recurring
- Sagan McMahan[lower-alpha 1] as The Pupa: an infant alien who will one day evolve into its true form and rebuild the planet in the image of the Shlorp home world using data stored in its DNA.
- Alfred Molina as The Duke: the corrupt ruler of Yumyulak's Wall, he maintains order and control by hoarding the supplies given to the Wall's inhabitants by Jesse.
- Andy Daly as Tim: one of Yumulak's captives who was shrunk down for simply wearing a red shirt. He becomes a scavenger and later a resistance leader against the Duke's regime.
- Christina Hendricks as Cherie (season 1): a Benihana chef shrunk and placed in the Wall by Yumyulak for serving him shrimp when he didn't want it. She becomes one of Tim's companions in his fight against the Duke.
- Tiffany Haddish as Aisha: the alien ship's AI.
- Jason Mantzoukas as Vanbo: an obnoxious alien from another timeline.
- Kari Wahlgren as Mrs. Frankie: a teacher at James Earl Jones High School who is openly prejudiced against Yumyulak and Jesse, and is engaging in a secret affair with Principal Cooke.
- Rob Schrab as Principal Cooke: the principal at James Earl Jones High School who is openly prejudiced against Yumyulak and Jesse, and is engaging in a secret affair with Mrs. Frankie.
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | May 8, 2020 | |||
| 2 | 8[5] | March 26, 2021[6] | |||
Season 1 (2020)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "The Matter Transfer Array" | Kim Arndt | Mike McMahan and Justin Roiland | May 8, 2020 | 1LBF01 |
| One year after escaping the destruction of their planet Shlorp and crashing on Earth, aliens Korvo, Terry, and their child-replicants Yumyulack and Jesse adjust to their new lives. Korvo is determined to repair their spaceship, but Terry introduces him to the television show Funbucket. Realizing that the titular alien is fictional, they create a real Funbucket, who tires of them and befriends humans Travis and Avery. Forced to attend high school, Yumyulack and Jesse are menaced by their classmates and faculty. They shrink a bully named Lydia, hoping to use her to study human behavior. When she threatens to go to the authorities, they attempt to lobotomize her, and Terry pours soda on her exposed brain, erasing her memory. Korvo and Terry create another mutated Funbucket who accidentally fuses with the first, becoming a monster that terrorizes the city. They shrink Funbucket and prepare to kill him, but Travis and Avery take him instead. As the Shlorpian family have dinner together, it is revealed that their pet, the Pupa, will one day evolve and destroy Earth to terraform a new Shlorp. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "The Unstable Grey Hole" | Bob Suarez | Mike McMahan | May 8, 2020 | 1LBF02 |
| Korvo and Terry place nanobots in the city's water supply to spy on their neighbors. Learning they are not well-liked, Korvo and Terry use the information from the nanobots to win over the community, and run for president of their homeowner association. The nanobots form a sentient person that runs for president as well, and all three expose embarrassing secrets about their neighbors, who break out in violence. The incumbent president Ruth restores order and turns the crowd against Korvo, Terry, and the nanobot person, who escapes from Korvo. Jesse – concerned that Yumyulack is shrinking and capturing too many humans – uses technology to manipulate people who were mean to Yumyulack, hoping to teach him that humans are generally kind. Unconvinced, Yumyulack takes her to a neo-Nazi bar where they are attacked, forcing his automated suit to kill everyone. Inside the vivarium of shrunken humans in Yumyulack and Jesse's bedroom, a new arrival named Tim is introduced to the horrors of the tiny, savage civilization. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "The Quantum Ring" | Lucas Gray | Matt McKenna | May 8, 2020 | 1LBF04 |
| Korvo tries to get the family involved in repairing the spaceship, but they attend a birthday party instead, where he is inspired to become a magician. Using his computer system Aisha, Korvo creates a technologically advanced magic act; he goes viral and prepares for a Las Vegas show, which will culminate in him leaping through a black hole. Korvo ignores his family's warning that jealous magicians plan to kill him; the family save him from being shot, but he dies when the black hole trick goes awry. The grieving family agree to repair the ship in Korvo's memory, and he reappears, having faked his death to bring them closer together. Yumyulack adds a woman named Cherie to his shrunken collection. Inside, she is rescued by Tim, who explains the society the captives have built: kept in a system of connected terrariums – the "Wall" – they survive mostly on candy, controlled by the tyrannical Duke. Tim, Cherie, and Pedro try to barter with the Duke for insulin for Pedro's diabetic father Enrique, but the Duke has Pedro killed. Tim and Cherie resolve to bring change to the Wall. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "The Booster Manifold" | Andy Thom | Josh Bycel | May 8, 2020 | 1LBF03 |
| Korvo, increasingly frustrated by Terry, vomits a "red Goobler" – a stress-induced creature intent on killing Korvo. They buy a Jet Ski from Trent, who is killed by the Goobler. Hunting the creature inside a Halloween store, they shrink and capture it. At school, Jesse discovers a flower growing on her head, which releases pollen similar to MDMA, making the popular girls enamored with her. Yumyulack accompanies Jesse to a party and discovers his own flower, with pollen similar to cocaine, and bonds with the popular boys. The mix of Yumyulack and Jesse's pollen creates an effect similar to PCP or bath salts, turning the party-goers bloodthirsty and deranged. Jesse and Yumyulack inform Terry and Korvo, who explain the flowers are a temporary fungus. Armed with "emergency medical weapons", the family heals the party. Rejected by the popular cliques, Jesse and Yumyulack find themselves heroes to the uncool kids. Terry discovers the red Goobler has escaped but tells Korvo it is dead, filling Terry with his own stress; elsewhere, the Goobler plots to kill Korvo. The Pupa winds up in an exotic animal auction, frees the animals, and returns home, only to be accidentally shipped to Africa. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "The Lavatic Reactor" | Bob Suarez | Sean O'Connor | May 8, 2020 | 1LBF06 |
| Threatened with expulsion, Yumyulack and Jesse continue to attend their empty high school after the school year ends. Unaware of the summer break, they believe they are being tested, and attempt to teach each other. They realize their mistake and wreak havoc on the school, and are bribed with straight As after discovering Principal Cooke and Mrs. Frankie having sex in the cafeteria. Korvo and Terry enroll in a junior college, but Terry shoots Korvo with a raygun that makes him dumber. Korvo joins Terry's hard-partying college experience, but accidentally causes the "ice lava" that powers their spaceship to flood the city, freezing everyone in its path. Terry teaches himself to repair the leak, returning the ice lava to the ship; everyone who was frozen disintegrates, and Terry reconstitutes their ashes as infants. The family locks Korvo in the bathroom until his intelligence returns. Inside the Wall, Tim and Cherie lead a rebellion to liberate the Duke's food supply, but Tim refuses to use deadly force. They are betrayed by Enrique, who blames Tim for his son's death. The Duke throws Cherie into the "Boo Hoo Hole" and imprisons Tim. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "The P.A.T.R.I.C.I.A. Device" | Kim Arndt | Danielle Uhlarik | May 8, 2020 | 1LBF05 |
| Trying to emulate human males, Korvo and Terry create their own man cave and “"P.A.T.R.I.C.I.A.", a robot based on female sitcom characters, programmed to hate the man cave. Korvo and Terry realize the robot fulfills their respective desires for a nagging wife and a nurturing mother, and invite her inside the man cave. Torn between her conflicting directives, P.A.T.R.I.C.I.A. transforms into a heavily-armed killing machine and destroys every man cave in the neighborhood. Ms. Perez, Jesse's gender studies teacher, assigns the class to challenge a glass ceiling. Jesse confronts several school extracurriculars, but is disappointed to learn they already welcome women. Korvo and Terry lure P.A.T.R.I.C.I.A. to a Dave & Buster's, where Ms. Perez also works, but are unable to stop her rampage. Jesse arrives to ask Ms. Perez about the assignment, and confronts P.A.T.R.I.C.I.A., allowing Terry to return the robot to her original state. Unable to bring himself to deactivate her, Korvo buries P.A.T.R.I.C.I.A. in a shipping container in the backyard with an emasculated male robot. Yumyulack has his own Australia-themed adventure. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Terry and Korvo Steal a Bear" | Andy Thom | Dominic Dierkes | May 8, 2020 | 1LBF07 |
|
Inside the Wall, Tim – imprisoned and tortured on the Duke's orders – is convinced by his cellmate Jean-Pierre to write letters calling for revolution. They are rescued by Cherie and her fellow rebels, and prepare to overthrow the Duke. Tim and Cherie spend a passionate night together, and copies of Tim's letters spread throughout the Wall, drawing people to their cause; Cherie urges Tim to lead them. As the Duke addresses a congregation, his sheriff spots Tim in the crowd and attacks, killing Jean-Pierre. Tim unites the oppressed inhabitants of the Wall in an open rebellion. The Duke floods the lower levels, drowning countless people; a farmer named Steven is unable to save his beloved mouse, Molly. The rebels rise through the levels of the Wall, confronting the Duke's enforcers. The sheriff fights off Cherie and prepares to kill Tim, but is killed by Steven. Tim reaches the Duke's chamber alone, and watches the Duke escape through a hidden hole to the outside. Choosing to take control of the Wall himself, Tim kills Cherie to keep the hole secret. Meanwhile, Terry and Korvo steal a bear from a zoo. Note: Composer Chris Westlake conducted a full orchestral score for this episode, recorded at the Fox Studio sound stage.[7] | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Retrace-Your-Step-Alizer" | Lucas Gray | Joe Saunders and Ariel Ladensohn | May 8, 2020 | 1LBF08 |
| When the Pupa turns orange, Korvo realizes he left important Pupa information in his wallet on Shlorp. He and Terry travel back in time to the day they evacuated Shlorp, and knock Korvo's wallet into their spaceship. Returning to the present, they realize the Pupa merely ate something orange, but the time stream has been altered and they now live with Vanbo, an obnoxious Shlorpian. Returning to the past to set things right, Korvo and Terry learn they did not want each other as evacuation partners, but reconcile and beat up Vanbo. Yumyulack discovers Jesse has simulated a nicer version of himself in the "Pretend-O-Deck". His simulated self teaches him to be a better brother to Jesse, but one Yumyulack kills the other. Believing he is the rogue simulation, Jesse kills the real Yumyulack. Terry and Korvo return to the dramatically altered present, and Yumyulack enters, revealing the family has been in the Pretend-O-Deck all along. The Pupa telepathically links with a neighbor, Lorraine, and lets her relive memories of her late mother in exchange for retrieving his confiscated Harry Potter whistle. Jesse and Yumyulack ignore the ominous fact that the Pupa has turned purple. | ||||||
Season 2
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [8] | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | "The Sacred Non-Repeating Number" | TBA | TBA | March 26, 2021 | TBA |
| 10 | 2 | "The Earth Eraser" | TBA | TBA | March 26, 2021 | TBA |
| 11 | 3 | "Lake House Device" | TBA | TBA | March 26, 2021 | TBA |
| 12 | 4 | "The Solar Opposites Almost Get an Xbox" | TBA | TBA | March 26, 2021 | TBA |
| 13 | 5 | "The Rad Awesome Terrific Ray" | TBA | TBA | March 26, 2021 | TBA |
| 14 | 6 | "The Apple Pencil Pro" | TBA | TBA | March 26, 2021 | TBA |
| 15 | 7 | "The Unlikely Demise of Terry's Favorite Shot Glass" | TBA | TBA | March 26, 2021 | TBA |
| 16 | 8 | "The Emergency Urbanizer" | TBA | TBA | March 26, 2021 | TBA |
Production
Development
On August 28, 2018, it was announced that Hulu had given the production a series order for two seasons consisting of sixteen episodes. The series was created by Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland and Mike McMahan who were also expected to serve as executive producers. Production companies involved with the series are slated to consist of 20th Television.[4][9][10] On June 18, 2020, Hulu renewed the series for a third season consisting of 12 episodes.[11]
Casting
Alongside the series order announcement, it was confirmed that Justin Roiland, Thomas Middleditch, Sean Giambrone, and Mary Mack would voice the lead characters in the series.[4][9][10]
Release
The first teaser for the series was released on March 25, 2020.[12] The official trailer was released on April 15, 2020.[13] On May 8, 2020, the first season was released. In January 2021, along with a second trailer, it was revealed that the second season would premiere on March 26, 2021, on Hulu.[3] Internationally, the series will be available on Disney+ under the dedicated streaming hub Star as an original series, starting February 23, 2021.[14] In June 2020, ahead of the season two premiere, Hulu renewed the series for a third season consisting on 12 episodes.[3]
Reception
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes the show has an approval rating of 90% based on reviews from 30 critics, with an average rating of 7.46/10. The website's critical consensus states, "Charming, hilarious, and surprisingly sincere, Solar Opposites revels in the ridiculousness of life while finding a few fresh things to say about humanity along the way."[15] On Metacritic it has a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on reviews from 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[16]
Alex McLevy of The A.V. Club gave the show a B grade, and calls it "a mischievous cousin of 3rd Rock from the Sun" while saying it doesn't stray too far from the template Roiland set with Rick and Morty. McLevy feels the show is still finding its feet, but "Luckily, the humor is so reliably strong, the pacing so breakneck as it races from one plot to the next, that it's hard not to be won over by Solar Opposites' avalanche of charm."[17] Dan Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter wrote; "The early episodes have certain limited windows of continuity or running gags... but the show becomes increasingly serialized; things that seem like they might be throw-away become unexpectedly important."[18]
Daniel Kurland of Bubbleblabber gave the show's first season a 9/10, stating, "Solar Opposites doesn't hit the same sweeping places of nuance and reflection that Rick and Morty does, but it still respects its characters and takes their problems seriously. It's just easy to get lost in all of the free-floating chaos that never really gets a chance to slow down. Solar Opposites delivers an exceptional first season that's as good, if not even better than Rick and Morty in some ways. It's definitely a crazier series, which is a very good thing for the nature of animated comedies on television. If this is the baseline for Solar Opposites then future seasons can only get more ambitious and insane."[19]
Audience viewership
According to Hulu, the series was the number 1 most watched show since its debut on May 8, 2020 to May 12, 2020.[20]
Notes
- The Pupa is voiced by Liam Cunningham in the Season 1 finale.
References
- Evershed, John (2020). Adult Animation Finally Breaking Free of its Comedy Shackles (PDF) (Report). High Concentrate, LLC in Squarespace. p. 29. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
- Hipes, Patrick (January 17, 2020). "Hulu Sets Premiere Dates For 'The Great', 'Ramy' And 'Solar Opposites' – TCA". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
- Ridgely, Charlie (January 6, 2021). "Solar Opposites Season 2 Premiere Date Announced by Hulu". comicbook.com. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
- Andreeva, Nellie (August 28, 2018). "Alien Animated Comedy From 'Rick and Morty' Duo & 20th TV Gets Hulu Series Order". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
- https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/solar-opposites-season-2-release-date-heres-when-hulus-animated-sci-fi-show-returns.html/
- https://collider.com/solar-opposites-season-2-release-date-trailer/
- https://filmmusicreporter.com/2020/05/02/chris-westlake-scoring-hulus-solar-opposites/
- https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/solar-opposites-season-2-premiere-date-hulu-1234879943/
- Porter, Rick (August 28, 2018). "'Rick and Morty' Duo Lands 2-Season Order for 'Solar Opposites' at Hulu". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
- Otterson, Joe (August 28, 2018). "Justin Roiland Animated Comedy 'Solar Opposites' Scores Two Season Order at Hulu". Variety. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
- "Solar Opposites/Crossing Swords renewed at Hulu". Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- Petski, Denise (March 25, 2020). "'Solar Opposites' Trailer: First Look At Alien Animated Comedy From 'Rick & Morty' Duo". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
- Prudom, Laura (April 15, 2020). "Solar Opposites Trailer: Exclusive Look at Hulu's Deranged Sci-fi Comedy". IGN. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
- Palmer, Roger (January 28, 2021). "DISNEY+ "STAR" UK AND IRELAND LAUNCH LINEUP ANNOUNCED". What's on Disney Plus. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- "Solar Opposites: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- "Solar Opposites". Metacritic. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- McLevy, Alex. "Solar Opposites is a looser, lighter Rick And Morty". The A.V. Club.
- Fienberg, Dan (May 7, 2020). "'Solar Opposites': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
- Kurland, Daniel. "Solar Opposites Season 1 Review". Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- Variety Staff (May 12, 2020). "Solar Opposites' Ranks as Hulu's Most Watched Title Since Debut, Streaming Service Says". Variety. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
