video game adaptation series, “The Last of Us,” where another form of fungi takes the spotlight as it transforms individuals into zombie-fighting machines. It’s not as though audiences are engaged in heated debates over the top sci-fi series about mushrooms at the moment (both these shows are available for streaming on HBO Max alongside these 10 captivating miniseries), but if I were to share my opinion, I would definitely rank “Common Side Effects” higher than “The Last of Us.”
Primarily, that’s because Bennett and Steve Hely’s series is not a dystopian horror, but instead a complex sci-fi conspiracy thriller focused on presenting, observing, and analyzing the impacts of its fictional Blue Angel fungus, which seemingly possesses the unparalleled capability of curing all diseases globally. That is the show’s high-concept premise. The main character, Marshall Cuso (Dave King), a brilliant yet somewhat paranoid botanist, stumbles upon this tiny miracle in the Peruvian Highlands and, through research, uncovers its extraordinary healing potential for humanity. However, with this revelation comes the significant danger posed by Big Pharma firms such as Reutical Pharmaceuticals, which aims to silence Cuso and eliminate the fungus by whatever means are required.