Knuckles (TV series)

Knuckles is an American television miniseries created by John Whittington and Toby Ascher for the streaming service Paramount+, based on the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series published by Sega. It is a spin-off of the Sonic the Hedgehog film series and the first live-action Sonic television series. The series takes place between the events of the films Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024), and follows Knuckles the Echidna as he trains deputy sheriff Wade Whipple in the ways of the Echidna warrior. Whittington was head writer, with Ascher as showrunner.

Idris Elba reprised his voice role as Knuckles from the film series and stars alongside Adam Pally, reprising his role as Wade. The series was announced in February 2022 during a ViacomCBS investor event, with Elba on board with the project. Production began in London, England, in April 2023, with Sonic film director Jeff Fowler directing the pilot and further casting announced. Ged Wright, Brandon Trost, Jorma Taccone, and Carol Banker directed the following episodes. Tom Howe composed the score.

Knuckles premiered on April 26, 2024, with all six episodes. Over its premiere weekend, it became the most-watched original series on Paramount+. It received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise directed towards the action sequences and Elba and Pally's performances, although some criticized the show for its writing and underdeveloped characters.

Premise
While struggling to adjust to life on Earth, Knuckles the Echidna takes on Wade Whipple as his apprentice, training him in the ways of the Echidna to help him prepare for a bowling tournament in Reno, Nevada where his estranged father will be competing. During their journey, Wade reunites with his mother and sister, while Knuckles is pursued by a former agent of Dr. Robotnik, who now seeks to take his power for himself.

Main

 * Idris Elba as the voice of Knuckles the Echidna, a hot-headed and serious anthropomorphic red echidna with super strength. Elba said the series would explore Knuckles being "a fish out of water" after moving to Earth at the end of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022), and further delve into his character. Elba ad-libbed part of his dialogue during recording.
 * Adam Pally as Wade Whipple, a dim-witted deputy sheriff of Green Hills whom Knuckles trains in the ways of an echidna warrior.
 * Kit Rakusen portrays a young version of Wade, while Michael Bolton provides Wade's singing voice.

Recurring

 * Julian Barratt as Jack Sinclair, a bounty hunter and the captain of Wade's former bowling team.
 * Christopher Lloyd as the voice of Pachacamac, the deceased elder of Knuckles' tribe who returns as a ghost.
 * Rory McCann as "The Buyer", a former lackey of Doctor Robotnik who seeks to obtain Knuckles' power.
 * Scott Mescudi as Mason, a former underground fighter and corrupt G.U.N. agent working for the Buyer.
 * Ellie Taylor as Willoughby, a former extraterrestrial researcher and corrupt G.U.N. agent working for the Buyer.
 * Alice Tregonning as Susie Barnes, an eight-year-old girl who is Wade's bowling rival.
 * Stockard Channing as Wendy Whipple, Wade's mother.
 * Edi Patterson as Wanda Whipple, Wade's immature sister and a seemingly incompetent FBI agent.
 * Darcy Castle portrays a young version of Wanda.
 * Cary Elwes as "Pistol" Pete Whipple, an eccentric 27-time championship bowler and Wade's estranged father.
 * Rob Huebel as Dylan Beagleton, a bowling commentator for ESPN8 The Ocho.
 * Paul Scheer as Gary N. Sinclair III Esq., a bowling commentator for ESPN8 The Ocho.

Special guest stars

 * Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who can run at supersonic speeds.
 * Colleen O'Shaughnessey as the voice of Miles "Tails" Prower, an anthropomorphic yellow-orange fox who can fly with his two tails.
 * Tika Sumpter as Maddie Wachowski, a Green Hills' veterinarian who is the adoptive mother of Knuckles, Sonic, and Tails.

Development
During development on Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022), the production team decided to expand the Sonic the Hedgehog film franchise by developing television series. The producers decided to have the first Sonic spin-off to star Knuckles the Echidna due to them having enjoyed the character's comedic portrayal in the film and wanting to homage the Sonic the Hedgehog 3/Sonic & Knuckles double-feature by releasing the show around the same time as Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024). By February 2022, development had begun on a Sonic the Hedgehog series focusing on Knuckles for release on Paramount+ in 2023. Sega and Paramount Pictures officially announced the series' development at the ViacomCBS Investor Day presentation in February, with Idris Elba confirmed to be reprising his role as Knuckles from the then-upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and the series serving as a spin-off of the film. In June 2022, Paramount CEO Brian Robbins referred to the series as a miniseries.

In April 2023, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 co-writer John Whittington was announced as the series' developer and head writer. Whittington also executive produced the series alongside Elba and Sonic film franchise creatives Neal H. Moritz and Toby Ascher of Original Film, Jeff Fowler, and Toru Nakahara. Paramount Pictures and Sega of America would serve as production companies on the series. In February 2024, it was reported that Ascher had received a co-developer credit alongside Whittington and served as the series' showrunner. The producers developed the series as if it was a third film in the franchise, though its limitations on budget due to being a TV show meant the screen time for the CGI characters had to be more limited. In April 2024, Ascher said future seasons of Knuckles are possible should the series prove successful and if the filmmakers had "a really great story to tell".

Writing
The series had been in the writing stages by April 2022, with Whittington writing alongside Brian Schacter and James Madejski. For the show's plot, the writers decided to reuse the buddy comedy approach from Sonic the Hedgehog (2020), which was favored by the crew. Rather than having one of the characters serve as the straight man of the duo, the writers wanted both Knuckles and Wade to be "wildcards in a buddy comedy" due to its comedic potential. The writers wanted the series to be an homage to the 90s comedies film Ascher watched in his childhood, in a similar vein to the Sonic films drawing inspiration from different genres. Inspirations for the series' storyline include Happy Gilmore, The Big Lebowski, and Kingpin.

The series is set between Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024) and includes easter eggs to set-up the events and narrative of the latter. The series also explores the ramifications of the events in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, particularly G.U.N. gaining access to Sonic and Knuckles' quills and rings. Ascher, who drew inspiration from other franchises such as Marvel Comics, said this was done as a way to expand the franchise's mythology by questioning how its events would affect the real world. In response to backlash for the series focusing more on Wade than on Knuckles, Ascher explained that the focus on Wade was needed to tell a great story that would slowly build up the world and narrative, continuing the same path and approach taken by the Sonic films and their importance on the humans.

Casting
In April 2023, it was reported that the series would follow Knuckles as he trains Wade Whipple, with Adam Pally reprising his role as Wade. Also cast in recurring roles were Edi Patterson, Julian Barratt, Scott Mescudi, and Ellie Taylor, with guest stars including Rory McCann as well as Tika Sumpter reprising her role as Maddie. Additional cast members were confirmed, including Cary Elwes, Stockard Channing, Christopher Lloyd, Paul Scheer, and Rob Huebel in June 2023. In February 2024, it was announced that Ben Schwartz and Colleen O'Shaughnessey would reprise their roles as Sonic the Hedgehog and Miles "Tails" Prower in a guest star capacity. Michael Bolton makes a cameo appearance as Wade's singing voice in the series' fourth episode, having been invited to participate by episode director Jorma Taccone, who had previously collaborated with Bolton on The Lonely Island music video "Jack Sparrow".

Filming
Production on the series began by April 2023, in London, England. Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 director Jeff Fowler directed the pilot, with Ged Wright, Brandon Trost, Jorma Taccone, and Carol Banker also serving as directors. Additional filming took place in Reno, Nevada, where the final two episodes are set. The series was shot back-to-back with Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Unlike the previous two Sonic films, a puppet of Knuckles was used during filming instead of a stand-in, which allowed Pally to improvise.

Visual effects and animation
Visual effects providers for the series include Industrial Light & Magic, Fin Design, Rising Sun Pictures, Outpost VFX, and Untold Studios. In order to achieve the same animation quality as the movies, the producers changed its entire production pipeline, including hiring six animation vendors instead of one as with the films. The studio also had an in-house team working on character rigs that the vendors later "worked over", allowing for a quicker animation development process and the producers to maintain quality control. This also allowed the producers to have an in-house animation team to work on both Knuckles and Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which helped the team reduce costs. The series had over 300 more digital shots than Sonic the Hedgehog.

Music
In place of Tom Holkenborg, who composed for the Sonic films, Tom Howe, composer of Early Man and Shrinking, had been assigned to compose the music for the series. "The Warrior" by Scandal appears as the series' opening theme. A soundtrack for the series was released on April 26, 2024.

Marketing
An official trailer for the series was released online on February 8, 2024, and later aired on February 11 during Super Bowl LVIII. The trailer featured Crime Mob's "Knuck If You Buck". The incorporation of the song received praise across social media platforms. Ben Travis of Empire said, "It all looks suitably cartoonish fun, all anchored in Idris Elba’s gravelly vocals in the title role." Charles Pulliam-Moore at The Verge commented on the series' six-episode length by saying that it "feels less like a full-on spinoff show and more like a solid chunk of storytelling meant to hold fans over,"  but added that its "brevity" and "flash action pieces" might make it a success. Alex Billington of FirstShowing.net commented that the series looks like a Saturday Night Live sketch turned into a six-episode series. At the NXT Stand & Deliver professional wrestling event on April 6, 2024, a Knuckles mascot was present in the audience for the NXT North American Championship match, which was sponsored by the show.

Streaming and broadcast
Knuckles premiered on Paramount+ on April 26, 2024, with all six episodes. In July 2024 it was announced that Knuckles would air on Nickelodeon starting on August 12, 2024.

Home media
Knuckles will be released on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD on September 10, 2024, by Paramount Home Entertainment. The physical releases include four behind-the-scenes featurettes and a gag reel.

Viewership
In its premiere weekend, Knuckles became both the most watched Paramount+ original series and the service's most watched kids and family title ever, with more than 4 million hours streamed over the time frame. The series' debut also had a positive effect on the other Sonic titles on the service, with viewership up 278% over the previous daily average.

Critical response
The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 75% based on 32 critic reviews, with an average rating of 6.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Pairing Idris Elba's terse echidna with a befuddled Adam Pally, Knuckles could use some extra punch to appeal more broadly beyond youngsters but hits just fine as light family entertainment." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 61 out of 100 based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Meredith Coons of The A.V. Club gave the series a B- rating. She commended the visuals, performances, comedy, and story and concluded her review by saying, "It’s got some heart, too, which is always good, and unlike its prickly protagonist, it doesn’t take itself too seriously." Ryan Leston of IGN gave the series an 8 out of 10 rating. He praised the performances of Elba and Pally as well as the chemistry between their characters, the action scenes, comedy, and use of licensed music, and wrote, "Knuckles is a fun, chaotic bonus level that nails everything that made the Sonic movies great, earning a well-deserved fist bump." Rendy Jones of RogerEbert.com compared Knuckles favorably to the mainline Sonic films because of its writing, characterization, and performances. They wrote that while the series "functions largely as a streaming-only clone of the first film, it displays a personality missing from the mainline movies by veering into welcoming absurdism and whimsy."

Brian Lowry of CNN largely disliked the series for its plot, pacing, and characters. They felt that lacking Jim Carrey from the Sonic films "to help carry the load" led to an inferior product with no discernible target audience in mind. Ferdosa of Screen Rant gave the series a 2.5 out of 5 star rating. She felt that it failed to live up to its potential due to its use of human characters, uninteresting setting, lack of creativity, and lackluster writing and comedy, though she directed praise towards Elba's performance and the CGI rendering of the animated characters. Michael Thomas of Collider gave the series a 5 out of 10 rating. He similarly felt that the series failed to reach its full potential, directing criticism at the lack of focus on the title character and the uninteresting villains. He would, however, commend the buddy comedy aspect and the action sequences.