Sweet Tooth (TV series)

Sweet Tooth is an American fantasy drama television series developed by Jim Mickle. It is based on the comic book series created by Jeff Lemire and published by DC Comics' Vertigo imprint. The series premiered on Netflix in June 2021, with a second season released in April 2023, and a third and final season announced the following month. The third season premiered on June 6, 2024.

Development on the show began in 2018 at Hulu. By 2020, the series had moved to Netflix. Filming took place in New Zealand. Nonso Anozie, Christian Convery, Adeel Akhtar, Stefania LaVie Owen, Dania Ramirez, Aliza Vellani, Will Forte, Neil Sandilands, Marlon Williams, Amy Seimetz, Rosalind Chao, Kelly Marie Tran, and Cara Gee star while James Brolin provides the narration.

Sweet Tooth is set in a world in which a virus has killed a majority of the world's human population, coinciding with the emergence of hybrid babies that are born with animal characteristics. Convery plays Gus, a naïve 10-year-old part-deer boy, who sets out to find his mother after the death of his father.

The series has received critical acclaim, earning twenty nominations across its first two seasons at the Children's and Family Emmy Awards, winning four.

Premise
Ten years ago in "The Great Crumble", society collapsed due to a viral pandemic of a disease known as the Sick (or the H5G9 virus), wiping out most of the world's human population. At the same time, many babies start to be born as mute hybrids with animal body parts and other characteristics.

Unsure whether hybrids are the cause of the virus or a result of it, many humans fear and hunt them. Gus, a part-deer hybrid, lives in the wilderness with his father whom he calls "Pubba". Pubba dies when Gus is nine years old and Gus discovers a box his father buried beneath a tree that contains what Gus believes is a photograph of his mother, with the word "Colorado" written on it.

Gus accidentally starts a fire, which brings hunters who try to kill him, but he is saved by Tommy Jepperd, a lone traveler also drawn by the fire. Jepperd tries to leave Gus, but the boy insists that he escort him to Colorado to find his mother, and he relents.

The story also follows Dr. Aditya Singh as he tries to find a cure for the Sick, which his wife has lived with for years; and Bear, who is the leader and founder of the Animal Army which saves and protects hybrids. Bear is looking for her sister Wendy, a part-pig hybrid rescued by Aimee Eden, a former therapist whose sanctuary for hybrids is called "The Preserve".

Main

 * Nonso Anozie as Tommy Jepperd, a traveler and reformed hunter of hybrids who saves Gus from poachers and reluctantly accompanies him on his journey to find his mother. Gus refers to him simply as "Big Man". He was a famous professional football player before the H5G9 virus outbreak.
 * Christian Convery as Gus, a sheltered and naive 10-year-old half-human, half-deer boy who wants to find his mother. Tommy refers to Gus as "Sweet Tooth" due to his obsession with candies and any other products that have sugar in it. Nixon Bingley portrays 7-year-old Gus and River Jarvis portrays 4-year-old Gus.
 * Adeel Akhtar as Dr. Aditya Singh, a doctor who is desperate to find the cure for the disease caused by the H5G9 virus in order to cure his infected wife Rani
 * Stefania LaVie Owen as Bear, the leader and founder of the Animal Army who saves hybrids. It is later revealed that her name is Rebecca "Becky" Walker.
 * Dania Ramirez as Aimee Eden (seasons 1–2), a former therapist who creates a safe haven for hybrids called The Preserve
 * Aliza Vellani as Rani Singh (seasons 1–2), Dr. Aditya Singh's wife who has the Sick
 * James Brolin as the narrator who is later revealed as the older Gus by the end of the final season
 * Will Forte as Pubba (seasons 1 and 3), Gus's father who raised him in a secluded cabin in Yellowstone National Park to protect him from the outside world of hatred towards hybrids. It is later revealed that his name is Richard Fox and was a janitor at Fort Smith Labs in Goss Grove, Colorado.
 * Naledi Murray as Wendy (seasons 2–3; recurring season 1), Aimee's adopted hybrid daughter who is half-pig and half-human. Aimee often refers to her as "Pigtail". She is the biological daughter of Bear's foster parents.  Banke Moss portrays an older Wendy.
 * Neil Sandilands as General Abbot (season 2; recurring season 1), the leader of the Last Men who hunts hybrids. It is later revealed that his first name is Douglas.
 * Marlon Williams as Johnny Abbot (season 2; co-starring season 1), General Abbot's younger brother
 * Yonas Kibreab as Finn Fox (season 2), a hybrid who is half-fox and half-human
 * Christopher Sean Cooper Jr. as Teddy Turtle (season 2), a hybrid who is half-turtle and half-human
 * Amy Seimetz as Birdie (season 3; recurring season 1–2), a woman whom Gus assumes is his mother. It is later revealed that her name is Gertrude Miller, a geneticist at Fort Smith Labs before the Great Crumble. She hands Gus over to Pubba to protect him because she knew that the world would eventually begin hunting Gus and his kind down.
 * Rosalind Chao as Mrs. Helen Zhang (season 3; guest season 2), a warlord and a member of The Three
 * Kelly Marie Tran as Rosie Zhang (season 3), the daughter of Helen and mother of four half-wolf hybrids who is pursuing Gus
 * Cara Gee as Siana (season 3), a friend of Birdie who works at an Alaskan outpost
 * Ayazhan Dalabayeva as Nuka (season 3), the daughter of Siana who is half-human and half-arctic fox

Recurring

 * Sarah Peirse as Dr. Gladys Bell (season 1), a doctor who is dying of cancer and leaves her research of finding a cure for the Sick to Dr. Singh. It is later revealed that she does not have cancer, but is refusing to continue her research much to General Abbot's dismay. This leads to Abbot having Bell executed by poison.

Development
On November 16, 2018, it was announced that streaming service Hulu had given a pilot order to a potential television series adaptation of the comic book series. The pilot was expected to be written and directed by Jim Mickle, who was also set to executive produce alongside Robert Downey Jr., Susan Downey, Amanda Burrell and Linda Moran. Production companies involved with the pilot were slated to consist of Team Downey and Warner Bros. Television. On April 9, 2020, it was announced that the series had been moved from Hulu to Netflix. On May 12, 2020, Netflix had given the production a series order that consists of eight episodes with Evan Moore attached to the series as a producer and Beth Schwartz served as a writer, an executive producer, and co-showrun alongside Mickle. On July 29, 2021, Netflix renewed the series for an 8-episode second season.

Lemire has acknowledged that the series has a lighter tone than the comic book series, stating that he and Mickle wanted the series to bring a new perspective to the post-apocalyptic genre after what they believed to be an oversaturation of dark dystopian fiction released since the original comic was published. On May 3, 2023, Netflix renewed the series for a third and final season.

Casting
On May 12, 2020, Christian Convery, Nonso Anozie, Adeel Akhtar, and Will Forte were cast in starring roles with James Brolin set to narrate the series. On July 30, 2020, Dania Ramirez joined the main cast. On August 19, 2020, Neil Sandilands was cast in an undisclosed capacity. On September 30, 2020, Stefania LaVie Owen joined the cast in a starring role. On November 2, 2020, Aliza Vellani was promoted to series regular ahead of the series premiere.

In March 2023, Naledi Murray, Neil Sandilands and Marlon Williams were promoted to series regulars while Christopher Cooper Sean Jr. and Yonas Kibreab joined the cast as series regulars for the second season. In May 2023, it was reported that Rosalind Chao and Amy Seimetz had been promoted to series regulars while Cara Gee and Ayazhan Dalabayeva were cast as series regulars for the third season. In April 2024, it was announced that Kelly Marie Tran joined the third season a new series regular.

Filming
In July 2020, New Zealand granted the series permission to film, despite the recent travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On September 30, 2020, it was reported that the series had resumed filming after the COVID-19 pandemic halted production months earlier, with filming concluding around mid-December 2020. Filming for the second season ended in early June 2022. In May 2023, it was reported that the third and final season had already been filmed in New Zealand.

Release
The first season of Sweet Tooth was released on June 4, 2021. The eight-episode second season premiered on April 27, 2023. The third season was released on June 6, 2024.

Audience viewership
On July 20, 2021, Netflix revealed that the series has been watched by 60 million households since its June 4 release.

Critical response
For the first season, the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 97% based on 74 critic reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Emotionally engaging, superbly acted, and incredibly entertaining, Sweet Tooth will satisfy fantasy fans of all ages." Metacritic gave the first season a weighted average score of 78 out of 100 based on 19 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Reviewing the series for Rolling Stone, Alan Sepinwall gave a rating of 3.5/5 and said, "Whether Gus and friends are having scary adventures or fun ones, those parts of Sweet Tooth are full of life, and as exciting or tense as needed. The show can be hit or miss, though, when it moves away from Gus." In her review of the series, Lucy Mangan of The Guardian gave the series 3 out of 5 stars, saying "Sweet Tooth is part fantasy, part sci-fi, part whimsy, part cold-eyed realism and most points in between. It is either warmly eccentric or hysterically crazy, perfect entertainment or a horrifying attempt to parlay the pandemic into a commercially palatable mashup. It is undoubtedly aimed at a younger-than-full-adult audience." Daniel D'Addario of Variety also gave the series a positive review, writing "Throughout, the show is made with a surprising degree of curiosity about what changes in society would look like across varying sorts of communities, and with a capacious imagination to boot. And while it envisions a world transformed by illness and pain, "Sweet Tooth" feels fundamentally light of touch and, well, sweet of intention. Its pandemic-riven world has been torn apart, to be sure, and in the wake comes dissension — but kindness and connection, too. Change provides the opportunity for grand-scale reimagining of what life can look like or be, as well as small opportunities to come into one's own — to find one's humanity, even when wearing deer antlers."

Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com wrote in his review that "Netflix's brilliant "Sweet Tooth" may not be a direct commentary on what the world has been through in the last year, but the presence of that real-world echo is undeniable. It's a show about a devastating virus that leads people to distrust one another, go into hiding, allow their fear to drive their decisions, and ultimately form unexpected bonds. It's about isolation and grief, but it is also very much about the unpredictable connections that can end up defining us. It's intense, riveting storytelling that recalls the spirit of Amblin almost more than the nostalgia warehouse that is "Stranger Things," the king of Netflix Originals. It would have been excellent television in any year, but "Sweet Tooth" strikes a different chord in 2021 than anyone could have expected." Ben Travers of Indiewire gave the series a B− and wrote "The series' efficient storytelling, world-building, and character work make it easy to switch off your brain and enjoy the adventure (that is, if you can get past The Sick). Strong performances help, too, and with so many critical core ingredients working smoothly, it's much easier for a genial little fantasy-adventure series to go down easy. "Sweet Tooth" may not offer a full meal, but sometimes all you need is a good piece of chocolate." Samantha Nelson of Polygon praised the series and wrote "The COVID-19 pandemic devastated some communities, while others seemed to entirely deny its existence. Sweet Tooth combines an examination of that inequality with the morals of other excellent post-apocalyptic stories, like 28 Days Later and Mad Max: Fury Road, which argue that survival is not enough to keep people functioning. The villains in Sweet Tooth are the ones who cling to a world that no longer exists, while the heroes try to build something better with the help of their found family. Sweet Tooth's subject matter might seem too bleak for the current era, but its timeliness also empowers the show's message of hope and shared strength."

The second season has an 86% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 22 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's critics consensus states, "More mature but still suitable for younger viewers, Sweet Tooth's sophomore season makes post-apocalyptic survival fun for the whole family." On Metacritic, the second season received a score of 76 based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

The third season holds a 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 14 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Closing out before it grows too long in the tooth, this richly imagined family series remains engrossing to the very end." Metacritic gave the third season a weighted average score of 74 out of 100 based on 5 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Accolades
This series was nominated for the 2021 Harvey Awards for the Best Adaptation from Comic Book/Graphic Novel.