Solar Opposites
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''Solar Opposites'' is an American
science-fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel univers ...
animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anim ...
sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
created by
Justin Roiland Mark Justin Roiland (born February 21, 1980) is an American voice actor, animator, writer, producer, and director. He is best known as the co-creator of Adult Swim's ''Rick and Morty'' and its subsequent Rick and Morty (franchise), franchise. H ...
and
Mike McMahan Mike McMahan is an American comedy writer and television producer. He is the creator of the animated comedies ''Solar Opposites'' (with Justin Roiland) and '' Star Trek: Lower Decks''. Career McMahan, a native of Chicago, first worked in prod ...
for
Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...
. Originally created for the
Fox Broadcasting Company The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations an ...
, the project was shelved before being bought by Hulu and given a two-season order consisting of 8 episodes each. The first season was released on May 8, 2020. The second season was released on March 26, 2021, and a holiday special was released on November 22, 2021. In June 2020, the series was renewed for a third season consisting of 11 episodes that was released on July 13, 2022, and a
Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...
special was released on October 3, 2022. In June 2021, the series was renewed for a fourth season consisting of 12 episodes. In October 2022, the series was renewed for a fifth season. In January 2023, Hulu and
20th Television Animation 20th Television Animation (formerly Fox Television Animation) is an American animation studio that creates, develops and produces adult animated television series and specials. It is a unit of Disney Television Studios, a subsidiary of Walt Disne ...
announced Roiland's dismissal from the series due to legal issues, with his voice roles set to be recast.


Premise

''Solar Opposites'' centers around Terry, Korvo, Jesse, and Yumyulack — a family of aliens who crash land on Earth and are forced to stay there, often disagreeing on whether this is a good thing. The family comes from Planet Shlorp, an advanced alien world that sent out one hundred ships to colonize new planets shortly before its destruction. The show features parallel storylines, the most prominent of which follows a society of humans shrunk by the replicant Yumyulack and imprisoned in a terrarium known as "the Wall”. Starting in the third season, another storyline follows a group of intergalactic corrupt police officers, known as the SilverCops, that routinely arrest and brutalize Shlorpians fleeing from the destruction of their homeworlds.


Cast


Overview


Main characters


The Solar-Opposites


The Wall


SilverCops


Recurring characters


Alien associates

*
Tiffany Haddish Tiffany Sara Cornilia Haddish (born December 3, 1979) is an American stand-up comedian and actress. After guest-starring on several television series and lead role on a cable drama, Haddish gained prominence for her role as Nekeisha Williams on ...
(seasons 1–3) and TBC (seasons 4–present) as , the alien ship's sassy
artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech re ...
. *
Justin Roiland Mark Justin Roiland (born February 21, 1980) is an American voice actor, animator, writer, producer, and director. He is best known as the co-creator of Adult Swim's ''Rick and Morty'' and its subsequent Rick and Morty (franchise), franchise. H ...
(seasons 1–3) as , a "red goobler" produced from Korvo via Terry-induced stress. His only purpose seems to be to kill Korvo and Terry. In the second season, he is shown to be engaged to a human woman, he portrayed as a “bro” archetype, often expressing his fondness for ''
The Hangover ''The Hangover'' is a 2009 American comedy film directed by Todd Phillips, co-produced with Daniel Goldberg, and written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. It is the first installment in ''The Hangover'' trilogy. The film stars Bradley Cooper, Ed ...
'',
Joe Rogan Joseph James Rogan (born August 11, 1967) is an American UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly ...
, and tight
Polo shirt A polo shirt, tennis shirt, golf shirt, or chukker shirt is a form of shirt with a collar. Polo shirts are usually short sleeved but can be long; they were used by polo players originally in India in 1859 and in Great Britain during the 1920s. ...
s.


James Earl Jones High School

*
Kari Wahlgren Kari Wahlgren (born July 13, 1977) is an American actress who has provided English-language voices for animated movies, TV series, and video games. She got her start in anime voice-overs as Haruko Haruhara in '' FLCL'', and would later land ma ...
as , a teacher at James Earl Jones High School who is openly prejudiced against Yumyulack and Jesse and is engaging in a secret affair with Principal Cooke. *
Rob Schrab Robby Christopher Schrab (born November 12, 1969) is an American comic book creator, screenwriter, director, and producer. He is the creator of the comic book '' Scud: The Disposable Assassin'', co-writer of the feature film '' Monster House'', co ...
as , the principal at James Earl Jones High School, who is openly prejudiced against Yumyulack and Jesse and is engaging in a secret affair with Mrs. Frankie. During the third season, his first name is revealed to also be "Principal", making his full name and title "Principal Principal Cooke".


The Wall


Episodes


Production


Development

On August 28, 2018, it was announced that
Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...
had given the production a series order for two seasons consisting of sixteen episodes. The series was created by ''
Rick and Morty {{Infobox television , image = Rick and Morty title card (cropped).png , alt = , caption = , genre = {{Plainlist, * Animated sitcom * Adult animation * Science fiction * Black comedy * ...
'' cocreator
Justin Roiland Mark Justin Roiland (born February 21, 1980) is an American voice actor, animator, writer, producer, and director. He is best known as the co-creator of Adult Swim's ''Rick and Morty'' and its subsequent Rick and Morty (franchise), franchise. H ...
and
Mike McMahan Mike McMahan is an American comedy writer and television producer. He is the creator of the animated comedies ''Solar Opposites'' (with Justin Roiland) and '' Star Trek: Lower Decks''. Career McMahan, a native of Chicago, first worked in prod ...
, who were also expected to serve as executive producers. Production companies involved with the series are slated to consist of
20th Television 20th Television (formerly 20th Century Fox Television, 20th Century-Fox Television, and TCF Television Productions, Inc.) is an American television production company that is a division of Disney Television Studios, part of The Walt Disney Compa ...
. On June 18, 2020, Hulu renewed the series for a third season consisting of 11 episodes. On June 22, 2021, Hulu renewed the series for a fourth season consisting of 12 episodes. On October 6, 2022, Hulu renewed the series for a fifth season.


Writing

The Wall in Yumyulack's room in which he keeps shrunken-down people as prisoners was, as Roiland has noted, one of the duo's initial ideas for the series, as they were interested in a "B-story" that lasted the entire first season. Some of the animation is made with assistance from Film Victoria in Melbourne, Australia.


Casting

Alongside the series order announcement, it was confirmed that
Justin Roiland Mark Justin Roiland (born February 21, 1980) is an American voice actor, animator, writer, producer, and director. He is best known as the co-creator of Adult Swim's ''Rick and Morty'' and its subsequent Rick and Morty (franchise), franchise. H ...
,
Thomas Middleditch Thomas Steven Middleditch (born March 10, 1982) is a Canadian actor, comedian and screenwriter. He is known for his role as Richard Hendricks in the HBO series ''Silicon Valley'' (2014–2019), earning a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award ...
,
Sean Giambrone Sean Giambrone (born May 30, 1999) is an American actor. His on-screen roles include Adam F. Goldberg in the sitcom ''The Goldbergs (2013 TV series), The Goldbergs'' and Ron Stoppable in the Disney Channel film ''Kim Possible (film), Kim Possible' ...
, and
Mary Mack "Mary Mack" ("Miss Mary Mack") is a clapping game of unknown origin. It is first attested in the book The ''Counting Out Rhymes of Children'' by Henry Carrington Bolton (1888), whose version was collected in West Chester, Pennsylvania. It is wel ...
would voice the lead characters in the series. In September 2022,
Tiffany Haddish Tiffany Sara Cornilia Haddish (born December 3, 1979) is an American stand-up comedian and actress. After guest-starring on several television series and lead role on a cable drama, Haddish gained prominence for her role as Nekeisha Williams on ...
, who voiced the recurring character of Aisha in the first three seasons of the series, confirmed she had lost "all ergigs" following allegations of
child sexual abuse Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child (whet ...
, implying that she would not return in future seasons as the character. On January 25, 2023, Roiland was fired from the show after he was charged with felony domestic abuse.


Release

The first teaser for the series was released on March 25, 2020. The official trailer was released on April 15, 2020. 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 Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...
. Internationally, the series premiered on
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...
under the dedicated streaming hub
Star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...
as an
original series Original programming (also called originals or original programs, and subcategorized as "original series", "original movies", "original documentaries" and "original specials") is a term used for in-house television, film or web series productions ...
on February 23, 2021. On June 18, 2020, ahead of the season two premiere, Hulu renewed the series for a third season consisting of 11 episodes, which was released on July 13, 2022. Executive Producer, Josh Bycel confirmed Season 4 has been written, although Hulu has not yet shared a release date, it will likely be revealed in early 2023.


Syndication

The series premiered on
FXX FXX is an American basic cable channel owned by the Walt Disney Television unit of The Walt Disney Company through FX Networks, LLC. It is the partner channel of FX, with its programming focusing on original and acquired comedy series and fe ...
on July 30, 2022.


Other media


Music video


Video game

''Solar Opposites'' were featured character players in the crossover racing game ''Warped Kart Racers'', released to Apple Arcade in May 2022, along with characters from ''
Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffin family, Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter Griff ...
'', ''
American Dad! ''American Dad!'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Since 2014, the series has been airing new episodes on TBS. ''American Dad!'' is the first television ...
'' and ''
King of the Hill ''King of the Hill'' is an American animated sitcom created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It aired its original non-syndicated run from January 12, 1997, to September 13, 2009, and centers on the Hills, an Am ...
''.


Merchandise

On January 27, 2021, it was revealed at the 2021 Funko Fair that new figures based on the series would be made, which were released on June 25, 2021. On November 17, 2021, Hulu launched an online storefront which featured merchandise based on select shows from its service, with ''Solar Opposites'' being one of them. On July 22, 2022, at San Diego Comic Con that a 192-page art titled "The Art of Solar Opposites" will be released in early 2023 for $49.99 and will be published by
Dark Horse Books Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...
.


Reception


Audience viewership

According to Hulu, ''Solar Opposites'' was the most watched program and the most watched Hulu Original comedy show premiere on the platform, following its debut on May 8, 2020, to May 12, 2020. According to Nielsen, ''Solar Opposites'' was the 10th most streamed original series across all platforms in the United States, during the week of March 22, to March 28, 2022, and the 7th during the week March 29, 2021, to April 4, 2021. According to
Whip Media Whip Media Group is a private American company selling enterprise software for content distribution, as well as TV- and film-related user data. It operates physical offices in the US, the UK, and the EU. Background Whip Media Group is the resul ...
's viewership tracking app
TV Time Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, e ...
, ''Solar Opposites'' was the 4th most anticipated returning television series of July 2022, and the 7th most streamed original series across all platforms in the United States, during the week ending July 24, 2022.


Critical response


Season 1

On
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, season 1 has an approval rating of 92% based on reviews from 37 critics, with an average rating of 7.60/10. 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." On
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
it has a
weighted average The weighted arithmetic mean is similar to an ordinary arithmetic mean (the most common type of average), except that instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others. The ...
score of 72 out of 100, based on reviews from 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews." Dan Fienberg of ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' praised the animation of the series, acclaimed the performances of the voice actors, and complimented the humor of the show, writing, "Justin Roiland and Mike McMahan's new Hulu animated comedy ''Solar Opposites'' has enough loopy sci-fi elements to appeal to ''
Rick and Morty {{Infobox television , image = Rick and Morty title card (cropped).png , alt = , caption = , genre = {{Plainlist, * Animated sitcom * Adult animation * Science fiction * Black comedy * ...
'' fans and a distinctly adult sensibility." Alison Foreman of ''
Mashable Mashable is a digital media platform, news website and entertainment company founded by Pete Cashmore in 2005. History Mashable was founded by Pete Cashmore while living in Aberdeen, Scotland, in July 2005. Early iterations of the site were a ...
'' praised the dynamic and strong relationships between the different characters, drawing comparisons with other families coming from adult animated sitcoms such as ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'' while complimenting the humor of the show, calling it a "spectacular gem worthy of its own fanbase." Joe Matar of ''
Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gan ...
'' rated the series 5 out of 5 stars, praised the show for its classic sitcom format, acclaimed the performances of the voice actors, and applauded the comicality, stating that despite the comparisons with ''Rick and Morty'', the series manages to stand on its own. Alex McLevy of ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' gave the show a B grade and called it "a mischievous cousin of ''
3rd Rock from the Sun ''3rd Rock from the Sun'' is an American television sitcom created by Bonnie and Terry Turner, which originally aired from January 9, 1996, to May 22, 2001, on NBC. The show is about four Extraterrestrial life, extraterrestrials who are on an e ...
''" 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." Joyce Slaton of ''
Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.
'' rated ''Solar Opposites'' 3 out of 5 stars, writing, "''Solar Opposites'' is an animated show by the brains behind ''Rick and Morty.'' It has the same style and vibe, including lots of edgy humor, cheerful gory violence, surreal visuals and plot twists, and wall-to-wall language."


Season 2

On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has an approval rating of 100% based on reviews from 14 critics, with an average rating of 8.10/10. The website's critical consensus states, "''Solar Opposites'' successfully shoots for the moon in an ambitious sophomore outing that manages to build on the first season while adding plenty of fun surprises." Jess Joho of ''
Mashable Mashable is a digital media platform, news website and entertainment company founded by Pete Cashmore in 2005. History Mashable was founded by Pete Cashmore while living in Aberdeen, Scotland, in July 2005. Early iterations of the site were a ...
'' found that the second season gives ''Solar Opposites'' its own identity, writing, "Roiland and other ''Ricky and Morty'' talent finally releasing themselves from the creative shackles of what works for that show, to find their own uniquely satisfying rhythm." Joe Matar of ''
Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gan ...
'' rated the second season 5 out of 5 stars, found it to be a "bigger, crazier, and funnier" season compared to the first one, and gave praise for its cursed language, references to pop culture, and level of violence depicted across its episodes. Davis Opie of ''
Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
'' rated the second season of the series 4 out of 5 stars, stating, "Everything that worked in season one is intensified here for the better," and claimed that ''Solar Opposites'' manages to be distinct from ''Rick and Morty'' across its humor and story lines, saying, "''Solar Opposites'' is very much its own beast." Ethan Anderson of ''
SlashFilm ''/Film'', also spelled ''Slashfilm'', is a blog that covers movie news, reviews, interviews, and trailers. It was founded by Peter Sciretta in August 2005. Podcasts Six podcasts have run on the site. ''The /Filmcast'', hosted by David Chen, De ...
'' gave the second season a grade of 8 out of 10, stated it brings back the humor of the first season with a dark storytelling, and claimed it manages to be "bigger, crazier, and even more confident" than the first season.


Season 3

On Rotten Tomatoes, the third season has an approval rating of 100% based on reviews from 7 critics, with an average rating of 8/10. Lex Briscuso of ''
SlashFilm ''/Film'', also spelled ''Slashfilm'', is a blog that covers movie news, reviews, interviews, and trailers. It was founded by Peter Sciretta in August 2005. Podcasts Six podcasts have run on the site. ''The /Filmcast'', hosted by David Chen, De ...
'' called the third season of ''Solar Opposites'' "bright, bold, and, frankly, bananas in the best way," writing, "''Solar Opposites'' has established itself as a spicy animated situational comedy that pulls from the best parts of its predecessor, ''Rick and Morty'', yet doesn't get stuck looking for its place outside of the Adult Swim hit's shadow. The show is self-assured with a unique vibe and tone all its own, and that continues to shine in the third season. By leaning into the more human elements of what the series has to offer — both the base exploration of those concepts with the aliens and the desperate attempt at a reclamation from the wall people — season 3 of ''Solar Opposites'' reminds us that clever structure can give way to everything else you love about a story: clever writing, brash jokes, and pure cathartic connective tissue." Anthony Orlando of ''
BuzzFeed BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III to focus on tracking viral content. Ken ...
'' ranked ''Solar Opposites'' 10th in their "17 Shows And Characters That Absolutely, Positively Should Have Received Emmy Nominations," saying, "Sure, this show may not be as good as ''Rick and Morty'', but ''Solar Opposites'' is very much its own comedic beast. Co-creator Justin Roiland and his team inject the same amount of hilarity and creativity into this alien-centric show as he did with the former series. Also, the side-adventures in The Wall should've garnered some nominations by themselves, as they made for an outstanding show within the show."


Accolades


Notes


References


External links

* * {{Justin Roiland 2020 American television series debuts 2020s American adult animated television series 2020s American comic science fiction television series 2020s American LGBT-related animated television series 2020s American LGBT-related comedy television series 2020s American sitcoms American adult animated comedy television series American adult animated science fiction television series American animated sitcoms American comic science fiction television series Animated television series about dysfunctional families Animated television series about extraterrestrial life Bisexuality-related television series English-language television shows Hulu original programming Television series about size change Television series by 20th Century Fox Television Television series by Fox Television Animation Television series by Justin Roiland's Solo Vanity Card Productions! Television series created by Justin Roiland