TheSonic the Hedgehogfilm franchise looks like a massive success. Both films earned impressive box office returns and widespread critical approval. Unfortunately, a lucrative and respected trilogy of crowd-pleasing blockbusters isn’t enough for some studios. The go-to strategy is the Marvel model, which requires creating a shared universe, requiring the audience to watch every piece of content to get the full story. TheSonicmovies launched their first spinoff inKnuckles, but it obstinately refuses to use the same cynical tricks to garner views.
Streaming services have a few straightforward ways to sell subscriptions.Netflix relies on its strong libraryof original shows and movies. Disney+, on the other hand, has exclusive access to a couple of massive IPs that attract fans. Paramount+ is more so the latter than the former. They aren’t dropping groundbreaking hits likeStranger Things, but they do have the rights to massive franchises likeStar Trekand the entire Nickelodeon lineup.Sonicis one of their heavy hitters, butKnuckleschallenged the ways they can use it.
John Whittington and Toby Ascher
Idris Elba and Adam Pally
6
Rotten Tomatoes Score
75% from 32 critics
Knuckleswas a massive hitfor Paramount, but it wouldn’t appear that way to anyone who looked at it.Knucklesbecame the most-watched Paramount+ original series and the most popular family-friendly project on the platform. It also inflated the viewership of bothSonicmovies by almost 300%. That’s a stunning smash hit for a questionable streaming service. This outlet producedHalo, andKnuckleseasily unseated both seasons of that controversial adaptation. It also outperformedPAW PatrolandSpongebobas the streamer’s best kids and family project. This should make the title of this article complete nonsense, but the show’s influence seemed to end abruptly after that initial burst.Knucklesis actually the 24th most-watched show on Paramount this year. It spent more than a month in the international top ten, but it inhabited low spots throughout most of that run.South Park, Star Trek, CSI,Nickelodeon original shows fromthe 2010s, and the other major players crowded it out of the top five.Knucklesdoesn’t amount to much when it’s said and done. That’s less of a commentary on its quality and more of one on the market.
Knuckleshas no connection to the movies
The first episode ofKnucklesbriefly includes Sonic and Tails. The inciting incident sees the echidna warrior agitate his adoptive human mother by maintaining his bizarrely aggressive lifestyle. He gets a couple of comedy sceneswith Sonic and Tailsbefore setting out on his new journey. The main plot follows his efforts to teach Wade Whipple, Adam Pally’s comic relief sheriff’s deputy, who has around 15 minutes of screen time in the original films. This includes new antagonists, a full supporting cast, and a narrative arc for Wade. It’s barely a show about Knuckles. By choosing to focus on the human character that no one cares about,Knucklesalienates fans of the franchise. It’s a spinoff with very little time for the character in the title. Most of the show depicts Wade’s struggle to come to terms with his absentee father. Knuckles gets a couple of fight scenes, several decent jokes, and a bold thumbs up at the end. The final moments feel oddly unfinished. Knuckles beats Rory McCann, stands beside his allies, and waits for the credits to roll. Theshow stands on its own, for better and for worse.
Sonicdoesn’t need to be a cinematic universe
Knucklesis an old-fashioned TV spinoff. They made movies, then gave a popular side character a spotlight in a new format. This superficially resembles the traditions found in Marvel and Disney shows, but those programs have entirely different goals.Knucklesis just a fun exploration of a character fans enjoy.The Book of Boba FettandHawkeyeseem like focused, personal stories, but they’re also methods of bolstering the cinematic universe and tying yet more content together. Disney wants all of its content to feed into each other, forcing viewers to watch all of it if they have an interest in any of it.Knucklesmay not establish anything new about the franchise, but that guarantees that anyone choosing to watch it is doing so because they want to. The negative side effect is that fans might not continue talking about the show after it comes out, but letting every project stand on its own promises a respite from othermodern media franchises.
Knucklesis a decent show with some sizable problems. Despite its strong initial reaction, the show doesn’t seem to have much long-term appeal. Whilethe nextSonicmoviehas fans vibrating with excitement, the series earned a much more modest response. Still,Knucklesis preferable to most studio’s cynical attempts to build continuity. MaybeSonicshould stick to the big screen.
