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Solar Opposites is an American adult animated science-fiction sitcom created by Justin Roiland and Mike McMahan for Hulu.[2] Originally created for the Fox Broadcasting Company, the project was shelved before being bought by Hulu and given a two-season order consisting of eight episodes each with the first season premiering on May 8, 2020. In October 2022, the series was renewed for a fifth season which premiered on August 12, 2024.[3] In July 2024, the series was renewed for a sixth season.[4]
| Solar Opposites | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | |
| Voices of |
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| Composer | Chris Westlake |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 53 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Editors | Lee Harting Nick Reczynski |
| Running time | 21–25 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Hulu |
| Release | May 8, 2020 – present |
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Solar Opposites centers around Korvo, Terry, 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 — each carrying 2 adults and their replicants — to colonize new planets shortly before their home planet was destroyed by an asteroid.
The show also 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".[5] 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.
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Main
- Justin Roiland (seasons 1–3) and Dan Stevens (season 4–present) as Korvo, an intelligent Shlorpian scientist who hates Earth and wants to leave as soon as possible. He is the designated leader of their mission to find a new world and later becomes Terry's husband.
- Thomas Middleditch as Terrance "Terry", Korvo's evacuation partner and later husband, and the pupa specialist who enjoys being on Earth and is fascinated with human culture.
- Sean Giambrone as Yumyulack, Korvo's replicant/son who is a self-proclaimed scientist and bounty hunter. As a hobby, he shrinks adult humans at will and keeps them inside a terrarium in his bedroom known as "the Wall". In the fifth season, Giambrone also portrays a fictionalized version of himself.
- Mary Mack as Jesse, Terry's replicant/daughter who is generally kind and wants to fit into human society.
- Sagan McMahan[c] as The Pupa, an infant, color-changing alien who will one day evolve into its true form and terraform the Earth into a copy of the Shlorp homeworld for the Shlorp ruling class, using the data stored in its DNA.
Supporting
Alien associates
- Tiffany Haddish as A.I.S.H.A., the Shlorpian's sassy artificial intelligence built into their ship
- Justin Roiland (seasons 1–2) and Eric Bauza (season 4) as Chris the Red Goobler, a "red goobler" produced from Korvo via Terry-induced stress. His only purpose is to kill Korvo. He becomes engaged to a human woman and is portrayed as a "bro" archetype, often expressing his fondness for The Hangover movie, Joe Rogan, and tight polo shirts, later opening his own bar after Korvo turns his fiancée into a rat.
- Wendi McLendon-Covey as P.A.T.R.I.C.I.A. (season 1), a robot created by Korvo to serve as his wife. Their name stands for "Patricia Automated Television Retro‐fitted Intelligent Companion In Action."
- Tony Hale as Little Buddy (seasons 3–4), an artificial alien that hatched from an egg laid by the Pupa
- JK Sevens (JK-7) (season 5), a robot from the planet Clervix-3 who follows the Shlorpians back to Earth
- Dan Bakkedahl as Commander Zarck (season 5), the Shlorpian's original mission leader who was jettisoned out of their ship as part of a What If scenario and seeks revenge against them
Human associates
- Kari Wahlgren as Ms. Frankie (seasons 1–3, 5), 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 as Principal Principal Cooke, the principal at James Earl Jones High School, who is openly prejudiced against Yumyulack and Jesse and is engaging in a secret affair with Ms. Frankie. His first name is revealed to also be "Principal", making his full name and title "Principal Principal Cooke".
The Wall
- Andy Daly as Lindsey Tim Weekly (seasons 1–3), one of Yumyulack's captives, shrunk down since he was wearing a red shirt, who goes by his middle name. Tim becomes a scavenger and resistance leader against the Duke's regime, before taking his place.
- Christina Hendricks as Cherie, a former Benihana chef placed in the Wall by Yumyulack for serving him shrimp he didn't want. She becomes one of Tim's allies in his fight against the Duke before getting betrayed by Tim. She later gives birth to her and Tim's daughter, Pezlie, the first human to be born tiny. She then seeks to expose Tim for his crimes and later saves her daughter when she's kidnapped by the Bowinian Church before moving to the Backyard.
- Alfred Molina as Ringo / The Duke (seasons 1–2, 5), the corrupt ruler of Yumyulack's Wall, who maintains order and control by hoarding the supplies given to the Wall's inhabitants by Jesse. In the fifth season, he is unintentionally resurrected by Terry using the make-alive ray.
- Tom Kenny as:
- The Janitor (seasons 1, 3), the first person to be placed in the Wall who later hunts mosquitos in the lower levels
- Mark (season 3), a deliveryman and Allie's boyfriend
- Miguel Sandoval as Enrique (seasons 1–2), the father of Pedro and a member of Tim's resistance movement. After getting insulin from the Duke, he betrays Tim and Cherie and becomes one of the Walldermen.
- Andrew Matarazzo as Pedro (season 1), Enrique's son who is trying to get his father insulin
- Jeannie Elias as Sister Sasha (seasons 1, 3), the first head of the Bowinian Church, who worship Jesse as their god
- Maurice LaMarche as Sonny (seasons 1–2), one of the Wallderman working for the Duke
- Nat Faxon as Bryson (season 1), a member of Tim's resistance movement
- Rainn Wilson as Steven (seasons 1, 3), the former CEO of AT&T who becomes a mouse milk farmer with his pet mouse, Molly, in the lower levels. After Molly's death during the Great Wall War, Steven retreats to the lower levels and gradually goes insane, eventually learning how to control the mosquitoes living in the Wall.
- Phil LaMarr as Jean-Pierre (season 1), a prisoner of the Duke and cellmate of Tim who joins his resistance movement
- Sterling K. Brown as Halk Hogam (seasons 2–3), A haunted war hero from the Great Wall War, member of Tim's resistance movement, and a former Bones executive story editor trying to solve a string of grisly murders. He later joins the Wall Council and becomes Cherie's ally.
- Kari Wahlgren as:
- Nova / Sister Blista (seasons 2–4), Halk's girlfriend, later wife, and the third head of the Bowinian Church
- Pezlie (season 2–present), Cherie and Tim's infant daughter
- Allie (season 3), the owner of a confectionery shop and Mark's girlfriend
- Platinum Stevie (season 3), the leader of the Muck People, a group of cannibals living in the lower levels
- Vanessa Marshall as Mia (seasons 2, 5), the greeter of new arrivals to the Wall and later a citizen of Basketballburgh in the Backyard
- Jon Daly as Declan (season 2), a new arrival to the Wall and later one of Ethan's victims
- Nick Reczynski as Steve (season 2), a nutritionist who delivers fresh food to people in the Wall and later one of Ethan's victims
- Jimmi Simpson as Ethan (season 2), a depraved serial killer with a god complex who murders people in the Wall
- Sutton Foster as Sister Sisto (seasons 3–4), the second head of the Bowinian Church, who takes over and claims Pezlie as their messiah
- Eric Bauza as:
- Blaine / Eyepatch Guy (season 3), a member of the expedition to the lower levels
- Anthony (season 5), the leader of Sandbox Town in the Backyard
- Nolan North as:
- Albert (season 3–present), the head of the Wall Council and later the leader of Basketballburgh in the Backyard
- Joe Sanders (season 3), a member of the expedition to the lower levels
- Pat (season 4), an enforcer for the Bowinian Church
- Jerry (season 4), a disciple of the Bowinian Church who works in the market
- Lauren Tom as Nicole (season 3), the power minister and member of the Wall Council who joins the expedition to the lower levels
- Steve Hytner as Avocado Eggrolls (season 3), a member of the Muck People
- Carlos Alazraqui as Montez (season 4–present), the chief enforcer of the Bowinian Church who is secretly a spy working with Cherie and later escapes with her to the Backyard
- Lamorne Morris as Benny (season 4), an enforcer for the Bowinian Church
- Tim Heidecker as Garth (season 4), a farmer who discovers that the Wall is slowly getting colder
- Spencer Grammer as Lynette (season 4), a member of the Heathens, who joins Cherie to help save Pezlie from the Bowinian Church
- Fred Tatasciore as:
- Jimmy (season 4), a member of the Heathens, who joins Cherie to help save Pezlie from the Bowinian Church
- Little Richard / The Bounty Hunter (season 5), a ruthless killer working for Albert who travels across the Backyard on his pet lizard
- Clancy Brown as Gavin (season 5), a drifter who travels across the Backyard on his pet hedgehog, Hedgey, and is hired by Oscar to escort precious cargo
- Charlotte Nicdao as Sofia (season 5), Oscar's niece who joins Gavin on his journey in the Backyard
- Oscar Nunez as Oscar (season 5), the owner of a saloon in the settlement of Gutterville in the Backyard
- Troy Baker as McManus (season 5), a loanshark in the Backyard who Gavin is in debt to
The SilverCops
- Kieran Culkin as Glen Kumstein / Dodge Charger (season 3–present), a neighbor of the Shlorpians who is later shot into space and joins the SilverCops. In the fourth season, after becoming a wanted man, he changes his DNA to become a dog-like humanoid. In the fifth season, he joins the GoldCops to get justice against the SilverCops.
- Christopher Meloni as LoneSun (season 3), the leader of a squad of SilverCops who recruit Glen
- Carlos Alazraqui as Ventrez (season 3), the second-in-command of LoneSun's squad
- Blake Perlman as:
- Glorgax (season 3), an insectoid alien and member of LoneSun's squad
- Quigonowski (season 5), an insectoid alien and a SilverCop grunt during the war against the Equinites
- Sutton Foster as Pobo (season 3), a floating canine alien and member of LoneSun's squad
- Clancy Brown as Cromus (season 3), an officer of the SilverCops, later revealed to be an undercover GoldCop
- Skyler Gisondo as:
- Zylenol "Zy" Peehem (season 4), a bat-like alien who befriends Glen and member of the Holo Thieves
- Gex (season 5), a SilverCop grunt during the war against the Equinites
- Gideon Adlon as Gragger (season 4), a squid-like alien and member of the Holo Thieves
- Algee Smith as Skunt (season 4), a hamster-like alien and member of the Holo Thieves
- Daveed Diggs as Skeletom (season 4), a skeletal hologram alien and leader of the Holo Thieves, later revealed to working with the SilverCops
- Jack Quaid as Tomblr Crundle (season 5), a turkey-like alien who befriends Dodge and a trainee at the SilverCop bootcamp
- Chris Diamantopoulos as Zobert (season 5), an overconfident SilverCop trainee who bullies Tomblr
- Stephen Lang and Ron Funches as Sergeant Argent (season 5), the two-headed drill instructor at the SilverCop bootcamp
- Morgan Spector as Buttercup (season 5), the leader of the Equinite Resistance, a race of horse-like aliens whose planet is under invasion by the SilverCops
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Development
On August 28, 2018, it was announced that Hulu had given the production a series order for two seasons consisting of sixteen episodes. The series was created by Rick and Morty cocreator Justin Roiland and Mike McMahan, who were also expected to serve as executive producers. It is distributed by 20th Television.[6][7] On June 18, 2020, Hulu renewed the series for a third season consisting of 11 episodes.[8] On June 22, 2021, Hulu renewed the series for a fourth season consisting of 12 episodes.[9] On October 6, 2022, Hulu renewed the series for a fifth season.[3] On July 26, 2024, Hulu renewed the series for a sixth season.[4] Some of the animation is made with assistance from Film Victoria in Melbourne, Australia.
Writing
The Wall in Yumyulack's room where he imprisons shrunken-down people 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.[10][11]
Casting
Alongside the series first order announcement, it was confirmed that Roiland, Thomas Middleditch, Sean Giambrone, and Mary Mack would voice the lead characters in the series.[5][6][7]
On January 25, 2023, Roiland was removed from the show, alongside sister show Koala Man, after he was charged with felony domestic abuse. Both shows are distributed by 20th Television, via their 20th Television Animation division.[12] On June 20, 2023, it was announced that Dan Stevens was officially taking over as the voice of Korvo.[13]
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The first teaser for the series was released on March 25, 2020.[14] The official trailer was released on April 15, 2020.[15] 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.[16] Internationally, the series premiered on Disney+ under the dedicated streaming hub Star as an original series on February 23, 2021.[17][18] On June 18, 2020, ahead of the season two premiere, Hulu renewed the series for a third season consisting of 11 episodes,[8] which was released on July 13, 2022.[19] The fourth season was released on August 14, 2023.[20]
Syndication
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Viewership
Hulu announced that Solar Opposites became both the most-watched program and the most-watched Hulu Original comedy premiere on the platform following its debut from May 8-12, 2020.[22] According to market research company Parrot Analytics, which looks at consumer engagement in consumer research, streaming, downloads, and on social media, the series was the second-largest gainer in global demand during the week of May 3-May 9, 2020. It saw a 326.7% spike in demand, making it one of the most popular new series at the time.[23] Nielsen Media Research, which records streaming viewership on U.S. television screens, announced that the show ranked as the tenth most-streamed original series in the U.S. with 196 million minutes of watch time during the week of March 22–28, 2021.[24] It rose to seventh place with 171 million minutes of watch time the following week, March 29–April 4, 2021.[25] In April 2021, Solar Opposites experienced a 40.3% month-on-month increase in U.S. demand, according to Parrot Analytics.[26]
Whip Media's viewership tracking app TV Time, which tracks viewership data for the more than 21 million worldwide users of its app, calculated that the series was the fourth most anticipated returning television series in July 2022.[27] It ranked as the seventh most-streamed original series in the U.S. for the week of July 24, 2022.[28] Nielsen Media Research further reported that the show was the tenth most streamed original series across in the U.S. during the week of August 14 to 20, 2023.[29][30] TVision, which utilizes its TVision Power Score to evaluate CTV programming performance by factoring in viewership and engagement across over 1,000 apps and incorporating four key metrics—viewer attention time, total program time available for the season, program reach, and app reach—calculated that Solar Opposites was the fifteenth most-streamed series from August 12 to August 18, 2024.[31] It subsequently moved to nineteenth place during the week of August 19 -25, 2024.[32]
Critical response
Season 1
On Rotten Tomatoes, 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."[33] On Metacritic it has a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on reviews from 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[34]
Dan Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter 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 fans and a distinctly adult sensibility."[35] Alison Foreman of Mashable praised the dynamic and strong relationships between the different characters, drawing comparisons with other families coming from adult animated sitcoms such as The Simpsons while complimenting the humor of the show, calling it a "spectacular gem worthy of its own fanbase."[36] Joe Matar of Den of Geek 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.[37] Alex McLevy of The A.V. Club gave the show a B grade and called it "a mischievous cousin of 3rd Rock from the Sun" 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."[38] Joyce Slaton of Common Sense Media 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."[39]
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."[40]
Jess Joho of Mashable 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."[41] Joe Matar of Den of Geek 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.[42] Davis Opie of Digital Spy 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."[43] Ethan Anderson of SlashFilm 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.[44]
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.[45]
Lex Briscuso of SlashFilm 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."[46] Anthony Orlando of BuzzFeed 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."[47]
Season 4
On Rotten Tomatoes, the fourth season has an approval rating of 100% based on reviews from 8 critics, with an average rating of 7.8/10.[48]
Ross McIndoe of Slant Magazine called the fourth season of Solar Opposites "a mad blend of pop-cultural references and meta-gags, some of which land and some of which don't," also adding that season four is "true to the scatological, self-awareness of the show's prior ones."[49] Nate Richard of Collider has called season four "the series' most entertaining to date" and "one of the better original comedy series that Hulu has to offer," though the show "start to get repetitive at points".[50] Praising Dan Stevens voice replacing Justin Roiland's, Tessa Smith of Mama's Geeky wrote, "Dan Stevens steps in without missing a beat as the voice of Korvo."[51]
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Clio Awards | Audio/Visual Social Single Video | Solar Opposites | Bronze | [52][53] |
| 2022 | BMI Film & TV Awards | BMI Streaming Series Awards | Chris Westlake | Won | [54][55] |
| Clio Awards | Special Event | Solar Opposites | Gold | [56][57] | |
| 2024 | Annie Awards | Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Television/Media Production | Dan Stevens | Nominated | [58][59] |
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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.[60] 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.[61][62]
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.[63] However, as of September 2024, the book has not been released.
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Music video
A music video, titled "WTF is Christmas? (A Solar Opposites Song ft. Darren Criss)" and written by Tony Ferrari, was released on November 11, 2021, where Korvo tries to remember what Christmas is all about.[64]
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, American Dad!, and King of the Hill.[65]
- The Pupa is also voiced by Liam Cunningham in the first season finale.
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