by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
I was one of those oddball kids who would swear up and down by the Sega Genesis. My dad and I would play video games together on that console for hours at a time. To this day, it’s still one of my favorite systems, and has some of my favorite games of all time. I was always a huge Sonic the Hedgehog fan, so seeing the property have its time in the sun has been fun to watch.
Even Knuckles (Idris Elba) is getting in on the action.
Knuckles follows the adventures of the titular echidna as he partners with Wade Whipple (Adam Pally) to teach him about what it means to be a warrior. Along the way, Wade gets a rude awakening when family issues rear their heads again under the backdrop of a prestigious bowling tournament against his father, Pistol Pete Whipple (Cary Elwes).
When Elba was first introduced as the voice of Knuckles, I was skeptical. I knew he had comedic chops from his time in The Office, but I didn’t expect Knuckles to be this Drax the Destroyer-like character that embodies the fish-out-of-water mentality so well. Knuckles is hilarious, and it makes me so happy that Elba shines bright in this role.
The comedy in Knuckles is outstanding. Between the combination of strong performances and dynamite writing, the series will keep you laughing from beginning to end. A large part of this is also due to the comedic actors getting to play supporting roles, including guests like Rob Huebel, Paul Scheer, and Jorma Taccone. Elwes is outstanding as Wade’s dad. He oozes charisma, but is also a giant jerk, doing just enough to make you think he’s changed, before pulling the rug from under you.
Another thing I’ll point out is the music. One of Wade’s recurring jokes is that he makes mix CDs. Between the cover art of the CDs being in the opening sequence and all the songs that show up, credit goes to the creative team who got the right mix of music in Knuckles. Patty Smyth’s “The Warrior” is a perfect theme song, and one of the things Wade teaches Knuckles is to find his jam. When Knuckles finally finds it, Wade feels truly connected to him in a way that I was waiting for the entire series.
This probably leads me to my biggest criticism of the show, though: There’s a point where Knuckles isn’t the focus, and Wade becomes the central figure. I’ll admit I’ve always been a little down on Wade as a character in the Sonic the Hedgehog movies. Unfortunately, having him take more of a central role takes away from screen time with Knuckles, who is the real star of the series.
There is an episode dedicated to Wade’s family, with his mom, Wendy (Stockard Channing), and sister, Wanda (Edi Patterson). Props go to Channing for turning in a toned-down and warm performance. She is rather funny, but is still the show’s heart, amazingly representing family. The conversation she has with Knuckles about what it means to be part of a family is one of the best parts of the show. Wanda, however, starts to become grating after a while. As siblings, both she and Wade constantly try to one up each other. It works as a small bit, but drags on for a good chunk of the show, to the point where it becomes annoying. Patterson has some funny action scenes, but other than that, her performance doesn’t fit with the rest of the characters.
The main villain is known as the Buyer (Rory McCann), and there simply isn’t enough time for him. We do spend more time with his generic henchmen, Agents Mason (Kid Cudi) and Willoughby (Ellie Taylor), though. They have some comedic moments, and their fight sequences with Knuckles are fun. Otherwise, they are fairly one-note. But the real crime is the Buyer being a cheap Dr. Robotnik knockoff who doesn’t bring anything new to the table that Jim Carrey hasn’t already done.
Knuckles is an interesting premise dragged down by an uneven story and one-note characters. The less it focuses on Knuckles, the less interested I became. Other than Channing, the Wade-centric story doesn’t work. To all the Wade apologists out there in the Sonic-verse, this is for you. If the focus had been more on Knuckles, and if Elba would have gotten more chances to flex his comedic muscles, I really would have enjoyed the show. But for the life of me, I don’t understand why it wasn’t a movie instead. The end ultimately left me looking forward to Sonic the Hedgehog 3, even if there doesn’t appear to be a direct connection. Either way, Knuckles is a fun show that fails to deliver on its premise.
Rating: Low Side of Just Okay
Knuckles is currently streaming on Paramount+
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