Ten years ago "The Great Crumble" wreaked havoc on the world and led to the mysterious emergence of hybrid babies born part human, part animal. Unsure if hybrids are the cause or result of the virus, many humans fear and hunt them. After a decade of living safely in his secluded forest home, a sheltered hybrid deer-boy named Gus (Christian Convery) unexpectedly befriends a wandering loner named Jepperd (Nonso Anozie). Together they set out on an extraordinary adventure across what is left of America in search of answers—about Gus' origins, Jepperd's past, and the true meaning of home. But their story is full of unexpected allies and enemies, and Gus quickly learns the lush, dangerous world outside the forest is more complex than he ever could have imagined.[2]
Cast
Main
Nonso Anozie as Tommy Jepperd, [3] a traveler and reformed Last Man who saves Gus from poachers and reluctantly accompanying Gus to his journey in finding his mother. Gus refers to him as "Big Man". He was a famous professional football player before the apocalypse.
Christian Convery as Gus,[3] a sheltered naive 10-year-old half-human and half-deer boy who wants to find his mother. Tommy refers to Gus as "Sweet Tooth".
Adeel Akhtar as Dr. Aditya Singh,[4] a doctor who is desperate to find the cure for the H5G9 virus also known as the sick.
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,[4] a former therapist who creates a safe haven for hybrids called the Preserve
Aliza Vellani as Rani Singh, Dr. Aditya Singh's wife who has the sick
Will Forte as Pubba,[4] Gus' father[3] 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. He was a janitor at Fort Smiths Labs in Goss Grove, Colorado.
Recurring
Sarah Peirse as Dr. Gladys Bell, a doctor who is dying of cancer and leaves her research of finding a cure for the sick to Dr. Singh
Neil Sandilands as General Abbot, the leader of the Last Men who hunts hybrids
Naledi Murray as Wendy, Aimee's adopted hybrid daughter who is half-pig and half-human. Aimee often refers her as "Pigtail". She is the biological daughter of Bear’s foster parents.
Guest starring
Amy Seimetz as Birdie, a woman who Gus assumes is his mother. It is later revealed that her first name is Gertrude. She was a geneticist at Fort Smiths Labs.
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.[5] On April 9, 2020, it was announced that the series had been moved from Hulu to Netflix.[6] 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.[7] The series was released on June 4, 2021.[1]
In July 2020, New Zealand granted the series permission to film, despite the recent travel restrictions due to the Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on television.[11] On October 1, 2020, it was reported that the series had resumed filming after the COVID-19 pandemic halted production months earlier, with filming expected to continue until mid-December 2020.[12]
Reception
For the series, review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 97% based on 38 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.98/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Emotionally engaging, superbly acted, and incredibly entertaining, Sweet Tooth will satisfy fantasy fans of all ages."[13]Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 78 out of 100 based on 18 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[14]
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."[15]
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