Knuckles is an American television miniseries created by John Whittington and Toby Ascher for the streaming service Paramount+, based on the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series published by Sega. It is a spin-off of the Sonic the Hedgehog film series and the first live-action television series in the franchise overall. Taking place between the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024), the series follows Knuckles the Echidna as he trains deputy sheriff Wade Whipple in the ways of the Echidna warrior. Whittington served as head writer.
Idris Elba reprised his voice role as Knuckles from the film series and stars alongside Adam Pally, reprising his role as Wade. The series was announced in February 2022 during a ViacomCBS investor event, with Elba on board with the project. Production began in London, England, in April 2023, with Sonic film director Jeff Fowler directing the pilot and further casting announced. Ged Wright, Brandon Trost, Jorma Taccone, and Carol Banker directed the following episodes. Tom Howe composed the series' score.
Knuckles premiered on April 26, 2024, with all six episodes. Over its premiere weekend, it became the most watched original series on Paramount+. It received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise directed towards the action sequences and Elba and Pally's performances, although the writing received some criticism.
Plot[]
Taking place between the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024), the series follows Knuckles the Echidna as he trains deputy sheriff Wade Whipple in the ways of the Echidna warrior.
Cast[]
Main[]
- Idris Elba as Knuckles the Echidna: A hot-headed and serious anthropomorphic red echidna with super strength. Elba said the series would explore Knuckles being "a fish out of water" after moving to Earth at the end of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022).
- Adam Pally as Wade Whipple: a dimwitted deputy sheriff of Green Hills who Knuckles will train in the ways of an echidna warrior.
Recurring[]
- Cary Elwes as "Pistol" Pete Whipple: An eccentric 27-time championship bowler and a relative of Wade's.
- Edi Patterson as Wanda Whipple: Wade's sister.
- Stockard Channing as Wendy Whipple: Wade's mother.
- Julian Barratt as Jack Sinclair
- Scott Mescudi as Agent Mason: an agent working for "The Buyer".
- Ellie Taylor as Agent Willoughby: an agent working for "The Buyer".
Guest starring[]
- Rory McCann as "The Buyer": A former lackey of Doctor Robotnik intent on obtaining Knuckles' power.
- Tika Sumpter as Maddie Wachowski: The adoptive mother of Knuckles, Sonic, and Tails, and the local veterinarian of Green Hills.
- Ben Schwartz as Sonic the Hedgehog: An anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who can run at supersonic speeds.
- Colleen O'Shaughnessey as Miles "Tails" Prower: An anthropomorphic yellow-orange fox who can fly with his twin-tails.
- Christopher Lloyd as Pachacamac: An older echidna who was believed to have perished along with his tribe when they tried to capture Longclaw, Sonic's previous adopted mother.
Additionally, Paul Scheer and Rob Huebel have been cast in undisclosed roles.
Production[]
Development[]
By February 2022, development had begun on a Sonic the Hedgehog series focusing on Knuckles the Echidna for release on Paramount+ in 2023. Sega and Paramount Pictures officially announced the series' development at the ViacomCBS Investor Day presentation in February, with Idris Elba confirmed to be reprising his role as Knuckles from the then-upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) and the series serving as a spin-off of the film. In June 2022, Paramount CEO Brian Robbins referred to the series as a miniseries.
In April 2023, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 co-writer John Whittington was announced as the series' developer and head writer. Whittington will also executive produce the series alongside Elba and Sonic film franchise creatives Neal H. Moritz and Toby Ascher of Original Film, Jeff Fowler, and Toru Nakahara. Paramount Pictures and Sega would serve as production companies on the series. It was also reported that the series would follow Knuckles as he trains Wade Wipple, with Adam Pally reprising his role as Wade. Also cast in recurring roles were Edi Patterson, Julian Barratt, Scott Mescudi, and Ellie Taylor, with guest stars including Rory McCann as well as Tika Sumpter reprising her role as Maddie. Additional cast members were confirmed, including Cary Elwes, Stockard Channing, Christopher Lloyd, Paul Scheer, and Rob Huebel in June 2023. In February 2024, it was reported that Ascher had received a co-developer credit alongside Whittington and served as the series's showrunner.
Writing[]
The series had been in the writing stages by April 2022, with Whittington writing alongside Brian Schacter and James Madejski. The series is set between Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024), and will include easter eggs to set-up the events and narrative of the latter.
Filming[]
Production on the series began by April 2023, in London, England. Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 director Jeff Fowler directed the pilot, with Ged Wright, Brandon Trost, Jorma Taccone and Carol Banker also serving as directors.
Music[]
While Tom Holkenborg compose the music for the Sonic films, Tom Howe, composer of Early Man and Shrinking, has been assigned to compose the music for the series.
Episodes[]
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Warrior" | Jeff Fowler | John Whittington | April 26, 2024 | N/A |
| 2 | "Don't Ever Say I Wasn't There for You" | Ged Wright | John Whittington | April 26, 2024 | N/A |
| 3 | "The Shabbat Dinner" | Brandon Trost | Brian Schacter | April 26, 2024 | N/A |
| 4 | "The Flames of Disaster" | Jorma Taccone | James Madejski | April 26, 2024 | N/A |
| 5 | "Reno, Baby" | Carol Banker | Brian Schacter | April 26, 2024 | N/A |
| 6 | "What Happens in Reno, Stays in Reno" | Carol Banker | John Whittington | April 26, 2024 | N/A |
Release[]
All six episodes of Knuckles are set to premiere on Paramount+ on April 26, 2024.
Gallery[]
Notes[]
Sonic the Hedgehog was developed by Sonic Team, published by Sega, directed and programmed by Yuji Naka, designed by Hirokazu Yasuhara, and illustrated by Naoto Ohshima.
Trivia[]
- The hat seen in the show's teaser image is a reference to the hat worn by Knuckles in Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie.
- Notably, this is the first Sonic the Hedgehog television series not to feature Sonic's name in the title.
- However, the early title does feature Sonic's name despite the show being centered on Knuckles.
- This is the seventh television series to be based on the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, the others being Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Underground, Sonic X, Sonic Boom and Sonic Prime.
- Kid Cudi previously sang "Stars in the Sky", which was featured as the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 end credits theme.
See also[]
External links[]
