TV Show Review: Sweet Tooth (Netflix)

Sweet Tooth

Jun 4, 2021

Creators: Jim Mickle, Beth Schwartz

Exec. Producers: Jim Mickle, Beth Schwartz, Robert Downey Jr., Susan Downey, Amanda Burrell, Linda Moran

Cast: Christian Convery, Nonso Anozie, Adeel Akhtar, Stefania LaVie

Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy

Network: Netflix

Ten years ago "The Great Crumble" wreaked havoc on the world and led to the mysterious emergence of hybrids -- 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's 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. Based on the DC comic book series by Jeff Lemire.

Based on the comic book of the same name, Sweet Tooth takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where a virus wiped out most of the human population and caused the emergence of hybrid babies born half-human, half-animal. Because of this, many humans fear these hybrids and hunt them. Sweet Tooth revolves around Gus, a half-human, half deer child left alone after his father dies from the virus. Gus finds what he believes is a photo of his mother and the word “Colorado” written on it. As Gus journeys across what is left of America searching for answers, he quickly learns that surviving in the world outside of his old home is a lot more complicated than he thought.

I’ll admit that I was very skeptical about this story for many reasons. It’s pretty far outside my preferred wheelhouse for one. But curiosity got the better of me, and I binged this 8 episode series and was pleasantly surprised. Sweet Tooth is way out there in terms of fantasy, magic, and believability, even for fiction. Suspending what you think you know and what you readily accept for this comic book/fantasy story is definitely your best bet. It would make a great family movie/binge night pick while also opening up an opportunity to have discussions with kids about people who are different.

I was not aware of Sweet Tooth before the series came out. I had no idea it was a comic until recently, so I can’t say if it’s true to the source material or not, but I can say that the casting choices added to it the likability of the story. Each actor brought to life their part of the story and made their character relatable to the audience.

So overall, whether it’s your preferred wheelhouse or not, I highly recommend Sweet Tooth.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Sheep

Adria Reyes
Adria @ Adria’s Musings