Brace yourselves. Hulu’s hit animated comedy Solar Opposites returns Aug. 14, and not a moment too soon. We all could use a good laugh these days. Two big season four surprises are bound to intrigue viewers. The first revolves around Korvo’s “new voice;" the second has to do with The Wall, a story arc that quickly became a fan favorite.
Fans may recall that domestic violence charges were brought up against series co-creator Justin Roiland, who also voiced Korvo, and that the show severed ties with him. Roiland was cleared of those charges back in March. The series still ventures forth with aplomb in season four and plans for a fifth season are under way. Curious about how Solar Opposites handled Korvo’s new voice, now fueled by Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey, Legion)? Check out this link here.
In the meantime, learn more about what’s in store in season four in this exclusive MovieWeb interview with the show’s supervising producer Sydney Ryan (Rick and Morty, Community, who’s been with the series from the start.
The Wall, The Wall, Always The Wall
Solar Opposites virgins take note: The show centers around four aliens who are evenly split on whether planet Earth is good or bad. Korvo (Stevens) and Yumyulack (Sean Giambrone) are in one camp. They only see things like pollution, gross consumerism, and human frailty. Terry (Thomas Middleditch) and Jesse (Mary Mack), on the other hand, are jazzed about TV, junk food, and other fun things The show, which is executive produced by Mike McMahan and Josh Bycel, also stars Tiffany Haddish as their sentient AI computer system.
About the upcoming season, supervising producer Sydney Ryan said:
“I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but I think fans will be surprised to see how drastically The Wall has changed from season three to season four. Our heroine, Cherie, went down to the lower levels to save The Wall last season, and when she returned, Sister Sisto had taken her daughter, Pezlie. Cherie isn’t going to go down without a fight, and I can’t wait for everyone to see where that story goes.”
Expect to be surprised. The show has teased a "holy war" within The Wall. And about that. Newbies pay attention: The Wall is a recurring setting in Solar Opposites. Yumyulack used to shrink certain people who made him angry and place them in several interconnected terrariums hidden within the wall of his and Jesse's room. Think an ant colony, but with people.
Ryan also pointed out other season four notables. “I feel like Korvo and Terry’s love really comes alive this season, and I’m so happy that we’re getting to see more of it. They’re teammates, but they’re also partners, and I think they make the cutest couple. I love watching them argue and seeing their relationship grow over the seasons has been really fun. The writers brought the family together more this season and I love the ridiculous adventures that they get to go on.”
In fact, watch out for that family “road trip.” It should be memorable.
Expect More Dark Comedy
Mike McMahan (Rick and Morty) and Justin Roiland created their ambitious space aliens series partly as a way to comment on pop culture. The show immediately appealed to the Rick and Morty crowd — the dark comedy and sci-fi gadgetry went a long way — and went on to become one of the most popular animated comedies to hit streaming.
“There are so many reasons to love Solar Opposites,” noted Ryan. “I know fans are split between loving the alien stories more or The Wall more, but the mix of them together is what makes Solar Opposites so great. What the writers have done with The Wall is so unique, and I love getting to watch the drama unfold each season.”
She went on to say that the seriousness of The Wall plays well against the core family doing ridiculous, funny things:
I think people enjoy that the writers aren’t afraid to switch back and forth between dramatic and silly. I also love The Pupa, he’s just the cutest and sweetest little creature.
About that… The Pupa is important and factors into the overall plot of the show. It is a slug-like creature containing all the information and history of planet Shlorp, the home world of our favorite aliens. We’re told that when The Pupa hits maturity, it will grow so large that it can consume the entire planet. Season three ended with a dramatic, Pupa-oriented finale.
Season four will feature more dark comedy elements that the show has become so well known for. Fans will want to know how Korvo handles office work life after last season found the family altering several plans on Earth. The Solar Opposities family has come a long way.
When asked about what her initial hope was going into the series several years back, Ryan said, “I thought the pilot was so much fun, and I was looking forward to working on a show that didn’t take itself too seriously. Mike McMahan and [executive producer] Josh Bycel have always said that Solar Opposites is a show about watching sitcoms and the aliens literally pattern themselves after shows they watched after they crash-landed on Earth. With that premise, I knew we’d have material for a long-running series, but I like how the show is always challenging itself to stay fresh and surprising.”
Ryan has been working with Mike McMahan since season one of Rick and Morty. She watched him go from writer’s assistant to show creator, noting he is, “the funniest person.” On a personal note, she adds that she’s always been a big fan of The Simpsons, “so getting to work with 20th Television Animation is a dream come true. I just feel extremely fortunate to work on a show that I love as much as I love Solar Opposites.”
Season four of Solar Opposites begins streaming on Hulu Aug. 14