Among Us

I haven't thought about playing Among Us in years, but this series definitely reminded me of how fun it used to be.

I remember hopping on to play with my friends all the time! Especially during Covid lockdowns.

Everyone would spawn into The Skeld and IMMEDIATELY run to the MedBay to get scanned. I would run to the Electrical Room where I would usually get killed right away. The Emergency Meetings would be chaotic as hell;  half the crewmates would be spewing nonsense while the other half would have legitimate concerns that would go unheard. And this, inevitably, would lead to a wrongful ejection.

Meanwhile, one Imposter would be completely useless as the other would be doing all of the killing. And everything would lead up to a Reactor Meltdown where the last Imposter would seperate and kill the remaining two crewmates.

Fun times.

Playing Among Us went a long way in making Covid-19 restrictions feel bearable. So, while I personally haven't played the game in such a long time, I do have a lot of fond memories attached to it. And you know what? This show actually does a really good job of recreating the feel of the game.

But even if this series wasn't based on the popular game, I think it could stand on its own as a fun and quirky adult animation. Something that could easily be thrown into Adult Swim's lineup, for example. They've had plenty of weirder and worse shows on their rotation, after all.

And if you're not familiar with the video game, the story follows a crew of eccentric astronauts who learn that a shapeshifting alien has infiltrated their ship. As the alien starts picking them off one by one, the crewmates must work together to determine which of them is the Impostor.

Yes, this is essentially a murder mystery in space. And it's a pretty solid one at that! I really didn't have any expectations going into this show, but I actually found it to be thoroughly engaging!

As a matter of fact, I'm shocked that all of the episodes were unceremoniously dumped onto Paramount+. Because, while nothing about it stands out in particular, this series isn't bad at all. It's actually quite fun and even downright entertaining!

So, it's a shame to see that Paramount had no faith in this material. Especially with the talented voice cast that has been assembled here. This show includes names like Elijah Wood, Randall Park, Patton Oswalt, Wayne Knight, Dan Stevens, Yvette Nicole Brown, Phil LaMarr, Ashley Johnson and more! Those are impressive names for this series to pull. And it should come as no surprise to hear that all of these actors do some solid work here.

Granted, there isn't a lot of character work for these actors to sink their teeth into, but they're clearly having fun with this material! Plus, I'm not sure if these characters really need fully fleshed out backstories.

I mean, I admire the show's attempt at giving the crewmates some character development; I just don't think the development that is here is really all that necessary. Especially when the story being told is such a simplistic one.

That story is also quite predictable. It's incredibly easy to tell who the Impostor is. In my opinion, at least. And once the series finally makes that reveal, there's nowhere left for the story to go. So the show plays out exactly the way you would expect it to, which is admittedly a bit underwhelming.

Still, I have to admit that I really enjoy this series. I can't help it! It perfectly captures the essence of the game. And while I do like all of the direct references - like hearing familiar sound effects and musical cues - I like when the show takes some liberties with the game too.

Having the oxygen deplete is taken directly from the game, for example, but having the crewmates hallucinate from hypoxia is a fun little detail that is original to the show. It's weird and it's strange and it's entertaining!

Also, I'm surprised that Greenhouse makes an appearance here - since that's a location that exists on the MIRA HQ map - but I guess that doesn't really matter since we'll probably never see that map in this show. I highly doubt Paramount is going to renew this series for another season, after all. Which is a shame!

This is a perfectly entertaining series! It's not a great show by any means, but it's fun! Definitely on par with anything that currently airing on Adult Swim.

On that note: I'm surprised that this series is rated TV-PG because there is A LOT of blood featured throughout. Granted, the crew mates do have a cartoonishly non-human depiction, but still. There's way more blood and adult humor than I expected to see here. Which isn't a bad thing! I'm just not sure what audience this show is trying to connect to. Adults? Children who still play Among Us? Both? It's hard to tell.

Children aren't going to understand references to 12 Angry Men, after all. But the tone of this series does seem to be a bit childish for adults. Which is exactly why I'm surprised by the show's positive reception. Because, while I may personally like the series, I didn't expect many other people to like it as well. But the people who actually watched it do seem to enjoy it!

Imagine if Paramount spent any amount of money on marketing this show. You know, instead of just giving up on it. I don't think it would have pulled impressive numbers for the studio, but I bet it would have done a lot better than nothing! So, the fact that they showed no faith in this series is rather unfortunate. And pretty sus if you ask me.

All in all, I can't deny that I actually do like this series. Sure, it probably came out six years too late, but that doesn't stop it from being a perfectly entertaining series in its own right! At the very least, the series does make me want to play Among Us again - and that is all I really could have asked for in a series that is based on the video game.

The show definitely won't work for everyone, but if you are a fan of the popular game, then I think this show could be a nice trip down memory lane for you. That is, of course, unless you don't like being reminded of things that were popular during Covid-19 restrictions. Which is fair enough.

But I personally do enjoy this series. It's a little childish and it does feature some story elements that aren't completely necessary, but it's a good show! One that would get a surprising recommendation from me.