‘Knuckles’ Got His Own Time To Shine and It Is Glorious

Few perfect little shows exist, but then we were given Knuckles. The Paramount+ series is a continuation of the Sonic the Hedgehog movie universe, and in it, we get to see Knuckles (Idris Elba) on his own, away from the evil of Dr. Robotonik, with Wade Whipple (Adam Pally).

A short and sweet series that just gives us a new pairing to love (in Wade and Knuckles), it doesn’t change much about the Sonic franchise, but it does serve to give characters like Wade their own chance to shine. For as much as this series is about Knuckles, it is also about Wade trying to be his own hero when everyone around him feels like laughing at him.

Knuckles destroys a bit too much of Maddie and Tom’s home, and so when Wade wants to embark on his quest to be a champion, he takes a road trip with Knuckles to a bowling tournament. It is not without its run-ins with The Guardian Units of Nations (G.U.N.), and we even get to meet people like Pistol Pete Whipple (Cary Elwes), Wade’s father who is a bowling legend.

But for all the action sequences and iconic Knuckles fights, what makes this show work is the same thing that exists in the Sonic the Hedgehog movies: a lot of heart to connect with.

We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t love Knuckles

The first Sonic movie brought us Ben Schwartz as Sonic and we were all instantly obsessed with this blue hedgehog, his rings, and his need to run really fast. The second movie brought in Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) as the two faced off against Knuckles, and the rest has been history. Yes, Knuckles is a bit too specific in how he needs to do things, but he is also the last of his kind and trying to find where he fits in the world.

That’s why his pairing with Wade is so good. Seeing Wade back with his family and how Knuckles reacts to Wade’s mother (Stockard Channing) is beyond sweet, and it makes this show so much more than just another installment. If you made Knuckles just a series of fights with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, we probably would have had a lot of fun with it.

But making it more about Knuckles and Wade helping each other made this the kind of show you want to revisit time and time again.

(featured image: Paramount+)