Jupiter’s Legacy may have been binned after just one eight-episode season, but Netflix is still determined to continue cementing its reputation as the go-to place for big budget episodic fantasy.
It’s a genre that’s proven to be hugely popular among subscribers dating back a good few years, and while the aforementioned comic book adaptation and supernatural Sherlock Holmes spinoff The Irregulars might’ve been canceled, there’s still plenty of fantastical content on the way to the world’s biggest streaming platform.
The latest is Sweet Tooth, which hails from DC’s Vertigo imprint and is produced by none other than Robert Downey Jr. It follows a ten year-old kid named Gus, a human-animal hybrid that’s part deer after an event known as The Great Crumble led to the emergence of magical hybrid creatures. Gus finds himself teaming up with Nonso Anozie’s lone wanderer Jepperd as they set out on an adventure across America to find answers to questions surrounding both of their pasts, meeting plenty of unexpected allies and enemies along the way.
Creator Jim Mickle largely has a background in horror and sci-fi, although he did detour into standard thriller territory with the acclaimed Cold in July, so the show sees the filmmaker venturing into uncharted waters. At this stage, there’s every chance that Sweet Tooth will have topped the most-watched charts by this time tomorrow, but as we’ve only just seen with Jupiter’s Legacy, drawing in subscribers is no guarantee of a renewal.
However, Stranger Things, The Umbrella Academy, The Witcher, Cursed, Warrior Nun, Fate: The Winx Saga and Shadow and Bone have all either been awarded additional seasons or are heading in that direction, so the combination of high concept fantasy and comic book origins should put Sweet Tooth in good stead.
