Knuckles Series Makes Streaming History

By Britta DeVore | Updated

cast of sonic the hedgehog 2 knuckles

Watch out Sonic, there’s a new fan-favorite in town. Paramount+ has revealed that the Sonic the Hedgehog spin-off, Knuckles – a series about the titular villain turned good guy echidna – was an immediate fan-favorite on the streamer, raking in a whopping 4 million hours of viewing over its first three days on the platform. This marks a monumental moment for the platform as the Idris Elba-led production goes into record territory with these impressive numbers.

Run-Away Hit For Paramount+

The viewership numbers not only helped mark a first for Paramount+’s slate of original titles, but Knuckles the series also drew in fans who wanted more Sonic content. By the time the numbers were tallied, the platform announced that Sonic-centered productions were more than triple what was streamed the previous weekend. With all six episodes available to stream at once, audiences had a chance to sit down and fully binge all 169 minutes of animated action over last weekend, with those impressive numbers only expected to go up in the upcoming days.

A Buddy Comedy

In Knuckles, Idris Elba (Luther) stars in the Paramount+ series as Knuckles the Echidna, a red super speedster with the heart of a warrior. The character most recently hopped out of the Sega game and onto the silver screen back in 2022’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2, where he had a villain-to-good guy character arc. In the Knuckles series, he works as a mentor to Deputy Sheriff Wade Whipple (Adam Pally) to get him into fighting shape.

Fun Look At Knuckles Everyday Life

The Knuckles series perfectly sets up the approaching film, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, as it gives audiences a little holdover of what was happening for some of the film’s characters in between feature-length movies. Not only do Elba and Pally return for more live-action/animated hybrid fun, but audiences can also expect to spot cameos from Ben Schwartz and Colleen O’Shaughnessey’s characters, Sonic the Hedgehog and Miles “Tails” Prower, respectively.

The Extensive Supporting Cast

knuckles pachacamac

A host of fun names, including Edi Patterson (The Righteous Gemstones), Julian Barratt (The Mighty Boosh), and Christopher Lloyd (the Back to the Future trilogy), fill out the ensemble cast for the Knuckles series. Having previously brought animation fans other celebrated titles, including The Lego Batman Movie and DC League of Super-Pets, John Whittington joined forces with Toby Ascher to create the uber-popular show.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Is Going To Be Massive

As for what’s to come from the next level in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Knuckles sets the story up with a volley to continue on the box office-crushing success the previous two films have experienced. Although plot details are being kept under wraps, with Jim Carrey’s involvement as Dr. Robotnik, we know the vengeful villain will be back at it, eager to finally catch up to his arch-nemesis. Many folks, including Idris Elba, Ben Schwartz, Tika Sumpter, and James Marsden, will be reprising their roles, and it was just recently revealed that the iconic Keanu Reeves will be the voice behind Bad Guy Shadow.

You can help Paramount+ further increase its impressive viewership numbers now as the Knuckles series enters its second weekend on the streamer.