Solar Wins

When it first debuted on Hulu last year, Solar Opposites didn't grab me right away. It seemed too similar to co-creator Justin Roiland's other big animated show, Rick & Morty -- and not nearly as good. But it wasn't hard to hang in for eight half-hour episodes and slowly warm to the elements of Solar Opposites that were pretty good: the family dynamics found a more distinct rhythm, and a running subplot about shrunken humans living in "The Wall" became the best part of the series.

Now Solar Opposites is back with a second season, and I'm no longer wavering about the show. One thing that's maybe changed since season one is that I no longer have to think of it primarily as "Justin Roiland's other show." I can now also think of it "Mike McMahan's other show"; the other co-creator of Solar Opposites is also the creator of Star Trek: Lower Decks, a show which a few have called the best of the modern Trek series (and maybe aren't totally off base in saying so). Ten episodes of Lower Decks have taught me the rhythms of a McMahan animated series, and perhaps I'm recognizing those now in going back to Solar Opposites.

In any case, Solar Opposites is now leaning more heavily into what worked best in season one. "The Wall" story line continues, and is even stronger in the new season. It's also where some of the best guest voices are deployed, including Christina Hendricks, Sterling K. Brown, and Alfred Molina. (Though don't overlook Jane Lynch, who is funny as usual in her "non-Wall" role in the season premiere.)

Season two also cultivates a self-referential vein of comedy. There are regular nods to their own status as a TV show, plenty of sometimes-barbed jokes about Hulu, and other meta gags. The show is also just consistently funnier -- ultimately the most important measure of any comedy show.

I feel that Solar Opposites has risen to a consistent B+, with some episodes being even better than that. The wait for a third season -- already in production, and reportedly for 12 episodes this time -- seems like a hiatus I'll actually notice this time around.