Yes, that’s right: the video game Among Us got a fully animated show. No, I’m not pulling your leg. Released last summer with very little advertising, acclaim, or even acknowledgement from its network, Paramount+, “Among Us” is a wild fever dream of a cartoon. And, dear readers (all three of you), I’ll be honest: I don’t know what the hell to make of it.
Firstly: the tone. I do think “Among Us” is funny. But it’s not uniquely funny. Bits dance between dark and corny, and mostly end up corny: so if that’s your thing, great! However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t note that it’s not clear who this show is supposed to be for, and the humor reflects that. Paramount+ lists the show as TV-14, Common Sense Media lists it as TV-PG, Wikipedia lists it as “American adult animated science fiction black comedy,” a mess of a descriptor if I’ve ever seen one — and the show itself is a satire?
Case in point: some parts of this show felt like I was watching an uninspired corporate rework, while others caught me completely off guard with unexpected punchlines. There are two episodes of lukewarm sitcom jokes played straight. A character turns dead to camera and explains how unpaid internships are unfair capitalist systems which favor the wealthy and that discussion of wages is protected speech which may not be infringed upon. It breaks into a “Twelve Angry Men” parody that most of its intended audience won’t catch, and what I swear to God was a Dress to Impress reference right alongside it. They drag out the overplayed “boy makes fun of girl because he likes her” plot for an agonizingly long time. There is a plot-relevant acid trip and implied orgy, which was both worse and better than I would have expected. The ending is a cheesy reconciliation marred by the looming specter of corporate greed which destroys lives and shirks responsibility for the suffering it causes. “I didn’t know if kissing any new worms would be adultery” is a real, actual quote from the show. Every single character is nonbinary. If you told me that approximately 40% of this show was hidden by the creators behind their backs as they passed it through the censors at Paramount+ I would believe you.
Secondly, for a show that was announced in 2023, had production wrapped by 2024, had massive delays, and was released with basically no fanfare in 2026, “Among Us” also has a shockingly stacked cast. Randall Park, Ashley Johnson, Patton Oswalt, and Elijah Wood all voice characters within the show, and this show did me an extra favor by hitting me over the head by listing Brian David Gilbert and Karen Han in the credits.
Third: the animation is stellar, and the difficulty of making characters with no recognizable human features still smile, frown, droop, laugh, and scream didn’t even occur to me until after I’d finished, which is a testament to the work put in here. Additionally, the amount of “kids’ show-typical body horror” is turned up to ten here. I have to believe at least one toddler whose parents handed them an iPad playing this got new neuroses from this show. (That’s fine, it’s important for development.)
So where does this leave us? It’s hard to shake the feeling that, quality aside, “Among Us” is indicative of the greater capitalistic, unceasing media machine of our time. Something gets popular? Squeeze every last drop out of it for profit. Need a spin-off? Slap on a label from whoever owns it and monetize it. Complicated themes? Nix whatever won’t entice families into endless movies and multiply shareholder profits. And if you don’t want to be fucked producing it? Leave it barred behind the gates of your supreme right to the IP for two years and then drop the first episode on YouTube before it’s even announced. It’s not fair to judge “Among Us” by the drawbacks of its release, but it’s hard not to.
Despite all of that, I don’t think “Among Us” deserves to be as unknown as it is. (When I tell people there’s an “Among Us” cartoon, the response is unilaterally, “wait, what?”) It has good moments, incredible voice acting, some genuinely innovative animation, and a story that eventually manages to eclipse the memeability of its source material. For whatever it’s worth, I think the showrunners made exactly the show they wanted to. If that sounds like your thing, maybe give it a watch.
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