Cast:Anthony Mackie, Stephanie Beatriz, Will Arnett, Mike Mitchell, Taj Phillips, Anthony Carrigan, Patti Guggenheim,Richard DeClerk, Tiana Okoye, Michael James Shaw, Lisa Gilroy, Saylor Bell Curda
Length: 12 episodes
Streaming Service: Peacock
Release Year: 2025
Audio Description Provided By: Diffuse
Written by:
Narrated By:
What Is it?: Picking up after the events of the last season, John Doe (Mackie) finds himself living a cushy new life on the inside, while Quiet (Beatriz) is on the outside. But their paths will cross when a tournament is announced, and the best drivers are called upon to battle in Twisted Metal run by Calypso who promises to grant whatever wish the winner wants. Can our heroes reteam to win one last ride? Will Sweet tooth and Stu prove to be friends or foes? And will the new characters this season have meaningful contributions, or merely just cameos for the fans?
What Works: I’m not going to claim this is prestige television. If anything, it feels like the kind of thing SyFy would have made before streaming made cable series near non-existent. Especially given Chucky, which was violent and campy, this was very much in that same vein. I was a fan of the first season, so naturally I needed to return for the second season.
There are some really nice jokes across the episodes, which help to pass the time. The humor isn’t the problem, and really never has been thanks to the timing of Will Arnett’s voice over work for Sweet Tooth. But this has some odd self-inflicted wounds, like not inviting Neve Campbell back, and having her replaced by Patti Guggenheim. this means they have to address it, which puts this extra time and backstory into a new version of the character. I wish people would just pay Neve Campbell. Between this and Scream, it seems like people keep offering her projects to other people, at an odd detriment. I love Guggenheim, and think she’s a bright rising comedic talent looking to anchor her own series (preferably her character from She Hulk). Her comedic timing is great.But, we had already developed a version of her character, and the changes they have to make to force this casting change is just odd. Did she really ask for more than stars like Anthony Mackie, who I’d imagine isn’t cheap.
Of the newer characters, Mayhem is the standout. She’s a nearly feral young lady who gets adopted (for all intents and purposes) by the good guys, in their quest to win twisted Metal. I felt she likely wouldn’t survive the season, but somehow she manages to always get out of sticky situations. One of the few developed new characters is Krista, who turns out to be related to John Doe, and helps connect him with a lot of missing gaps about his past.
Anthony Carrigan is off his leash as Calypso. He’s been set free, and gleefully attacks a role that is hard to pin down until the season reaches its conclusion. Good or bad? You’ll find out eventually. But some of the other new cast, from Grimm to Vermin all feel like they were in a video game so they are popping up here just for the fans. The backstory on most of the new characters this season is very thin, which made everyone feel expendable. I spent most of the season worried for Sweet Tooth, as his character is my anchor, but he also can’t win. there’s no way they’d let the nihilistic psychopathic serial killer win.
But, Arnett has developed Sweet tooth into the deal breaker. If he exits the show, so do I. I have this with some other shows. Occasionally, on a show like The Walking Dead, I develop more than one, which makes it easier to stay if one is lost. right now, twisted Metal has just one. Pay Will Arnett whatever he wants, or don’t bring the show back.
If you expect more of the absurdity of season 1, it’s here. there’s just a slew of new characters, who get either very little backstory or none at all.
the Audio description: Abysmal. This is a very visual show, with people being killed off in nearly every episode. Violence is such a huge part of it, on top of the character designs, and the production supporting a post-apocalyptic universe. But mostly, I’ve noticed this narrator is a warning of mediocrity to come, as she tends to work only with the worst companies. These companies have writers that allow things to happen visually, without any reference in the description. Characters are clearly killed off, somehow, with no mention. Just sound effects. That is the cue we get, and I’d bet money I could choose from a list of experienced writers who would have made a far more efficient track. the fact is, as it was with revival, these tracks are not good enough. And, they keep getting shows where the visuals matter, or they are highly rated. I’ve pointed out specifically the failings of this very season with a quality check I did some weeks ago. the thing about making money from accessibility is that if I come on here and my opinion is that you should be fired from the work you get, it is different than me not liking a restaurant, or car, or even a movie. there are things where we have other choices, or we don’t need that thing. Accessibility is the key function here, and when you start phoning it in, I can’t choose an alternate track made by another company. the entire experience of any show or film done by diffuse is determined by how invested they are on delivering high quality audio description, and time after time, they are not. If you made hearing aids that didn’t work, captioning that wasn’t correct, screen readers that only read a few things, canes that broke, braille that was wrong, or any myriad of other accessibility tools, you’d already be shut down. but, because you work in entertainment, there’s this idea that we don’t NEED it the same way we need canes and screen readers. However, accessibility is accessibility, and if you aren’t doing your very best to provide it, the flip side is that you are profiting off my disability by offering cheaply made alternatives, and convincing companies to save a few bucks by choosing you. So, in case anyone as NBC./Universal cares, i don’t have a preference specifically, but instead of Diffuse, I’d recommend deluxe, International Digital Center, descriptive Video Works, the Media Access Group at WGBH, Point 360, Pixel Logic, Post House, Roundabout, Zoo Digital, The Social Audio Description Collective, and whatever company is doing The Paper. That’s just a few companies for you to price check with, and see if you can get better description, from companies that instead of consistently producing below average accessibility, seem more interested in the fact that what they do isn’t simply for profit, but is a lifeline for many who have no other option. I get one track. i don’t get to choose different AD tracks from different companies. So, it can’t be the one who leaves a lot to the imagination. It has to be one of the ones committed to the idea that audio description has a function, and it bridges the gap for blind and low vision audiences. i didn’t even finish revival. I finished this, but with every show or film done with inadequate description, there’s always the chance I’ll give up, or that the experience is negatively affected so you gain a rotten score.
Why You Might Like it: If you liked season 1, I don’t know why you wouldn’t like Season 2. If you’ve never seen the show before, start at the beginning. if you like goofy action/sci-fi comedies like the Boys, Gen Z, or Chucky, then you’ll likely enjoy this.
Why You Might Not Like This: It’s definitely cheesy, and nowhere near peak TV, or prestige television. this is just for entertainment purposes. if you only enjoy highbrow, this is lowbrow.
Final Thoughts: despite an inadequate audio description track, the second season of Twisted Metal is just as fun as the first, though does suffer from a massive influx of new faces with little to no backstory, making it hard to find a new favorite among the bunch.
Fresh: Final Grade: 7.2/10
