Why 'Sonic the Hedgehog' Fans Should Get Hyped for January 11

Fans of Sonic the Hedgehog and all related franchises should mark their calendars for Wednesday, Jan. 11, when Sonic Prime Season 3 premieres. The Netflix original series has been an overall hit so far – even in a fandom that typically has a lot of disagreement. The new season was teased last month during Geeked Week, and it seems like fans are excited to see this version of Sonic continue to develop.

Sonic Prime is a co-production of Netflix, Sega, WildBrain Studios and Man of Action Entertainment. It stars Deven Mack as Sonic, Brian Drummond as Dr. Eggman, Ashleigh Ball as Tails, Shannon Chan-Kent as Amy Rose and Ian Hanlin as Shadow the Hedgehog, among others. It premiered in December of 2022 with eight episodes, quickly followed by Season 2 in July with another eight episodes. With Season 3 coming next month, it seems like this show is on pace to deliver about two seasons per year, which should keep fans interested.

Sonic Prime has received generally positive reviews from fans and critics who know the franchise well. Some have questioned what age group it is trying to target considering it is "repetitive" at times but also has violence that could shock a very young viewer. Many die-hard fans were pleased to see the show taking on an epic, transdimensional scope with a battle between righteous underdogs and cruel overlords, as they feel that brings the story back to its high point in the early 1990s cartoons.

Season 3 should please those fans as it continues with that same tone. According to Netflix's press release from November's TUDUM event, "Chapter 3" will pick up right where the last one left off. That means Sonic and his reluctant ally Shadow are trying to rebuild the Paradox Prism, but are up against an alternate Shatter version of Tails called Nine. A preview clip showed Nine accusing Sonic of "using me to get what you wanted. Sorry old friend. You've been replaced."

Sonic the Hedgehog is an eclectic franchise that can vary widely in tone and content, so when Netflix says that this show is "based on the Sonic the Hedgehog video games," that doesn't narrow it down too much. Just last year fans got the franchise's first open-world video game, Sonic Frontiers, followed by a visual novel called The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog in early 2023. Meanwhile, some are eagerly awaiting another live-action film while others are hoping to see the franchise branch out in more familiar mediums.

Clearly, no Sonic media is for everyone, but for fans of Sonic's high-stakes, high-concept adventures, this will be a slam dunk. Sonic Prime Season 3 premieres on Wednesday, July 11 on Netflix.