Paramount+ is giving away its new sci-fi movie spin-off for free

Rik Henderson
·3 min read
Knuckles episode 1 on Paramount+.
Knuckles episode 1 on Paramount+.

Quick Summary

Paramount+ has made the first episode of its new Sonic the Hedgehog spinoff series available to watch for free.

Knuckles is a live action show starring Idris Elba as the eponymous echidna as he's pursued by Dr. Robotnik's sidekicks.

After an inauspicious start, Paramount+ is rapidly growing to be a must-have streaming service – especially for fans of science fiction.

As well as the latest and final series of Star Trek: Discovery and the much-improved second season of Halo, it has recently added season 1 of Twisted Metal. And that's not even including the rest of the vast library of Star Trek shows and movies, the new version of Quantum Leap, or Ark: The Animated Series.

Now it has added another exclusive TV show to its lineup, one that's a sci-fi-crammed spinoff of one of Paramount's biggest movie franchises – Knuckles. And you can watch the first episode right here for free. You can also watch it at no extra cost on YouTube or Amazon Prime Video.

Set after the second Sonic the Hedgehog movie and before the upcoming third (to be released this Christmas), Knuckles stars the hard-fisted echidna that first appeared in the third Sonic game in the mid-90s.

He was also voiced by Idris Elba in the second movie, who reprises the role for the live-action TV series.

In the six episode run, the eponymous lead teaches local deputy sheriff Wade Whipple (Adam Pally) the "ways of the Echidna Warrior", while being pursued by former agents of Dr. Robotnik. Cue much hilarity and a feast of special effects.

You can also watch the first Sonic the Hedgehog movie on Paramount+ now, although the second is currently only available to stream on Netflix at present (in the UK, at least). You can also rent or purchase it of course, through a digital platform of your choice.

How much is Paramount+ and is there a free trial?

Should you like the first episode, the rest of Knuckles is now available on Paramount+ which costs £6.99 per month in the UK. You can also sign up for a 7-day free trial to begin with, so can binge the rest of the series for free too.

There is only one tier in the UK at the minute, which limits the video resolution to 1080p and audio to 5.1. There is no HDR, Dolby Vision nor Dolby Atmos support as yet.

However, there is 4K HDR support in the US, where there are two Paramount+ subscription tiers.

Paramount+ Essential costs $5.99 per month (or $59.99 for a year upfront) and is locked to 1080p. It is also ad-supported, so expect commercials.

Paramount+ with SHOWTIME is priced at $11.99 per month ($119.99 for the year) but is ad-free and includes 4K HDR (Dolby Vision) streaming with up to Dolby Atmos audio. It also expands the library to include a vast amount of content from SHOWTIME (as the name suggests).