TV Series Review: Twisted Metal – Season 2 (2025)

Why is it always the ones you least expect!? If you had asked me a few years ago if I thought a TV series about the Twisted Metal video game franchise would, firstly, ever exist, secondly, that it would get two seasons (with more a real possibility), and thirdly, that it would be very good, I would have laughed at it. It’s Twisted Metal for goodness sake, a ‘vehicular combat video game’, how the bloody hell does that get turned into a live-action show?

Yet here we are. About to talk about Season 2 of Twisted Metal and how good it was, overall. If you need a recap of the first season, read the review here.

I enjoyed the first season, flaws and all, but there is an argument that expectations were low, and the liberties taken with the source material meant it was never really going to be something for the video game fans. That’s not the case with season 2, especially as the actual tournament was set up to be the major story of the season. Expectations now existed, and while they still weren’t that high, they were there, none the less.

More of the same though, right? Well, no, as in a surprising move Twisted Metal Season 2 leans more in the video game side of things, focuses on a litany of imaginative side characters, doubles down on the humour, sex, and violence, and somehow makes a vehicular combat tournament an entertaining watch.

So, how did we get here? In another inspired move, the show kicks off the new season with its foot to the gas, moving at a snappy pace as we reunited with John (Anthony Mackie) and Quiet (Stephanie Beatriz), who were separated at the end of season 1. John is a prisoner of Raven (now played by Patty Guggenheim – the show does give a good explanation for this) in New San Francisco, where she is planning to force him to enter the recently announced Twisted Metal tournament. Whereas Quiet has joined the Dolls, a gang led by Dollface (Tiana Okoye), John’s sister.

Then, before episode one is even over, John has escaped and reunited with Quiet, meeting his sister, as the likes of Sweet Tooth (played by Joe Seanoa and voiced by Will Arnett) and Stu (Mike Mitchell) are reintroduced wanting to enter the tournament too. Then we have the likes of Mr. Grimm (Richard de Klerk), Axel (Michael James Shaw), Vermin (Lisa Gilroy), and Frostbite (Katherine East) making their show debut by entering the tournament, as well as the host himself, Calypso (Anthony Carrigan). Who is one of best things about the season, being eccentrically weird, sinister, and funny.

This might sound rushed, but trust me, the show is all the better for not dragging out the John/Quiet reunion, and instead, focusing on something more fun. Like all these wild and wacky characters having to live together at some sort of converted school while the tournament takes place. I can’t stress enough that the fun factor of Twisted Metal Season 2 comes from the characters, and so many of the actors throw their all into the roles. Yes, this does mean the leads do have to take a step back from time to time, but that’s not a bad thing, especially as the latter part of the season is all about them, and their ‘charge’ Mayhem (Saylor Bell Curda).

It’s a good plot point for the pair, especially as both Anthony Mackie and Stephanie Beatriz have great chemistry and are more adorable then ever here, but I found myself far more invested in the stories of other characters. I was excited to see the hate that Sweet Tooth and Mr. Grimm have for each other boil over. Yet both also have their own stories, with the former adopting Stu (who is having second thoughts about being in league with the mad clown) and the latter dealing with an attraction to another racer and how his multiple personalities are affected.

One of the best, and more emotional angles, involves Axel for goodness sake. There really was a genuine attempt to make other characters matter, while not diminishing the importance of the main cast, and for me, it’s one of the major reasons this season is a success.

Another reason is how it looks and feels. Twisted Metal Season 2 feels like a video game world, and with that comes video game stuff. Such as the introduction of more supernatural angles, which allows the creators to be more flexible with death and destruction, and the upping of action. Twisted Metal Season 2 is action packed, and as the tournament goes on, the violence, explosions, and general mayhem only increase. Thanks to some inventive tournament rounds, we also get varied action too, and not all of it involves cars.

It also helps that its easier to be invested in action sequences when the characters are defined. Take note, other creators, characters first! In fact, Twisted Metal Season 2 is at its best when there isn’t that much action. Case in point, the dance episode. I’m not going to spoil it for you, but it might be the best episode of the show to date.

Bravo Twisted Metal. It’s a show that continues to surprise in the best way possible, and once again, its flaws (some middling episodes and a flat ending) are easy to overlook because it is so much fun. I can’t wait for Season 3 now.