Audience viewership On July 20, 2021, Netflix revealed that the series has been watched by 60 million households since its June 4 release.
Critical response For the first season, the
review aggregator website
Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 97% based on 74 critic reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Emotionally engaging, superbly acted, and incredibly entertaining,
Sweet Tooth will satisfy fantasy fans of all ages."
Metacritic gave the first season a weighted average score of 78 out of 100 based on 19 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Reviewing the series for
Rolling Stone,
Alan Sepinwall gave a rating of 3.5/5 and said, "Whether Gus and friends are having scary adventures or fun ones, those parts of
Sweet Tooth are full of life, and as exciting or tense as needed. The show can be hit or miss, though, when it moves away from Gus." In her review of the series, Lucy Mangan of
The Guardian gave the series 3 out of 5 stars, saying "
Sweet Tooth is part fantasy, part sci-fi, part whimsy, part cold-eyed realism and most points in between. It is either warmly eccentric or hysterically crazy, perfect entertainment or a horrifying attempt to parlay the pandemic into a commercially palatable mashup. It is undoubtedly aimed at a younger-than-full-adult audience." Daniel D'Addario of
Variety also gave the series a positive review, writing "Throughout, the show is made with a surprising degree of curiosity about what changes in society would look like across varying sorts of communities, and with a capacious imagination to boot. And while it envisions a world transformed by illness and pain, "
Sweet Tooth" feels fundamentally light of touch and, well, sweet of intention. Its pandemic-riven world has been torn apart, to be sure, and in the wake comes dissension — but kindness and connection, too. Change provides the opportunity for grand-scale reimagining of what life can look like or be, as well as small opportunities to come into one's own — to find one's humanity, even when wearing deer antlers." Brian Tallerico of
RogerEbert.com wrote in his review that "
Netflix's brilliant "
Sweet Tooth" may not be a direct commentary on what the world has been through in the last year, but the presence of that real-world echo is undeniable. It's a show about a devastating virus that leads people to distrust one another, go into hiding, allow their fear to drive their decisions, and ultimately form unexpected bonds. It's about isolation and grief, but it is also very much about the unpredictable connections that can end up defining us. It's intense, riveting storytelling that recalls the spirit of Amblin almost more than the nostalgia warehouse that is "
Stranger Things," the king of Netflix Originals. It would have been excellent television in any year, but "
Sweet Tooth" strikes a different chord in 2021 than anyone could have expected." Ben Travers of
Indiewire gave the series a B− and wrote "The series' efficient storytelling, world-building, and character work make it easy to switch off your brain and enjoy the adventure (that is, if you can get past The Sick). Strong performances help, too, and with so many critical core ingredients working smoothly, it's much easier for a genial little fantasy-adventure series to go down easy. "
Sweet Tooth" may not offer a full meal, but sometimes all you need is a good piece of chocolate." Samantha Nelson of
Polygon praised the series and wrote "The
COVID-19 pandemic devastated some communities, while others seemed to entirely deny its existence.
Sweet Tooth combines an examination of that inequality with the morals of other excellent post-apocalyptic stories, like
28 Days Later and
Mad Max: Fury Road, which argue that survival is not enough to keep people functioning. The villains in
Sweet Tooth are the ones who cling to a world that no longer exists, while the heroes try to build something better with the help of their found family.
Sweet Tooth's subject matter might seem too bleak for the current era, but its timeliness also empowers the show's message of hope and shared strength." The second season has an 86% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 22 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's critics consensus states, "More mature but still suitable for younger viewers,
Sweet Tooths sophomore season makes post-apocalyptic survival fun for the whole family." On Metacritic, the second season received a score of 76 based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". The third season holds a 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 14 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Closing out before it grows too long in the tooth, this richly imagined family series remains engrossing to the very end." Metacritic gave the third season a weighted average score of 74 out of 100 based on 5 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Accolades This series was nominated for the 2021
Harvey Awards for the Best Adaptation from Comic Book/Graphic Novel. == Notes ==