Over three decades ago, when writer/director Tom Holland’s hit horror movie, Child’s Play, was unleashed on the world, most likely nobody guessed that it would go on to spawn over half a dozen films, a TV show, graphic novels, video games, and scores of merchandising. This is extremely fitting since the series’ star, Chucky, is a classic slasher character that, like his friends Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, and the like that famously can never be stopped.
The long-running killer doll saga that has plagued numerous victims since the late ‘80s has been successful from the start, with each of the films making major box office bank. The second season of the show Chucky, the Syfy and USA Network-produced television series that premiered last year, has been the biggest recent boon for the franchise.
The Cast and Legacy of Chucky Get Their Due in Season 2
The season 2 premiere of Chucky on October 5th was tuned into by over 4.6 million viewers. The following episodes continued the trend with all platforms, with both live and repeat viewings reaching high numbers. A considerable draw for fans was that the original Chucky, Brad Dourif (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Lord of the Rings series), was back to voice the titular terrible toy after Star Wars star Mark Hamill took on the doll’s duty in the 2019 remake.
Also making a big connection for followers of the show is that Dourif has been joined by Jennifer Tilly, Fiona Dourif, Alex Vincent, and Christine Elise, all of whom were significant players previously in the Child’s Play film franchise. The Chucky series may be a campy, low-brow affair. Still, the involvement of Oscar-nominated actors like Dourif (for Cuckoo’s Nest) and Tilly (for Bullets Over Broadway) does give the enterprise some gravitas, as does the show’s now three-decades-long legacy.
Don Mancini, who originally created the character Chucky, also developed and launched the program and is responsible for its tone and continuity to be in line with the original film series. It serves as a direct sequel to the seventh installment, Cult of Chucky (2017). Mancini’s collaborator since the beginning, writer/producer David Maxwell Kirschner, has also been involved in the series, having worked on over half of the episodes.
These foundational factors have endeared fans to the ongoing Child's Play canon giving the show a strong bed for the bloody antics, which have really revved up in the last half of 2022. To aid in the doll’s violent adventures, Mancini recruited such notable screenwriters as Harley Peyton, Nick Zigler, Sarah Acosta, Rachael Paradis, and Mallory Westfall. Leslie Libman, Samir Rerham, and Dermott Downs have directed various episodes.
Largely concerning events at a Catholic reformatory school where the young leads Jake (Zackary Arthur), Devon (Björgvin Arnarson), and Lexy (Alyvia Alyn Lind) have been sent, season 2 of Chucky has grabbed viewers with the reappearance of Devon Sawa as priest Logan Wheeler, who had been twice killed off in season one, and Glen/Glenda, Chucky and Tiffany’s child Glen/Glenda (Lachlan Watson).
The Season 2 Finale Sets the Scene for Chucky Season 3
The eight 40-50-ish minute episodes that made up Chucky’s 2022 run wrapped up with the acclaimed finale “Chucky Actually” – an obvious Christmas nod to the 2003 rom-com, Love Actually, just before Thanksgiving on November 23, leaving the second season with a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
One of the polled critics, Alex Maidy, wrote: “With all of the origin and flashback material handled in season one, the second season of Chucky makes no delay in letting the blood flow and having a lot of fun doing so. Chucky will never be mistaken for high art, but it has a lot of fun making a mess.”
Speaking to Variety, Mancini discussed the season finale, explaining that:
“Chucky made provisions for everything, and one of my intentions was to again show what a formidable opponent he is. In a way, we leave off the season with him saying, ‘Come and get me.’ The kids, Tiffany, Dr. Mixter, everyone who deigned to think they got the better of Chucky, lost. We have seen them grow and maintain a relationship, partly because they have had a horrible shared experience,” he says. “But they really do care for each other, and I think their relationship will continue to thrive amidst the chaos.”
The ratings and critical success of the second year of SyFy and USA’s Chucky will likely lead to a third season, but it hasn’t been announced yet. Perhaps Mancini and company need the events in the second season closer to sink in for a proper follow-up to be planned. The strong viewership numbers show that the audience is there, and renewal is a no-brainer, but the blood is still fresh, and flowing from the kills, so we’ll just have to be patient for another go around with everybody’s favorite killer doll.