Disney+ Original “The Mysterious Benedict Society” Cancelled After 2 Seasons
For fans of the unique and quirky Disney+ Original series, “The Mysterious Benedict Society”, unfortunately, it has been announced on social media by the series writer Phil Hay, that the show won’t be returning for a third season.
Based on the best-selling book series by Trenton Lee Stewart, the show follows four gifted orphans who are recruited by the eccentric Mr. Benedict (Tony Hale) to save the world. After winning a scholarship competition, four gifted orphans are recruited by the peculiar Mr. Benedict for a dangerous mission to save the world from a global crisis known as The Emergency. Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance must infiltrate the mysterious L.I.V.E. Institute to discover the truth behind the crisis. When the headmaster, the sophisticated Dr. Curtain appears to be behind this worldwide panic, the kids of “The Mysterious Benedict Society” must devise a plan to defeat him.
In the second season, Reynie, Sticky, Kate and Constance, the four gifted orphans who were recruited by the eccentric Mr. Benedict, embark on another mission to save the world from the nefarious plans of his twin brother Dr. L.D. Curtain. When the kids discover that Mr. Benedict and Number Two have been kidnapped, they must piece together the riddles and clues within a perilous scavenger hunt set by Mr. Benedict to foil Curtain’s latest scheme. Relying on only their wits, intellect, and empathy, the charming group of misfits embark on a globe-trotting adventure by air, land, sea and pie truck, calling upon their special skills to solve the mysteries and rescue their lost comrades. Along the way, the kids experience the growing pains that come along with being part of their new “found family,” while remaining true to their unique selves. In the process, they discover what true happiness really means.
“The Mysterious Benedict Society” also stars Kristen Schaal, Ryan Hurst, MaameYaa Boafo, Gia Sandhu, Seth Carr, Emmy DeOliveira, Mystic Inscho and Marta Kessler.
The series is executive produced by Sonar Entertainment, 20th Television, Jamie Tarses, Karen Kehela Sherwood, Deepak Nayar, David Ellender, Matt Loze, James Bobin, Matt Manfredi (writer/creator) and Phil Hay (writer/creator). The showrunners for the series are Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin.
Series writer Phil Hay shared some details on the cancellation on social media:
Dear friends- season 2 will mark the end of THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY’s journey on Disney+. We love everyone who helped make this truly special and indeed life-affirming experience happen. No regrets- so proud of what we made!
So grateful to every one of you who who made a place for our show in your home & heart. From author @TrentonLeeStew1 to geniusii @MrTonyHale & @kristenschaaled to our partners @toddzer1 & @DSwim & writers to the kids, their families, 20th, D+, our whole cast & crew
You made it wonderful and we loved every minute. The beauty of streaming is that the show lives on Disney+ and you can find it whenever you want to visit. Spoiler alert for how the story ends: the kids stay friends forever
This show joins some other Disney+ original shows that have been cancelled, including “The Right Stuff” and “Diary Of A Future President”. The show continues the recent trend of streaming services cancelling shows to save money, especially as Disney+ needs to become profitable by the end of next year. This series does require some expensive special effects, which will have no doubt added to the decision about continuing the show. The latest season wasn’t able to get as much social media buzz as the first season, even with the show shifting to a dual release with the Disney Channel in the US.
It’s a shame that the show won’t be returning, as there was a cliffhanger at the end of the season two finale, and there were many more books for Disney to adapt to future seasons.
What do you think of “The Mysterious Benedict Society” being cancelled after two seasons? Let us know on social media!