Editorial: Chucky has been cancelled!

 

Wait…did Chucky get cancelled?

Good reviews, critical acclaim and loyal fans. Chucky had it all. 

The show, which premiered in October 2021 has now been cancelled after three seasons. Clearly, the spooky season will never be the same again. 

For those who don’t know, Chucky is a Good Guy doll which is possessed by a serial killer called Charles Lee Ray who uses voodoo magic to transfer his soul. 

Over the years, Chucky has caused plenty of mayhem in seven movies and three seasons of a show. There was a reboot of the movie in 2019 that was not voiced by Brad Dourif, so should we even count that as a Chucky movie? 

Anyway, Chucky has been one of those violent dolls who kills first and asks questions later. Chucky only wants to kill. And the more bizarre the deaths are, the more entertaining they are. 

Chucky is unlike the other serial killers. He is a doll with ginger hair, big blue eyes and wears overalls. He is so child-like looking that when he utters profanities, you don’t know whether to be offended or to relate it to a kid accidentally using a curse word. 

The Chucky stories have always been on the bizarre side. There is no other word that best describes what we see on the screen. Any other horror movie with these kind of scenes would be branded as gore and disturbing but Don Mancini, the creator of the Child’s Play series, makes the whole thing works that is both tasteful and entertaining. 

Think Chucky, and you will also find the name of Tiffany coming up. Played by Jennifer Tilly, Tiffany Valentine is Chucky’s love interest who is trapped in a Belle doll following an argument with…Chucky. 

The two love each other, but also hate each other. Let’s just say their relationship may be complicated but they always find a way back to each other. 

In the TV series, we see Chucky expertly making his way to power. There are teenagers Jake, Devon, and Lexy, who are trying to defeat Chucky, but for the serial killer doll, they are just kids. 

And since they have taken a stance against him, Chucky does whatever he can to make their lives miserable by either killing their loved ones or turning their families against them. 

It is all a game for Chucky. 

The TV series started on a high note. One of the recurring jokes in the series was the actor Devon Sawa playing multiple characters and being subjected to the most outlandish deaths. Yes, his character’s death is imminent. 

He can be a priest, or the president or even the protagonist’s father, he will meet his death in the hands of the violent doll who finds it immensely hilarious that people are even considering going up against him. 

You simply, cannot beat Chucky. Has no one got it yet? 

Except for the networks, of course. 

In September 2024, Chucky, the TV series, was cancelled. 

The series was entertaining and fun, and even received good reviews from critics. But then if you look at the reviews, you will also notice that not many critics chose to review the series when season two and three came out. 

Chucky is a fun character, no doubt, but he is also repetitive. There is only so much you can do with a serial killing doll before it seems like the series has “jumped the shark”. 

From being a show that was entertaining, it became a show that one watched because they were either a Chucky fan or wanted something to play on the TV because there is nothing on. 

Chucky would have perhaps worked better as a movie than a TV show where there is the constant pressure to churn out something new every year. 

The problem with a TV series is that we know the main antagonist is going to return. The show is named after him after all. We know Chucky is going to survive no matter where the story is headed and how far he is pushed to his limits. Chucky will always come at the top by the end. 

And that is where the excitement wanes. 

The story is about Chucky. The reason why everyone is tuning in is because of Chucky. He may be the antagonist but he is also the hero of the story. 

While we may sympathize with the new characters, they are not the reason why viewers were watching the show. They were watching those characters because of Chucky. 

What we needed was a story told from Chucky’s perspective much like in the movies. We wanted him to almost lose, to make us feel like this is the last time we are going to see him, before a clever and ludicrous twist is pulled that rescues him. 

As a horror fan, I want to see more of Chucky, but perhaps I don’t want to see him in a TV series where he survives at the end of every episode. I want to see Chucky in a movie where the stakes are high and he may almost not survive. I want to see Chucky pulling all the tricks he can, playing the meanest tricks and executing disturbing kills with ease. He is the Chucky everyone liked and enjoyed. 

Chucky is more enjoyable when the focus is on him. 

The TV series introduced new characters and while they were likable and had good character development, the shift from Chucky may have caused fans to lose interest quickly. 

I do hope Chucky comes back, but I also hope we get a new movie.