114) Chucky: The Series (2021- ) The First Season

"Why is your doll coming after me?" 

Cast

Zackary Arthur - Jake Wheeler

Brad Dourif - Voice of Chucky

Björgvin Arnarson - Devon Evans

Devon Sawa - Lucas and Logan Wheeler

Teo Briones - Junior Wheeler

Alyvia Alyn Lind - Lexy Cross

Jennifer Tilly - Tiffany Valentine

The first season of the current series "Chucky" is all that's available so far. Though it began airing in October, 2021, I waited until it now to watch it. While it's not a completely terrible series, I anticipate it having a short life. The show is exactly what I expected it to be. 

Before setting my eyes on this horror series, based on the "Child's Play" franchise created by Don Mancini, which began with the 1988 movie of the same name, I couldn't imagine how writers could incorporate the infamous "Chucky" into a regular series. While I enjoyed some of the "Child's Play" here and there including the 2019 remake of the first film, what really drew me to this series is the curiosity of what kind of story writers could come up with to make a TV show centering on Chucky. 

It's not the first horror franchise to receive a television platform. Freddy Krueger from the "Nightmare on Elm Street" films hosted a horror anthology called "Freddy's Nightmares" which aired from 1988 to 1990. 

There was also a fantasy horror program called "Friday the 13th, The Series," based on the film series of the same name. This ran from 1987 to 1990. Despite bearing the Friday the 13th title, the series didn't have anything to do with hockey mask-wearing and machete swinging Jason Vorhees. 

Starting in 2016, there was even a horror series on the FOX network called "The Exorcist" which continues the story told in the films. I watched the first season only to be sorely disappointed in the entire premise of the show. Thankfully, it was cancelled after two seasons. So, the less said about that show, the better.

"Chucky" follows the 2017 movie "The Cult of Chucky," the seventh film in the "Child's Play" series, as it continues the story. 

A teenager named Jake Wheeler (Zackary Arthur) lives with his verbally abusive dad, Lucas (Devon Sawa) in Hackensack, N.J. Both of them are still in grief over the lost of their wife and mother who died prior to the story.

To cope with his grief, as well as living with his father who has issues with his son being gay, Jake has taken up artwork whereby he creates images out of doll parts. 

Jake finds a pristine Good Guy doll at a yard sale, and buys it for a great price compared to what they go for on eBay. 

Little does he know that this Good Guy doll is one possessed by the soul of serial killer, Charles Lee Ray - Chucky, for short - (aka the "Lakeshore Strangler") voiced again by Brad Dourif. 

Of course, it doesn't take terribly long before Chucky makes himself known to Jake.

It's no surprise that murders begin taking place around Hackensack, one by one, starting with Jake's dad.

Jake is forced to live with his uncle Logan (also played by Devon Sawa), his wife Bree (Lexa Doig) and their son, Junior (Teo Briones).

The ever increasing death count around Hackensack garners the attention of people who have a history with Chucky.

The series keeps the same tone as the "Child's Play" films, though feels like a low-rate slasher flick drawn out in eight episodes. It borders on campy, with characters who lean far into the realm of exaggerated. It doesn't hold back with its slash horror and insanity. 

Chucky looks like his ordinary doll self when he's stationary. However, when the soul of Charles Lee Ray comes forth, the doll's appearance changes to something more sinister and human. That's especially true with his eyes. We even have a close up of the doll's eyes dilating when Ray's soul starts manifesting himself. 

Zachary Arthur as Jake Wheeler in
season one of "Chucky."

We also get backstory into Charles Lee Ray, which is what I suspected would happen before I watched season one. His story goes back to his childhood, through his teenage years, and into his young adulthood. 

We also see how far back his relationship with "Tiffany Valentine" goes, who became part of the Chucky canon starting with the 1998 "Bride of Chucky," reoccurring through "Seed of Chucky" (2004) "Curse of Chucky" (2013) and "Cult of Chucky" (2017).  

His youth is depicted as a seemingly normal childhood, but he has a disturbing fascination with pain that's both self-inflicted as well as inflicted on others. 

This series is pure horror candy. It's service for fans the franchise. 

Similar to how the series "Cobra Kai" brings back as many characters of the "Karate Kid" movies as it can so fans can see what those characters have been up to for all these years, "Chucky" does the same. Although, for some of the characters from the more recent films, it hasn't really been that long. 

Jennifer Tilly returns as "Tiffany Valentine" who plays an integral role in the series. 

Alex Vincent returns as "Andy Barclay" from the original "Child's Play" film from 1988, as well as "Child's Play 2" (1990) and then later in "Curse of Chucky" and "Cult of Chucky." 

I was surprised to see Christine Elise as Andy's step-sister  "Kyle" from "Child's Play 2" return. 

Fiona Dourif, the daughter of Brad Dourif who has voiced Chucky since the beginning, returns as "Nica Pierce" from "Curse of Chucky."

And franchise creator Don Mancini directs the first episode titled "Death by Misadventure." 

The first two or three episodes feel drawn out and slow as they work to build up the trepidation and fear. Once it boils over, it makes for a lot of unforgettable imagery and horror. It's fun the same way a guilty pleasure is fun. The episodes managed to make me want to continue on to the next episode.

Like the other "Child's Play" movies, there is a taste of mindlessness amidst Chucky's bad-assery. The series keeps that in amongst all the teenage angst common in slasher flicks. 

Many of the horror movie tropes are there. The asshole characters are surely the ones who'll get picked off by Chucky. Reactions to a living murderous doll is almost laughable. Police investigators are clueless and rather useless. It's all typical horror movie stuff. And that's all there is to take away.

The series definitely tries to continue the entire story forward while paying homage to the past. Personally, I think fans of the movies, or those simply familiar with the franchise, will get the most out of the show, especially the back story that's presented. 

So far, with season one, the series is simply just a guilty pleasure. It's Chucky and friends, and nothing much more than that. It's mediocre at best. 

To start the series, they needed a storyline, and came up with what they came up. The characters aren't necessarily unique. Most of them are as stereotypical as it comes. Still, what does one expect from a slasher flick turned TV show?

One teenager is vindictive and shallow beyond believability. No one seems to like the main character, Jake, much for no serious reason. His cousin doesn't like him. The only person who does care is the boy whom he has a crush on. Still, to the series' credit, it doesn't beat the audience over the head with all its callbacks and nostalgia. It keeps the focus on the storyline. 

"Chucky" is a middle-of-the-road series that horror fans, especially fans of the "Child's Play" films, will surely find fun and enjoyable. Otherwise, nothing stands out about this other than it's a TV series with the murderous Chucky the doll.

I'll likely watch the following second season. Whether I comment on that or not remains to be seen.