When it comes to horror franchises, the longevity of Don Mancini’s Child’s Play is truly impressive. The seven-film franchise’s consistency is due to the brilliant Mancini writing every script (and directing the last four). Always subverting expectations, he decided the next chapter(s) should be on the small screen with Chucky, which premiered in 2021 on SYFY and USA.
The series is for everyone who loved the comedic aspects of later installments as much as its darker horror beginnings. So, whether you’ve been a devotee since 1988 or a horror fan looking for your next series to binge, Chucky is a must-watch. And here’s why.
Spoilers ahead for the Child’s Play films.
An Iconic Trio
Chucky is set in Charles Lee Ray’s hometown of Hackensack, New Jersey. The story begins with 14-year-old Jake Wheeler (Zackary Arthur) making the grave mistake of purchasing a “retro” Good Guy doll at a yard sale, intending to use it in his latest art project. As a young openly gay artist in the suburbs, Jake is an outsider with no friends and an unpleasant family, namely his homophobic, heavy-drinking father, Lucas (Devon Sawa), and his popular and athletic cousin, Junior (Teo Briones).
Of course, the legendary Brad Dourif is back as our friend to the end (and later on, he also gets the chance to voice multiple Chucky dolls). It’s the chaotic presence of Chucky that trauma-bonds our three leads — Jake, love interest and local true crime podcaster Devon Evans (Björgvin Arnarson), and Lexy Cross (Alyvia Alyn Lind), who goes from instantly hateable mean girl to sympathetic protagonist.
Expands the Chucky-verse
While the series brings in new faces, Mancini perfectly connects the various stories and characters from the previous seven films, going back to the first kid Chucky terrorized, Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent). When we see him again, he’s on a Good Guy doll-hunting mission with Kyle (Christine Elise), his foster sister from Child’s Play 2.
Continuity-wise, Chucky takes place after 2017’s Cult of Chucky, the last time we saw Nica Pierce (Fiona Dourif, daughter of Chucky voice actor Brad Dourif), the final girl who was first introduced in 2013’s Curse of Chucky. Nica, still possessed by part of Chucky, returns to the series shacked up with Tiffany (as Jennifer).
Fiona Dourif also takes on the role of a younger Charles Lee Ray in flashbacks. Looking and sounding a lot like her father certainly helps but her multiple performances are phenomenal. The series gets into the origins of Charles Lee Ray when he was a budding young serial killer in Hackensack and later his relationship with Tiffany.
More Jennifer Tilly
While Bride of Chucky kicked off the polarizing comedy era of the Child’s Play franchise, no one can deny the brilliance of Jennifer Tilly as fabulous murderess Tiffany Valentine, former girlfriend of Charles Lee Ray and titular bride. Mancini went meta in Seed of Chucky with Tilly starring as an in-world version of herself as well as Tiffany (in doll form), which continues in the series.
Season 2’s “Death on Denial,” is somewhat of a bottle episode centered on Tiffany (as Jennifer) reuniting with her twins, Glen and Glenda. It’s an impromptu murder mystery party that’s also a mini Bound reunion with Tilly’s co-stars Gina Gershon and Joe Pantoliano as heightened versions of themselves, along with her real sister and actor Meg Tilly (Psycho II) and real-life friend Sutton Stracke of Real Housewives fame.
Great Queer Representation
Speaking of LGBTQ+ icon Jennifer Tilly, it was Bride of Chucky that showed the first signs of queerness in the franchise. In Chucky, a huge part of Jake’s story is his sexuality and the bullying he suffers because of it. But when he befriends Devon, the two have a painfully sweet romance. Having two gay hero protagonists leading a horror series is exactly the amazing representation we need.
In Season 1, Chucky briefly mentions his genderfluid offspring, first seen in Seed of Chucky as Glen/Glenda in doll form, voiced by Billy Boyd (The Lord of the Rings), but we don’t see them until Season 2. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina fans will recognize non-binary actor Lachlan Watson, who made their highly-anticipated arrival as (human) teenage twins Glen and Glenda.
Watson brought more to the table than just their acting chops. In a behind-the-scenes featurette, they said, “I came up with the idea that Glenn was more grunge and that Glenda was more glam and that was a really fun way to categorize it without having to use gendered language.”
Solid Performances
The cast of Chucky is stacked with talented newcomers and veteran actors alike, including our three leads. So far, Devon Sawa has played five characters in the show’s three seasons — Lucas and Logan Wheeler in season one, followed by Father Bryce in Season 2, and President James Collins and Randall Jenkins in Season 3.
Michael Therriault, who also starred as Dr. Foley in Cult of Chucky, plays Lexy’s father Nathan Cross, then returns in Season 3 as Collins’ VP, Spencer Rhodes. Joining the cast in Season 2 as Sister Ruth, Lara Jean Chorostecki (known for playing Freddie Lounds in Hannibal) came back in the third season as First Lady Charlotte Collins.
Creative Kills
From death by a doll-making machine to crushing someone in a garbage truck, the franchise has given us some over-the-top, often nightmare-inducing Chucky kills over the years. He’s always been an equal-opportunity killer. With his anti-establishment attitude, he’s known for taking out authority figures and people who have it coming, making most of his brutal kills all the more satisfying.
And just because he’s moved to a smaller screen doesn’t mean his penchant for murder is toned down. He still manages to rack up an impressive body count each season. If anything, the series increases the gore in its consistently creative kills, including Chucky’s own elaborate deaths that never seem to stick.
Horror, Humor + Heart
Over nearly four decades, the franchise has gone through some tonal shifts. One of the major reasons the series has been successful is because it’s a fantastic amalgamation of every film, from the categorically dark horror of Child’s Play 1–3 to the comedy and twisted romance of Bride of Chucky, the full-on camp of Seed of Chucky, and back to its scary roots with Curse of Chucky and Cult of Chucky. And even with all of its absurdity and gore, the series has a surprising amount of heart.
Do yourself a favor and check out all three seasons of Chucky on SYFY and Peacock.
