From Freddy’s Nightmares to MTV’s Scream, there have been plenty of attempts to bring our favorite slashers onto our television screens with little critical success. Oftentimes, the television adaptations either stray way too far from the source material fans love or the lore just doesn’t really translate well when stretched into an episodic format. 2021, however, presented audiences with a surprising little gem wrapped up in the form of a Good Guy doll. Turns out, Don Mancini’s Chucky series not only took the plunge into primetime, but cemented itself as a show to watch in the eyes of critics and audiences alike. Sitting pretty at a whopping 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, the slasher icon successfully transferred his soul from theaters to our home television screens. Though the tiny killer probably wasn’t on most of our Bingo cards for one of the best horror shows in decades, it makes a hell of a lot of sense. At his core, Chucky (Brad Dourif) is the ultimate family man which makes him the perfect slasher to bring a large cast together. That is, until he tries to kill them.

A Taste of the Old and the New

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Image via USA Network/SyFy

By all means, Chucky is a family affair. The show acts as a continuation of the events that took place over the entire franchise, up until 2017’s Cult of Chucky. Meaning, the show’s premise takes up the tremendous task of incorporating over two decades of lore into the plot instead of trying to start anew. What is probably most impressive about the show is the sheer amount of commitment from the cast, crew, and creators in bringing Chucky’s world to life. A huge part of why it works so well is that the show organically includes foundational characters from the films without reducing any of them to small cameos or body fodder. Not only does Andy (Alex Vincent) come back to play, but Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly) and Kyle (Christine Elise) do too. Most notably, we get a double dose of Brad Dourif in the form of his daughter Fiona Dourif. Not only do the two reprise their roles as Chucky and Nica, but the show has a number of fantastic flashbacks that include Fiona playing the elder Dourif’s role as the Chucky’s human-form, Charles Lee Ray.

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The show wholeheartedly embraces Chucky’s legacy rather than choosing to shy away from it. In many ways, this feat of continuity can be attributed to Don Mancini’s devotion to the story and those who have continuously worked with him to bring his vision to life. One would be incredibly hard-pressed to find another long-running slasher franchise who's every core (we’re not talking reboots here) installment retains the same original writer and recurring cast. There’s often an unspoken pressure for established franchises to reboot themselves in an effort to appeal to newer audiences, but Chucky’s lore gives him the tools to bypass that little bump in the road.

The New Kids On the Block

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Image Via Syfy

Part of what makes Chucky so terrifying is that his livelihood directly depends on his ability to interweave himself into the lives of others so he can continue to survive. The iconic Good Guy doll seems so harmless until he inevitably decides to make it clear that he most certainly is not. Chucky isn’t the type of slasher who likes to quietly stalk from a distance, nor is he the type who doesn’t like company around. In fact, Chucky has a certain penchant for punchy one-liners and has quite a hard time keeping up the shtick that he’s supposed to be a lifeless doll. All anyone really has to do is yell at him for a few minutes before he’ll angrily drop the facade (and maybe a knife or two) on them. On top of his rather vivacious personality, somewhere along the way, Chucky managed to find himself in a rather tumultuous on and off relationship with Tiffany and eventually even had himself a child named Glen/Glenda (Lachlan Watson). With that said, he’s a killer who thrives in social interactions which makes him a great vehicle to bring a large established cast together while also giving the series newcomers time to shine.

Despite Chucky’s long-standing history with existing characters in the franchise, the show opens up with him finding a new kid to terrorize named Jake (Zackary Arthur). Unfortunately for Jake, he takes a particular liking to a certain ultra-deadly Good Guy doll he happens to stumble upon while rummaging through a garage sale. Though he initially intends to use Chucky as a piece in his art project, he eventually finds that he bit much more off than he could ever possibly chew when Chucky begins convincing him to kill the likes of his father (Devon Sawa) and school bully Lexy (Alyvia Alyn Lind). Jake’s a pretty easy target for Chucky to sink his claws into since he’s a loner who is bullied and ostracized by his peers which really becomes exasperating when he starts showing up to school lugging a creepy doll around. On the bright side, at least his crush, Devon (Björgvin Arnarson), starts to notice him. As one can surmise, shit quickly hits the fan when Chucky eventually decides to begin taking matters into his own hands.

Though the overarching plot of the show involves Chucky’s murderous antics, there are a lot of tender moments where the kids really get to shine outside of shrieking in fear. It’s funny how great bonds can form under the threat of a killer doll running around. Ultimately, this series does a great job of bringing the franchise back to its roots of terrifying school-aged kids while letting its most beloved characters play off of the younger cast. Some of the most satisfying moments in the show come from the inevitable clashes between the old and new cast. It’s a coming of age story with a tiny killer on the loose. What more could anyone want? And it’s all thanks to Chucky.