The Most Underrated Horror Franchise Moved to TV Five Years Ago, and Left Us With a Cliffhanger Ending

Skip to content One of the best horror television shows based on a classic horror movie franchise debuted five years ago, and sadly, it all ended on a cliffhanger. Slasher movies debuted in the 1970s and exploded in popularity in the 1980s, when everything from hulking masked killers and horrific dream demons to killer toys and dolls became popular, with the most popular of these coming in the Child’s Play franchise. That movie, directed by Tom Holland and created by co-screenwriter Don Mancini, followed a serial killer named Charles Lee Ray, a man who used voodoo magic to send his soul into a Good Guy doll named Chucky. He then tormented a young boy while seeking vengeance on the people he believed wronged him.

After a reboot in 2019 changed much of Mancini’s creation, he returned with his own continuation of the franchise on television. On October 12, 2021, Chucky premiered on SYFY and USA Network, and it ended up as one of the best horror movie adaptations on the small screen. After three seasons of critically acclaimed television, Chucky was cancelled, with the third season ending on a cliffhanger.

Chucky Is One of Television’s Best Adaptations of a Horror Franchise Image Courtesy of USA Network Don Mancini and producer David Kirschner brought Chucky to television in a series where they tried to revive what Chucky was supposed to be about after the reboot movie made him an AI creation. What resulted was a tremendously fun series that brought new life to the underrated slasher franchise. The show aired on both SYFY and USA Network, and it shared continuity with the original film stories, continuing that story. The series even had Brad Dourif return as the voice of Chucky and Jennifer Tilly to play both herself and Chucky’s bride, Tiffany Valentine. Alex Vincent even reprised his role as Andy, now grown up and still traumatized by his childhood with Chucky.

The three seasons focused a lot on the high school life of the new leads, while also keeping the unique blend of dark humor of the original movies. Dourif was on top of his game as the voice of Chucky again, and he really helped show this was a return to form for the franchise. Finally, it offered its sharp satire through a modern lens, tackling real-world themes involving bullying, family struggles, LGBTQ+ representation, and, in the end, a look at politics when Chucky ended up inside the White House. Despite its critical acclaim, Chucky ended up being cancelled without finishing its story.

The third season of Chucky was released in two batches, the first in October 2023 and the second in April and May of 2024. This was the season where Chucky ended up inside the White House, which is never a good thing. Even with Chucky in the White House, the main cast of Jake (Zackary Arthur), Devon (Björgvin Arnarson), and Lexy (Alyvia Alyn Lind) were still trying to take him down. That is what makes the ending cliffhanger so frustrating. After fans spent three seasons cheering for these teens to finally take down Chucky once and for all, the heroes all ended up trapped inside doll bodies, while Chucky and Tiffany gained the upper hand. The fact that this was the final scene of the series made it look like the bad guys won, ruining the three seasons of lead-in to this moment.

The good news is that Don Mancini might fix this slight by creating a new movie based on Chucky that would tie up the loose ends of the show and resolve the fate of the trapped teenagers. This honestly has to happen. Chucky was too good a show during its three years on the air to end on such a sour note. Everything about all three seasons hit perfectly and showed why Child’s Play was such a cult-favorite franchise for so many decades. Yes, fans tuned in because they love Chucky, but no one really wants to see him win. He should always lose, but leave a hint that he could return. Chucky failed at that, and it wasn’t Mancini’s fault but the network’s.

The third season of Chucky, despite its abrupt ending, has a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. The audience score is much lower at 79%, likely because the audience keeps voting even after the cancellation, and this is an indication that the show not returning left the series on a sour note. Most critics’ scores came in well before the cancellation, which explains the difference. It was a great season. It was also normal for the series, which had a 94% first season and a 93% second season, showing that Chucky was worth watching from beginning to end, even if that end was disappointing.

Were you as big a Chucky fan as we were? Let us know your favorite moments from the series in the comments below.