The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019)
You finally made it! After decades of discussions a sequel to Jim Henson’s iconic puppet fantasy The Dark Crystal was made with great care and a lot of money. And then… it almost disappeared as soon as it arrived. Maybe kids just found the spooky Skeksis too scary (although “too scary” had basically been their unique selling proposition since 1982), maybe viewers found the high-fantasy plot too distant and the episodes too long, maybe the production was just too expensive. Or maybe we just don’t deserve nice things. LM
I do not agree (2020)
Adapted from the comic book of the same name by Charles Forsman, I do not agree was an indie slacker take on the super-powered teen genre. The film was heavily based on the films of John Hughes and full of pop culture homages and only lasted seven short episodes. In it is Sophia Lillis (It, sharp objects) played high school student Syd, a lonely misfit whose growing powers may have been indirectly responsible for a tragedy in her past. This mystery was never solved on screen as the series ended on a cliffhanger and is still hanging on that cliff to this day. LM
Cursed (2020)
Cursed is an origin story of sorts for Nimue, also known as the Lady of the Lake – a mythical character from Arthurian tales whose magical abilities are legendary. In the series Nimue (Catherine Langford) is tasked with bringing the magical sword Excalibur to Merlin (Gustaf Skarsgård) to save her people from religious fanatics who want to wipe out the fairies. Featuring characters such as Arthur (Devon Terrell), Lancelot (Daniel Sharman) and King Uther (Sebastian Armesto) in the cast, Cursed fits in perfectly with other Artus adaptations but still manages to appeal to a modern audience. Cursed is so much more than just a girl boss version of an iconic character. The series brings a real strength and complexity to Nimue that makes you want to know more about her and her story, and it’s a shame we don’t dig deeper into this series. B.A
Jupiter’s Legacy (2021)
Jupiter’s Legacy follows two different timelines. One is set during the Great Depression and is about a group of people who are endowed with extraordinary powers. The second film takes place in the present, where we see that these people have become superheroes. Though they have grown into powerful forces for good over the past several decades, they struggle to maintain their relevance in a changing world as their children grow into their powers and seek to live up to their heritage. Although the series doesn’t always have the best transition between timelines, this could easily have been remedied if the series had gotten another season. Jupiter’s Legacy does a pretty good job of setting this world up for further exploration, and it’s such a shame Netflix didn’t give it a chance. B.A
The irregulars (2021)
This supernatural Sherlock Holmes fanfic show could easily have dropped the “Great Detective” and stuck with its “Superpowerful Victorian Teens Investigate Strange Monsters” approach, but would Netflix have even commissioned it without the recognizable IP? The end result was an uneven mix of cool 19th Century gothic, fantasy horror and… Sherlock Holmes, who didn’t really belong first or last. Despite a fun cast and some memorably terrifying monsters, these eight episodes were everything The irregulars So we’ll never know how it might have evolved its portal-dominated world. LM
The Midnight Club (2022)
It looked like horror writers there for a while Mike Flanagan really had carte blanche to do whatever he wanted at Netflix. That’s what will happen if your first three attempts are the big hit The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly ManorAnd midnight fair. With 2022 The Midnight ClubHowever, the Netflix/Flanagan super team eventually ran out of fuel and Netflix declined to order a second season of the teen-focused horror series.