Television seems like an odd place to find the foul mouthed, blood spraying, criminal soul inhabited body of Chucky, but if there’s one thing that Chucky is, it’s unconventional. While other series base their return on ignoring some of their film history or rewriting it entirely, Chucky wraps everything up in a toddler sized body and brings it all to the small screen. This is set to include a number of film series cast members that have become as big a part of the mythology as Chucky himself. I cannot wait.

The series opening episode is pretty straightforward. Young teen Jake Wheeler (Zackary Arthur) finds a Good Guy doll (voiced by Brad Dourif) at a garage sale and immediately snaps him up. Jake knows a classic toy when he sees it, and he’s not passing up a chance at a mint condition Good Guy doll. He also happens to be an artist, building slightly creepy sculptures out of doll parts. This isn’t exactly the situation Jake’s dad Luke (Devon Sawa) was hoping for though. Art doesn’t pay the bills, something Luke points out when Jake speaks about his deceased artist mother, and you get the feeling that not everything is great in the Wheeler home.

We’re introduced to the various characters Jake will interact with throughout the series, including Devon Evans (Bjorgvin Arnarson), son of a detective (Rachelle Casseus) and true crime podcaster as well as being Jake’s crush. Jake’s extended family including Uncle Logan (also played by Devon Sawa), Aunt Bree (Lexa Doig), and cousin Junior (Teo Briones). Junior’s girlfriend Lexy Cross (Alyvia Alyn Lind), daughter of Mayor Michelle (Barbara Alyn Woods) and general all around bully, rounds out the main cast.

Here’s where we get to the heart of the series, and it revolves mainly around bullying and how it impacts everybody, young and old. Jake is gay, something that doesn’t sit well with his father. Junior is always dropping hints at it during a family dinner, which sets off Luke. Luke winds up smashing Jake’s latest creation with a bat while Jake watches on in horror. In an attemp to to protect Chucky from his father’s wrath after finding out the value of an original Good Guy doll, Jake takes him to school which only sets off a round of insults from fellow students, with Lexy being the main participant.

From there we’re treated to a mysterious phone call by an impatient buyer for Chucky, who sounds an awful lot like an old friend of Chucky, the classic reveal that Chucky has no batteries, a truly weird talent show competition where Jake and Chucky perform a school suspending version of a ventriloquist act, and the final moments of Jake’s dad as he has an electrifying exit courtesy of Chucky. This all positions Jake in the middle of two choices; overcome the bullying in the most positive way possible, or become the murderous villain that Chucky is pushing him towards.

While it’s easy to look at this as a simple school bullying problem where future violent offenders are created, Don Mancini creates a much more nuanced look into what molds the mental health of teenagers. It’s not just bullying at school, which is certainly a problem here, but the more subtle and destructive ways in which all the teen characters deal with their parents. Jake’s dad may be generally accepting of him being gay, you can see that underneath it all are some problems Luke has with it. Junior’s parents push him to achieve in cross country running, while Lexy’s parents barely acknowledge her existence in favour of her younger sister. Even Devon isn’t immune to family trouble, as his detective mother spends too much time working on cases than on her relationship with her son. Sure these kids either give or receive bullying at school, but it’s their relationships with their parents that more greatly impact their lives and behaviour.

Chucky is there to take advantage of it all, typically using his ‘friends till the end’ slogan to justify his behaviour. He’s only looking out for Jake. He just happens to be doing it by eliminating anybody that bullies or insults Jake, including his father. It’s all fantastically bloody setup for the series and gets to show off not only a deeper story, but the still incredible puppetry work for Chucky. The performances are pretty solid here, although it’s the teen actors that stand out, and the pace is generally strong as well. There are some leaps here and there where you’re left wondering what happened in the in between moments, but it can’t distract from the sheer joy of witnessing the return of Chucky.

Tune In or Tune Out

If you’re a Child’s Play fan, you probably weren’t missing out on this one anyway. The previous rebooted film was disappointing, even managing to make a Chucky that looked subpar to the original doll from so many years ago. Having creator Don Mancini bring this to life along with fully embracing all the mythology that has come before is a smart step. It’s doesn’t hold back on the violence despite being on TV, and with Brad Dourif back as the voice of Chucky just immediately connects fans to the action. Chucky may be an irredeemable psychopath, but it’s hard to not enjoy every moment he’s onscreen. This is a solid start to the series and something horror fans should tune in to.