Chucky TV Series - What We Know So Far

Sorry, Jack — Chucky's back.

SYFY has ordered a full season of Chucky, a spin-off of the iconic Child's Play film series. Franchise creator Don Mancini will wear multiple hats on the show, serving as executive producer, writer, and showrunner, and he'll also direct the pilot episode (via The Hollywood Reporter).

The series will have nothing to do with the 2019 theatrical reboot Child's Play, which came about as the result of an odd situation with regard to the original 1988 film's rights. Said rights are held by MGM-United Artists, the original flick's distributor, but they don't extend to its sequels, of which there have been six, all written and creatively guided by Mancini. He holds the rights to those films, meaning that the SYFY series will be a continuation of the original franchise's story, while MGM-UA is free to make as many sequels as they desire to their reboot (which, given its paltry box office performance, probably aren't in the cards anyway).

Got all of that? Great. Chucky has been in development for well over a year, and while we don't have a ton of details on the upcoming series yet, we do have a few interesting tidbits. We're also going to be engaging in some wanton speculation, as we are wont to do. Pro tip: If you're as psyched to see Chucky stabbing his way across the small screen as we are, you may want to bookmark this page, because we'll be updating it any time new information becomes available. Here's everything we know about Chucky so far.

As of right now, no exact premiere date has been announced for Chucky. It's safe to assume that filming on the series, which was set to begin in summer 2020, was likely delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We have, however, gotten a short teaser trailer (which we'll get to in a little bit), which concludes with the promise that the series will drop sometime in 2021. We have the distinct feeling that an official drop date is still something of a moving target at this point, dependent upon when production will be able to get fully underway. 

It's also currently unclear how many episodes we'll be getting in Chucky's first season. Longtime franchise producer David Kirschner stated way back in February 2018 (when the series was still in very early development) that the plan was for the first season to consist of eight hour-long episodes, although it's not known if this is still the case (via Bloody Disgusting). We do know, thanks to that trailer, that the serial will premiere simultaneously on SYFY and USA, which isn't exactly a typical scenario. It's worth noting that both of those networks are owned by NBCUniversal, so it wouldn't be too surprising if episodes of Chucky were to hit NBC's new streamer Peacock shortly after airing. All of these details are likely to come into sharper focus once production on the series gets into full swing, so stay tuned.

The series' cast has yet to be announced, with two very notable exception: Brad Dourif, who has voiced Chucky in every single feature film except for the 2019 edition, will be back to reprise his role for the show, which is sure to have fans over the Moon. The remake's version of Chucky was voiced by the great Mark Hamill, who predictably acquitted himself well, but for hardcore fans of the franchise, Dourif is Chucky, and his presence will be absolutely key to getting their eyeballs glued to the screen for the series. Also, Jennifer Tilly, who portrayed Chucky's murderous bride Tiffany in four feature films, confirmed to Bloody Disgusting in February 2020 that she'll be returning, as well.

The rest of the cast is only rumored at this point. Mancini has said at several times in the past that Chucky will continue the story of the seventh and final film in the original Child's Play series, Cult of Chucky, which ended with a young woman named Nica (none other than Fiona Dourif, Brad's daughter) possessed by the spirit of Tiffany. It stands to reason that the younger Dourif may have a role to play in Chucky's story, but we'll have to wait for an official cast announcement to find out for sure. 

We may not know a heck of a lot about Chucky yet, but there's one thing we do have: An official plot synopsis, which indicates that the series will be borrowing a page or two from the Castle Rock playbook by using Chucky as a device to delve into the seedy underbelly of a seemingly normal small town.

According to the synopsis, things will start to go awry in this unassuming burg when Chucky turns up at a yard sale (hey, he's a vintage Good Guys doll). After his purchase by some unidentified but presumably hapless party, the town is rocked by a series of gruesome murders, which has the effect of shaking loose some of the deepest, darkest secrets of the townsfolk. 

In the meantime, Chucky's travels haven't gone unnoticed by other interested parties from his past, who will show up to throw a wrench into the killer doll's plans and threaten to expose his secrets (which may include a look at the childhood of Charles Lee Ray, the deceased serial killer who inhabits the doll). This, we dare say, is where Tiffany/Nica could come into play, to say nothing of Andy (Alex Vincent), who was gifted with Chucky as a child and who last appeared in Cult of Chucky.

In May 2020, Mancini told SYFY.com that, while Chucky will acknowledge story elements from all the films, the series won't be dabbling in the borderline-parody aesthetic of the later entries. "With this TV show, our mission has been to preserve the straightforward scariness of the original film or the first couple of films," Mancini explained. "But at the same time, continue on with this ever-expanding tapestry of consistent story that we've spun over the course of seven movies and 30-some years. I think fans are really gonna love to see the new characters that we introduce into this realm and just to see how they came off of our classic characters."

Oh, there sure is, and it pulls exactly the kind of fake-out on which the film series' promotional campaigns have leaned since the second movie. In it, we see the darkened interior of a Toyland store; many of the shelves are nearly empty, but as tranquil music plays on the soundtrack, we expect to see a friendly employee hard at work stocking them.

On-screen text gives us a hint as to what's being teased. "Coming 2021," it reads, "A new original series featuring an old friend." The camera whips around to face the store's entrance, and as oblivious shoppers stroll by outside, we see a diminutive figure, bathed in shadow ... who whips out a knife about half as big as he is. Smash-cut to the title card, rendered in a blocky, neon, very '80s font.

It certainly seems as if Chucky has all the right ingredients for a creepy, gory good time, and we're on board. Make sure to check back here early and often, as we'll be updating this post with each and every new development that comes down the pike.