The Mysterious Benedict Society Season 2 - What We Know So Far

Although Disney+ doesn't release ratings of its movies or original series, all signs point to the fact that last year's release of "The Mysterious Benedict Society" has been doing well overall. The first season has a 7.6 out of 10 rating on IMDB, where 3,900 viewers have weighed in on how much they liked it. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an 84% Audience Score, and critics gave it an 86% Tomatometer Score. Even more telling: just three months after its late June 2021 release and about six weeks after its final episode aired, Disney announced the eight-episode series would be renewed.

Based on a book series by Trenton Lee Stewart, "The Mysterious Benedict Society" has been described by some as a kid's version of "The Umbrella Academy" (as by SyFy). It focuses on a group of four super-smart orphans recruited by Mr. Benedict (Tony Hale) to find out what's behind the "Emergency" that is causing chaos in their world. In the show, as in the first book, the children infiltrate a school they believe is the source of subliminal messages being sent to the public. 

Here's what we know about the second season so far. 

The first season of "The Mysterious Benedict Society" offered heartwarming conclusions for the kids who make up the main cast, who all ended up with loving homes — as well as the adults that work with Mr. Benedict. However, Curtain, the series' antagonist (also played by Tony Hale), is clearly still up to no good with a new plan as he sails away with his adopted son, S.Q. (Ricardo Ortiz) and Dr. Garrison (Trenna Keating).

Disney has indicated that the second season will reunite the orphans a year after their first mission. "Now they must embark on a perilous journey, relying on wits, intellect, and empathy to try to try to stop Curtain as he shifts to a new strategy with global implications," the press release reveals.

The story appears to be based on the second book in the series, "The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey." Given that, fans can expect a world-spanning scavenger hunt with plenty of riddles as the children search for Mr. Benedict and Number Two (Kristen Schaal). Their benefactor and his assistant have been kidnapped by his evil twin, and Mr. Curtain now appears to be after the children. According to Deadline, a pie truck is also involved. 

Disney+ has not announced any cast changes to the second season of "The Mysterious Benedict Society." So you can expect Mystic Inscho back as Reynie, Seth Carr as Sticky, Emmy DeOliveira as Kate, and Marta Kessler as Constance. The cast also includes MaameYaa Boafo as Rhonda, Ryan Hurst as Milligan, and Gia Sandhu as Ms. Perumal, Reynie's guardian. Tony Hale reprises his dual role, and Kristen Schaal remains as his Number Two.

An old show-business adage credited to W.C. Fields says, "Never work with children or animals" — but the cast didn't find this to be such a chore if Hale's sentiments are true of all of them. "The kids were really fun," he told Collider. "With the kids, not only is it overwhelming to sign up for a Disney show, but we were all away from our families for five months, they were shooting in a pandemic, they had to do school half the time, and over Zoom. Those kids were doing a lot and I have a lot of respect for them. They did it all with a great attitude."

The series also features behind-the-scenes talent with Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin as showrunners, plus James Bobin as writer and director.

Deadline reported in an exclusive on September 1, 2022 that the release date for Season 2 of "The Mysterious Benedict Society" would be Wednesday, October 26. According to the trade publication, the release will follow a similar format to the release of the first season: the first two episodes will be released on that date, and new episodes will follow on a weekly basis. If the new season has as many episodes as the first, the streaming release of the final episode should be December 7.

Fans have known for some time now that shooting for the second season has wrapped. Cast members posted on social media from the set while filming. Also, Seth Carr posted on his Instagram back in May, "Well that's a wrap for SEASON 2 of 'THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY' so much fun this season," noting that the next episodes would be full of surprises. 

Disney+ did release an official trailer when it announced the season 2 airdates. In it, Rhonda explains to the children that Mr. Benedict and Number Two went on a worldwide trip to plant clues for a scavenger hunt but are now missing. It then reveals that Mr. Curtain has captured them and is now after the kids but doesn't reveal why. However, his new nefarious plan appears to involve convincing the public that he can make anyone happy. 

Many fans liked how true the first season was to the book, so if that remains the case, it's possible that a character named Phil Norland will appear, along with the plant duskwort, which is said to cure narcolepsy — even though they aren't shown in the trailer. However, there were differences between the original and the adaptation, such as more involvement from the supporting adult characters. The trailer hints that this is true of season 2 as well, since Rhonda and Ms. Perumal, along with Milligan, get involved in trying to save their young charges.