The kid-friendly adventure series The Mysterious Benedict Society has been canceled after two seasons, via Deadline. The Disney+ series aired what is now its final season two months prior to this announcement. The official news was relayed on January 28 by series co-creator Phil Hay (Destroyer, The Invitation) on Twitter.
In the Twitter thread, Hay thanked the author of the novels the show is based on, Trenton Lee Stewart (The Secret Keepers, The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict), along with actors Tony Hale (Veep, Hocus Pocus 2) and Kristen Schaal (The Last Man on Earth, Bob’s Burgers) and the showrunners Darren Swimmer (Melrose Place, Control) and Todd Slavkin (Smallville, Defiance). He ended his message by happily revealing a spoiler for the series: “the kids stay friends forever.”
The Mysterious Benedict Society followed the curious exploits of four young teens who become members of a sect of intellectual students all mentored by Hale’s eccentric Mr. Benedict. When the group’s mentor’s life is threatened, they discover Benedict has an evil adversary, his twin brother Dr. L.D. Curtain. The second season per Deadline took place a year later from the events of the first season, where the four leads had their first mission foiling Dr. Curtain’s plan. Season two saw the return of the diabolical sibling targeting a global catastrophe.
Hale posted his goodbye to the series on his Instagram stating, “Hard to say goodbye to The Mysterious Benedict Society, but so INCREDIBLY thankful to Disney TV Studios and Disney+ for allowing us two seasons of this beautiful story written by Trenton Stewart.”
In addition to Hale and Schaal, the series starred Marta Kessler (Row 19, Blood Lady), Emmy DeOliveira (Lizzie Borden Took an Axe, Muggle House), Gia Sandhu (Beeba Boys, A Perfect Plan), MaameYaa Boafo (Ramy, An African City), Seth B. Carr (The Main Event, Breaking In), Mystic Inscho, and Ryan Hurst (Remember the Titans, Outsiders), according to Deadline.
Deadline reports the show was originally set for Hulu but shifted to Disney+ before its premiere in June of 2021. Hay created, wrote, and executive produced the series in collaboration with Matt Manfredi (Ride Along, Bug). Swimmer and Slavkin also executive produced along with James Bobin (Dora and the Lost City of Gold, Alice Through the Looking Glass), Matt Loze (First Wave, Hunters), Deepak Nayar (Vampire Academy, Dredd), Karen Kehela Sherwood (Being Frank, The Good Lie), and David Ellender (Das Boot, Wedding Talk). The series was also one of the last shows produced by beloved Jamie Tarses (The Wilds, The Mayor) who passed in 2021.
Both seasons of The Mysterious Benedict Society can be streamed on Disney+.