[1/?] So this weekend I decided to binge 'The Spiderwick Chronicles' TV series that Roku bought from Disney. My sister read the books as a kid and I kinda fell in love with them through her. I got that ping of nostalgia when the series was announced and now that I've seen it I gotta talk about it...

[2/?] If you're unfamiliar with the books, 'The Spiderwick Chronicles' is a story about the Grace family stumbling into danger when they move into their ancestral home and Jared, the protagonist, stumbles upon a field guide to the world of the Fae written by his great grandfather Arthur Spiderwick.

[3/?] The books were written by Holly Black and illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi, the latter of whom's artwork really sets the vibe for the entire thing. The books sold incredibly well; so much so that Nickelodeon made a feature film in 2008 starring Freddie Highmore playing Jared and his twin Simon.

[4/?] Fastforward to the 2020s and Disney acquired the rights to create a series for Disney+ before selling the project to Roku, who aired it in 2024. The series stars Lyon Daniels (Jared), Noah Cottrell (Simon), Mychala Lee (Malory), Joy Byrant (Helen Grace), and Christian Slater (Mulgarath).

[5/?] This show is very confused. Confused in the way that adaptations of early 2000s things being made now often are. The show feels self-conscious of its source material, was clearly written as a "second screen" show, and there are SO MANY REFERENCES to pop culture. That being said...

[6/?] There are actually a lot of interesting things below all the surface level TV bullshit that I think are quite valuable, or at the very least interesting to think about. First off though I have got to praise the actors. They all gave good performances; the main cast that is.

[7/?] In fact, I'd go so far as to say that when the show was focusing on the Grace family and their interpersonal and/or internal struggles (Mallory's self-worth, Simon's relationship with his father, Helen just trying to keep her family together, etc.) the show is actually quite engaging.

[8/?] My issues with this adaptation aren't that it took liberties with the source material (race swapping, adding new characters, restructuring the plot, etc). I actually like that they turned the story into a scavenger hunt for the field guide pages instead of a game of keep away from Mulgarath.

[9/?] My issues with this series is that despite the creative plot restructure, pretty good acting, and imaginative source material, the show has almost nothing to say. The writers make vague gestures at social commentary by having moments like those pictured below that just ring hollow.

[10/?] You have a story about Fae having to blend in to the human world for survival. You have a black family moving to a rural town from NYC and attempting to join a new community. This show could have easily had through-lines about clashing ideologies and cultural differences, but alas...

[11/?] Speaking of blending in, Christian Slater is having a blast here as the shape-shifting ogre Mulgarath. I honestly love that this show decided to have the villain act as a human psychologist. The choice added a bit of levity and a comedic edge to the character that was absent from the books.

[12/?] Another shortcoming of the show is the CGI (budget) and the overall art direction. With story restructuring and a grater focus given to Mulgarath skulking around as a human, the magical world of the Fae takes a backseat in this show. And with that, so does a lot of the creativity it seems...

[13/?] Gone are the incredible creature designs of the faeries by Tony DiTerlizzi. In fact, gone are most of the faeries. Aside from Mulgarath and ONE sprite, all we get is Thimbletack. And oooof. What a misfire design-wise. I think they wanted to make him cute? Idk. I don't care for it at all.

[14/?] Other Fae are aluded to through-out the show and aside from the sprite, Thimbletack, Mulgarath's true form, and a CG troll arm, all other faeries appear in human form. One notable absence for me was Hogsqueal. One of my favorite characters from the books just cut...sigh.

[15/?] I think I've rambled enough about this show. It's got some cool ideas and good, even great at times, acting. But it's generic art direction and refusal to use its black cast and altered story to say anything substantial leave it to sink into the sea of streaming mediocrity.