The hit series Chucky is back and just in time for the craze of Halloween as Jake, Devon and Lexy continue to be tormented by the doll.
Season 2 of the USA Network/Syfy series picks up a year after the chaos that ensued in season 1. The season premiere, titled “Halloween II,” puts viewers right into the trick-or-treat setting and gets reacquainted with the series’ characters as they try to move forward from last year’s shenanigans. Jake Wheeler (Zackary Arthur), Lexy (Alyvia Alyn Lind), and Devon (Bjorgvin Arnarson) survived a blood bath in the town’s local movie theater. Jake succeeded in destroying the killer doll, or at least he thought.
In Season 2, Jake now lives with a foster family, as he and Devon try to navigate a long-distance relationship. Lexy’s trauma manifests into anxiety and destruction. But Chucky finds his way back. Shadow and Act spoke with Arthur, Lind, Arnarson and new cast member Bella Higginbotham about all to expect in season 2.
Fans of the film franchise were skeptical about how the show would continue the story of the killer doll. Making its first film appearance in 1988, the character has been major in not just movies but also referenced often in pop culture. Every Halloween, there are thousands who dress up as Chucky. Luckily, it’s proven to be a great addition, and viewers don’t feel it's ruined the movie or the character’s legacy. It’s something the cast were aware of going into filming.
“When I first joined the show, it was very intimidating just because this is such a well-established franchise with so many diehard fans,” Lind said. “But I think my favorite thing about the first season and going into the second season is that there there’s so much for the diehard fans that were obsessed with the movies and know everything about them. But there’s also so much for the new fans that haven’t even seen a Chucky movie. So it really goes both ways with those audiences. And to get to combine the two generations of Chucky has been such an honor. Just working with the OGs and working with Jennifer Tilly and all these people that have been with the franchise for so long, it was an honor to at least.”
Higginbotham joins the show as what she calls a breath of fresh air, and her co-stars agree. “I think that everyone is going to love Nadine because she is such a sweetheart. Just this shining light of goodness in the franchise,” she told us. “She really sticks out.”
Lind added, “I feel like Nadine is just this ray of sunshine that’s coming in to tell us, ‘Hey, let’s stop for a second and let’s look at a picture of a kitten because that’s what’s important in life. And Lexie especially needs that because Lexie is so wrapped up in her own head and is blaming herself for everything that’s happened and is so wrapped up in so many things. So Nadine just takes all that pressure off her and just lets her be a kid again.”
The series does a great job at showcasing LGBTQ representation amid a pivotal point during teenage growing pains. Arnarson, who says the series is his first big role, is happy to be part of the show for that reason.
In Season 2, he looks forward to showing the continued development of the romance.
“After the events of season 1, Devin is trying to hold this relationship together. And due to some things that happened, it kind of makes it hard for Devin and Jake to really connect. It becomes even worse, especially with being in a Catholic school,” he explained. “The schools are kind of known for not appreciating queers that.”
