During the 1990s, Are You Afraid of the Dark? was a popular horror show aimed at kids. The anthology series was centered around a group of teens who called themselves The Midnight Society. The group would gather at a secret spot in the woods and take turns telling scary stories by the campfire. Despite being geared towards a young audience, Are You Afraid of the Dark? actually had some pretty scary episodes. As you can probably guess, millennials everywhere were pretty bummed when the show was canceled in 1996 after nearly 10 seasons. The good news, however, is that the series is back for another generation to enjoy, and the reboot aims to harness the magic of the original while also carving out a path of its own. As we’ve seen in the past, though, reboots can sometimes struggle to live up to expectations. Is the Are You Afraid of the Dark? reboot worth checking out? Let’s talk about it.
When Was Are You Afraid of the Dark? Revived?
Unless you’re someone who likes to stay on top of everything that goes on in the TV world, you may not have even realized that Are You Afraid of the Dark? is back on TV. In fact, this isn’t even the first time the series has been revived. The series was originally rebooted in 1999 but only lasted for two seasons before being canceled the following year. Daniel DeSoto was the only actor/member of The Midnight Society who returned for the reboot. Most recently, the show was revived again in 2019 as a three-episode mini-series. However, the reboot was so popular that it ended up getting renewed for a second season that aired in February of 2021 and consisted of six episodes. Both seasons of the latest reboot featured different cast members.
Is The Reboot Any Good?
There’s always some mixed feelings any time a show is rebooted because you never know what you’re going to get. On one hand, reboots can be a great way to breathe new life into old shows. On the other hand, however, some things are better left in the past. Fortunately for Are You Afraid of the Dark? fans, this is one reboot that actually doesn’t suck. To be honest, it’s actually pretty good. The new version of Are You Afraid of the Dark? has no shortage of scary and it’s also not lacking when it comes to creativity. If you’re a fan from back in the day, you may notice that the show isn’t exactly how you remember it. The reboot doesn’t follow the exact same premise as the original, but this didn’t end up being a bad thing. This time, more attention is given to the members of The Midnight Society outside of them just telling scary stories. Interestingly enough, they actually end up being a part of the stories themselves. The show’s writer, BenDavid Grabinski, felt that putting more emphasis on The Midnight Society would be a great way to help connect the new show to the old. According to USA Today, Grabinski said, “I think that if we leaned into the Midnight Society, which is one of the things everyone remembers from the original, I felt like we all were going to (be in) a good position, especially since we found such an amazing cast..” Even though fans of the original series are no longer part of the target audience, there’s something about Are You Afraid of the Dark? that appeals to people of all ages. Even if you’re in your 30s, you might find yourself jumping a few times while watching.
The Future of Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Now that Are You Afraid of the Dark? is back and in full swing, there are lots of viewers who are hoping that the show is here to stay. Unfortunately, however, it hasn’t officially been renewed for a third season. That doesn’t mean that all hope is lost since the show hasn’t been canceled either. The truth is that the series has lots of potential and the reboot could easily go on to have the same kind of longevity as the original. If the show does end up getting renewed, we probably won’t see the third season until the middle or end of 2022. If you’re already caught up that can feel like an eternity, but those who haven’t started watching have plenty of time to binge-watch the reboot. Making the decision to reboot a fan favorite like Are You Afraid of the Dark? was pretty risky, but it looks like the risk was certainly worth the reward.
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