Disney finishes shooting Spiderwick Chronicles series, decides not to air it

Back in November of 2021, Disney announced that it was adapting The Spiderwick Chronicles, the series of young adult fantasy books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, for TV. The Spiderwick Chronicles, which is about a family who move into an old house and discover a world of faeries, was adapted as a movie back in 2008. Now it’s time for the TV show!

And indeed, Disney shot six episodes, with a cast that includes Jack Dylan Grazer, Lyon Daniels, Noah Cottrell, Joy Bryant, Mychala Lee, and Christian Slater as the shape-shifting ogre Mulgarath. But as it ends up…nah.

According to The A.V. Club, Disney has opted not to air the show on Disney+, even though it’s basically finished. This is a phenomenon we’re seeing more and more of lately. Remember the furor that resulted when Warner Bros. Discovery decided not to release the Batgirl movie after it had already finished shooting? How about when Disney spent over $100 million making a TV show based on the fantasy movie Willow only to remove it from Disney+ after a few months? Why are these studios spending all this money if they’re not going to let people watch what they bought?

Is Christian Slater a cursed man doomed to appear on TV shows people never get to see?

A lot of it has to do with the economics of streaming. Will airing The Spiderwick Chronicles get more people to subscribe to Disney+? If not, it may be more cost-effective for Disney to dump it and write off the expenses on its taxes. It’s not like they can sell commercials during episodes, and they probably won’t sell a home video version, so there’s little way for the show to make money by itself. It’s a weird world we’re in now, and studios are trying to figure it out.

While they do, we get an outside view of what look like completely bone-headed decisions. Although, to be fair, it’s possible that The Spiderwick Chronicles will be shopped around to other platforms. They’re not tossing it down a hole and salting the earth like WBD did with Batgirl.

Also, I have to point out that Christian Slater was in both The Spiderwick Chronicles and Willow, so maybe he’s the common denominator. Christian Slater: his presence will get a show made, but not aired.

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