The Mysterious Benedict Society (2021) adapted for television by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi from the novel by Trenton Lee Stewart
Four unrelated orphans are drawn by an ad in a newspaper to a competition to join a special school. The entrance tests are unorthodox and involve more than just putting pen to paper; the four who succeed are unique and resourceful in different ways. They are really being recruited to work for Mr. Benedict, a reclusive and quirky genius who wants to prevent a crisis that everyone feels is coming. That feeling is being generated from The Institute, a boarding school on a mysterious island. The director of the school, Mr. Curtain, is using the children to broadcast messages that influence all the citizens (thus making them believe in the coming crisis). Mr. Benedict wants the children to infiltrate The Institute and stop Curtain's plan.
The show is very light-hearted and colorful. The cast is uniformly great. Often quirky roles (and almost every role in the show is a quirky role) can come off as stereotypical or unrealistic in the extreme. The performers and the writing avoid that, creating very human and very likable characters, even in patently artificial and absurd situations. The actors are a joy to watch; the plot is a joy to see unfold. I have not read the books, so I don't know how close the show gets to the original. I certainly want to read the books now that I've seen the show.
Highly recommended.
Right now (September 2021) the show is only streaming on Disney+. It seems like they will have a season two, but they are not calling this season one yet.
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