Mysterious Double-Ep Launch for Disney+

Disney+ will premiere its latest kidult original as a double-episode on Friday.

The Mysterious Benedict Society is an eight-part dramatisation of the Lee Stewart novels starring Veep’s Tony Hale as a quirky philanthropist who recruits four gifted orphans to save the world.

Early reviews have been mixed. TV Times dubbed it a “spellbinding fantasy … With plenty of high-octane thrills, this is a real family treat”.

“The Mysterious Benedict Society has a strange feel to it,” What’s On Disney+ noted.  “It’s got a little hint of weird, and the characters are odd.

“Even the general look of the show is a little weird, sometimes feeling like something from the ’70s, with old technology, colourful outfits and an outdated colour palette …

“So far, the live-action Disney+ Originals have typically been based on Marvel, Star Wars or set in a high school, but this show stands out as very different.

“While it does feature child actors, it doesn’t feel like a Disney Channel show, and I think adults might want to check this show out as well.”

The Spool had more reservations: “Over the course of its initial two hours, The Mysterious Benedict Society registers as a visual treat complete with aspect ratio changes whose best gags and moments suggest something special, a live-action kids show that doesn’t talk down to children.

“How disappointing, then, that these same episodes stumble with lame attempts at social commentary and subpar pacing.

“There is potential in here, though, especially through the committed performances from the cast.

“But right now The Mysterious Benedict Society needs more mysteries and fewer answers.”