The Spiderwick Chronicles is a 2024 Roku Channel-produced Darker and Edgier verson of The Spiderwick Chronicles.
Divorced woman Helen Grace (Joy Bryant) and her children Mallory (Mychala Lee) and twins Jared (Lyon Daniels) and Simon (Noah Cottrell) move to a new town where Jared can see psychiatrist Dr. Dorian Brauer (Christian Slater). However, the town is full of dark secrets about a hidden supernatural world, their family's past knowledge of them, and how that knowledge can be misused in the present day by figures such as Mulgarath, who has murdered Dr. Brauer and stolen his identity to get close to the family.
The series released April 19, 2024, but met a mixed reception from critics.
Tropes:
- Adaptation Expansion: Season 1 expands on the franchise's human world more than the books and movie, such as showing how the magical world affects the town and how some of the townspeople respond to it, showing Mallory train as a fencer, describing Lucinda and Arthur's troubled relationship with Helen's mother more, expanding on Disappeared Dad Richard's background, whereabouts, and feelings toward his family, and having Simon's angry adjustment issues morph into more serious issues that have caused him to spend much of his life in therapy. That said, the magical world gets some Adaptation Distillation, at least for the time being (Thimbletack's scenes tend to be shorter, Mulgarath doesn't have as many minions, Hogsqeual is absent, etc.).
- Clothing-Concealed Injury: Fencing instructor Valentina always wears gloves that hide how she lost her hands to magic and that they are wisps of smoke whenever she tries to do certain things with them.
- Connected All Along: Mallory's fencing classes, where she and Bree strive to learn from Renowned Selective Mentor Valentina, may just seem like a subplot where Mallory gets something to do and learns more about herself. Valentina is a half-fairy who has spent years trying to train a student to kill Mulgarath, who keeps killing them instead. Bree's mother was one of those students, and she wants revenge, leading her to join the Ragtag Bunch of Misfits.
- Corrupt the Cutie: Simon, the nicest and best-adjusted of the three Grace siblings, is constantly being manipulated into a potential accomplice by Mulgarath and Callipe through things like the deaths of his pet mice, being pushed away from his loved ones and eventually being told that Mulgarath is Not Evil, Just Misunderstood after being shown the magical world. It turns out he knew not to trust Mulgarath the whole time and is a Fake Defector.
- Impersonation-Exclusive Character: Prior to the series, Mulgarath abducts and possibly kills the real Calliope Brauer, and the audience only knows her through her father's reminisces and Mulgarath's Perky Female Minion impersonating her.
- Imposter Forgot One Detail: The phony Calliope Brauer fails to fool the real one's father due to being an inch shorter, having a scar in the wrong place, and not getting upset when he calls her "princess."
- Law of Disproportionate Response: Mulgarath's longest and least tranquil speech in reaction to adversity isn't about the Grace Family defying his Taking Over the Town plans but rather about the local utility department shutting off his water line due to overuse.
- Race Lift: The Grace-Spiderwick family members are black or of mixed race, unlike in past versions.
- Wham Shot: In the finale, a Spot the Imposter standoff between Jared and Mulgarath ends when one Jared grabs a poker to prove that he's human since iron burns fairies. However, after the other Jared has been banished to another dimension, a closeup of his hand reveals that the iron did burn him, and he just acted fine, meaning he's the imposter.
