Disney’s Best Reboot Just Got Cancelled
Disney cancelled the Might Ducks: Game Changers on Disney+ after just two seasons.
Sorry, Mighty Ducks fans, but the reboot series is no more. Deadline announced that Disney+ has canceled the series after just two seasons. The announcement coincided with the announcement that the John Stamos-starring sports series Big Shot was also canceled.
The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers was a series written by Steve Brill and developed by Brill, Josh Goldsmith, and Cathy Yuspa. The series is based on the hit 1992 film and is a follow-up to the classic franchise, or at least the first two movies. The show starred Lauren Graham and Brady Noon, along with Emilio Estevez who was brought back to star in the first season.
The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers followed Evan Morrow (Noon) who wasn’t good enough to make the cut for the now well-established Mighty Ducks junior league. His mother (Graham) decides to start a new team and enlists original Ducks coach Gordon Bombay (Estevez) to help coach the new team of underdogs. The first season saw the team winning the Ducks name for themselves.
The second season of The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers saw the team traveling to California to participate in a summer hockey institute, led by a former NHL player (Josh Duhamel). The series also starred Maxwell Simkins, Swayam Bhatia, Luke Islam, Taegen Burns, and De’Jon Watts. While Estevez reprised his role in the first season, he left the show before season two over creative differences and contract disputes.
Perhaps the writing was on the wall for The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers after Estevez didn’t return for another season. However, the series had great reviews, so it certainly wasn’t a matter of quality when it came to cutting the hockey series from Disney+. More than likely, it was a victim of the challenge many streaming shows face — getting enough viewership to warrant more seasons.
Disney has recently made some major cuts, including laying off 7,000 employees, in an effort to cut $5.5 billion in costs. It’s likely that The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers is being left on ice as part of these cost-cutting measures. Of course, since the franchise is owned by Disney it likely won’t be finding a home on another streaming service.
Disney+ also experienced a drop in streaming subscribers and the streaming losses for the quarter were greater than expected. Clearly, Disney is going to be leaving some shows behind, and it’s likely that The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers won’t be the last show getting the ax. Of course, Disney+ still has major shows in the Marvel and Star Wars universes to keep it going and keep subscribers on board.
While shows like The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers may not create a big enough audience to warrant more seasons, shows like The Mandalorian and the ongoing Marvel Disney series will be safe from being left behind. With streaming services needing to remain as competitive as possible while spending huge sums of money on original content, they’re likely only going to keep the shows that can boost their numbers.
While there won’t be more seasons to come, you can watch the first two seasons of The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers on Disney+. You can also watch the original trilogy of films along with the animated series. Stay tuned for more Disney+ news.
