Back in mid-December, Little Rock novelist Trenton Lee Stewart found himself at the Children’s and Family Emmy Awards in downtown Los Angeles. Among shows airing on Netflix, HBO Max, Apple TV+ and the like, season two of “The Mysterious Benedict Society” — the Disney+ series based on Stewart’s award-winning and New York Times bestselling books of the same name — was being considered in several categories.
Of its nine nominations, “The Mysterious Benedict Society” took home two honors: Outstanding Lead Performance (Tony Hale) and Outstanding Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design. Hale, known for his work on “Veep” and “Arrested Development,” acknowledged Stewart in his acceptance speech.
“This show was based on a book by Trent Stewart and he is here tonight,” Hale said. “The story of the show is about finding truth in chaos. I can’t tell you … the artistry and the love that went into this show is tremendous.”
To anybody paying attention, it’s no surprise that Stewart’s young adult series attracted interest from Hollywood. Released in 2007, the first novel charmed readers and critics alike with the story of four gifted orphans, gathered together for a secret mission by the eccentric Mr. Benedict. Four books later, “The Mysterious Benedict Society” series has sold over 3 million copies.
The TV adaptation, created by Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay, premiered on Disney+ in June 2021. In addition to Hale (who played twins Mr. Benedict and Mr. Curtain), the series featured Kristen Schaal, Ryan Hurst and a group of talented child actors.
“They started filming right before the pandemic started in 2020, but then had to shut down,” Stewart said. “This was one of those shows that was ultimately shot under extremely difficult conditions, mostly in Canada, with all sorts of challenging masking and quarantine protocols in place.”
Despite the obstacles, “The Mysterious Benedict Society” proved itself an honest and engaging depiction of Stewart’s work, with publications like Variety singing its praises: “Within the growing set of shows about kids asked to save the world, The Mysterious Benedict Society stands out, and might itself save a rainy weekend for curious kids sometime this summer.” Like season two, the debut season was similarly honored with 11 Emmy nominations and two wins.
The irony of all of this recognition is that “The Mysterious Benedict Society” was not renewed for a third season. Even more of a disappointment, the first two seasons were removed altogether from Disney+ in May 2023 as a cost-cutting measure, meaning the show is currently unavailable for viewing on any platform.
“I think everyone involved with the show felt honored and touched to get [the recognition by the Emmy wins],” Stewart said. “I was very glad to be there when Tony Hale won for best lead performance, and despite the bittersweet aspects of the night there really was a celebratory mood among the actors and writers, many of whom hadn’t seen one another since the show wrapped last year. It was fun to be part of that reunion and to see how the kids had grown.”
While he didn’t want the TV series to end as soon as it did, Stewart is proud of what was produced and feels “blessed” to have so much attention paid to a story and characters dear to him.
“Before the first season was released, I was sent early versions of the episodes, and I repeatedly got choked up seeing those characters come to life, and so stylishly,” Stewart said. “I was pleased with the show overall and had the feeling from the outset that the producers and writers really wanted to be true to the spirit of the book and the characters. And I think they succeeded in that.”
For those hoping to see “The Mysterious Benedict Society” but missed it on the first go-round, Stewart says to not give up just yet.
“There’s speculation and hope, if not exactly optimism, that the TV show will be made available again at some point via pay-per-view, Blu-ray, another streaming service or some combination,” Stewart said. “But the crystal ball is currently cloudy.”