Why BBC’s Jekyll Series Never Got A Season 2
Jekyll is a creepy BBC horror series starring James Nesbitt that received great reviews, but here’s why it never got a second season.
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Despite receiving good ratings and reviews, why did the BBC’s 2007 Jekyll not receive a second season? The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde was written by Robert Louis Stevenson, and the story explores the dark side of Dr. Henry Jekyll. The good doctor creates a serum to suppress the darkness within himself, but it only serves to make his evil alter ego Edward Hyde emerge. The story has since become a classic tale, with just about any story dealing with split personalities or alter egos being a nod to the novella.
Mr. Hyde himself is also a classic monster and the story has been adapted many, many times over the years. This includes 1941’s Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, 1995 comedy Dr. Jekyll And Ms. Hyde while Hyde was a featured monster in 2004’s Van Helsing. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde both made appearances in the 2017 reboot of The Mummy, played by Russell Crowe. The film was famously intended to kick off a new shared universe that made blockbusters out of Universal’s classic monsters, with Crowe’s Jekyll serving as the link between them. The underwhelming reception to the film doomed those plans, however.
Steven Moffat might be best known for his time as showrunner on Doctor Who, but he also has a habit of modernizing classic literature and turning them into hit shows for the BBC. This includes the Benedict Cumberbatch version of Sherlock and 2020’s Dracula, but this habit began back with 2007’s Jekyll. This six-part miniseries starred James Nesbitt as a scientist named Jackman who agrees to “share” his body with sinister alter ego Hyde on condition he sticks to a set of rules. Jackman has a nurse who helps manage his transitions as Hyde takes over at set times but a mysterious organization wants the doctor and his alter ego to study, while Hyde is unaware Jackman also has a wife and children.
Jekyll received mostly positive reviews during its run, with Nesbitt being singled out for praise for both performances as Jekyll and Hyde. The show also took place in a world where the novella exists, with Robert Louis Stevenson even playing a role. The series ended with the Hyde persona sacrificing himself to save Jackman’s family, though the latter himself survives. The show left some plot threads dangling for season 2, including the reveals that Jackman’s twin sons can swap bodies and that Ms. Utterson – the head of the company chasing him – is really the Hyde side of Jackman’s mother.
Steven Moffat revealed in interviews following Jekyll’s run that he had written a second series, but for some reason, the BBC hasn’t commissioned it. This is likely down to Moffat becoming Doctor Who’s showrunner in 2008, with the first season of Sherlock coming soon after. It’s likely Jekyll season 2 fell through the cracks during this era. Jekyll was later set to be resurrected for a film remake, with Ruben Fleischer set to direct while Chris Evans (Avengers: Endgame) signed on to star. Little has been heard about this movie version since 2016, meaning it may no longer be in development.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/jekyll-bbc-show-season-2/