As a huge fan of the Gargoyles as a kid, I remember watching the episodes after school. The series aired during a difficult time for my family and me and it helped get a young boy through a very isolated and lonely stretch of life. The show was multi-faceted and mature for a Disney Afternoon series.
It was so impressive; it interested my mother. She’d actually sit and watch it with me on occasion. I also remember when the show ended. After the stellar finale in “Hunter’s Moon” I figured the show would be right back the following season. I was wrong. Sort of.
This is before the internet – so if you didn’t catch a commercial and buy the right comic book with an ad – there’s no telling what was on the horizon. By a stroke of fate, I stumbled across the first episode of the Goliath Chronicles the morning it aired. It wasn’t bad. But there’s a reason for that. Greg Weisman, the creator of the franchise, wrote it.
“I wrote the first episode, but did not produce it. Someone even re-edited my script after I was gone. I’ve seen that episode a few times, but the other 12 episodes, I’ve seen exactly once, because they’re honestly painful for me.”
Related: The 10 Best Episodes Of Disney’s Gargoyles That You Can Binge On Disney Plus
The rest of the season was… better forgotten. I know I watched it, but I recall being dissatisfied – even as a kid with questionable taste in entertainment. For instance, back then, I didn’t think Batman and Robin was half bad. See? Questionable.
Recently, Mr. Weisman sat down with Polygon and spoke on his feelings concerning his wayward franchise. You can read the article in its entirety, here. The man still passionately loves the universe he created from the ground the up.
His departure from the franchise – as it moved from the Disney Afternoon to ABC’s Saturday morning lineup – was felt by the fanbase. It didn’t feel, or even look the same.
“Gargoyles is still my baby… I’ve always wanted to do more. I’ve got a timeline for the show that’s 315 pages long. I’ve got notebooks and comp books full of ideas for it. Spin-off notions and all sorts of things. Literally, nothing would make me happier than to go back and do more Gargoyles.”
Much of Greg’s ideas did get realized. Just not on the screen. Years after the demise of the show, through a license, Greg produced a series of comics that most hardcore fans look at as the true third season. Many of his storylines and ideas carried on there. Funny enough, partially published by Marvel Comics – the company Disney would eventually own.
The comic book series came to an end when Disney either lost interest in the developing IP or just wanted too much money for others to use it.
In either case, with the popularity of the series on the digital platform Disney+, if they were willing, Greg would rather the company allow him to redo the third season than reboot it.
“I’d ignore or write around those 12 stories, and not think about them much. I guess I’d watch them all one more time, to see what problems they might or might not cause for us, since it’s been literally 24 years since those aired. But they’re very disappointing. So yeah, I have always wished they didn’t exist.”
Greg isn’t as cutthroat as this may have him come off. He understands how harsh that can sound when talking about someone else’s work. By no means was he trying to insult anyone, but attempting to be honest about the direction the series went in once he parted ways.
Related: Netflix’s Witcher Writer Wants The Gargoyles To Live Again
If he got his shot, the voice of Goliath, Keith David, has already said that he would love to return to the character. I couldn’t imagine the other voice talents not feeling the same way.
What do you think? Would you rather see a complete reboot, or allow Greg to finish his story the way he envisioned?