Fans of Fantasy Island will continue to have their fantasies come true. It has been announced that Fox has renewed the summer drama for a second season.
The series, which is a reboot of the 1977-84 ABC show led by Ricardo Montalban, stars Roselyn Sanchez and season two will see her reprise her role as Elena Roarke, the proprietor of the luxury resort that aims to fulfill its guests’ every fantasy. Per the official synopsis from Fox, “Fantasy Island is set at a luxury resort, where literally any fantasy requested by guests is fulfilled, although they rarely turn out as expected. The resort is run by Elena Roarke (Sanchez) who set aside her own ambitions, and even the love of her life, to uphold her family’s legacy.” The series also stars Kiara Barnes and John Gabriel Rodriquez and here is what Fox had to say about the season two renewal:
“Thanks to the fantastic Roselyn Sanchez and charming Kiara Barnes and the captivating stories that tapped into the core tenets of emotion and aspiration, Fantasy Island was the perfect wish fulfillment and escape we all needed this summer. Showrunners Liz Craft, Sarah Fain and everyone at Sony and Gemstone did an excellent job on this series and, like all good things, it left us wanting more. We’re so happy to have Elena Roarke, Ruby Akuda and everyone on Fantasy Island open their world again for a brief visit this winter and for a longer stay next year.”
Fantasy Island averaged around 3 million viewers with a week of delayed viewing, per “Deadline“, and was the summer’s top scripted show among adults 18-49. Fox also says it was the network’s most-streamed new drama since 911: Lone Star in early 2020. 3 million viewers in delayed viewing may seem low but, as a summer show, Fantasy Island is cheaper to produce than a typical network series so the bar for success is lowered a bit.
The original show premiered in 1977 and was created by Gene Levitt and executive produced by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg. In addition to Montalbán, the series also starred Hervé Villechaize as his assistant Tattoo. The show ended its run in 1984 after seven seasons and 152 episodes as well as two TV movies. For some reason, this IP keeps getting the resurrection treatment. In 1998, a one-season revival of the series premiered on ABC starring Malcolm McDowell as Mr. Roarke. Also, in an inspired but ultimately disappointing move, the concept was given the horror movie treatment when Blumhouse turned the idea into a supernatural horror film. The film starred Michael Pena as Mr. Roarke while supporting roles were filled by Lucy Hale, Maggie Q, Austin Stowell, Jimmy O. Yang, Ryan Hansen, Portia Doubleday, and Michael Rooker. While the film received extremely negative reviews and earned some Razzie Nominations along the way, the film proved successful at the box office with a global gross of $48.8 million on a $7 million budget.
Are YOU happy to see Fantasy Island return?