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As a kid of the 1970s, I used to watch the hell out of some Fantasy Island. Alongside other staples of that era such as Charlie’s Angels, Little House on the Prairie, The Dukes of Hazzard, The Love Boat and Quincy I absolutely lived for my weekly taste of dazzling new fantasies come to life for that episode’s special guest cast. And did I love me some Mr. Roarke (Ricardo Montalban) and Tattoo (Herve Villechaize). It was simple, bright fun with absolutely no agenda other than making its millions of fans happy. As a five year old budding pop culture nut, it was pure nirvana for me and, I’d wager, a ton of other kids; good times.
That original iteration of Fantasy Island has gone the way of the telephone booth, alas (rest easy, Ricardo and Herve), but a failed ’98 reboot which featured Clockwork Orange actor Malcom McDowell brought the concept back to a brief, one-season form of life and an oddball film from Blumhouse which attempted to “reimagine” the show with a horror twist has since cropped up as has an all-new series, the latter which happens to be the impetus for this very article.
According to our pals over at the magical island known as The Hollywood Reporter, the recently rebooted Fantasy Island has received its most fervent desire in the form of a sophomore season from Fox.
For the people out there that may have missed it, the new Fantasy Island isn’t a complete separation from the original series we all know and love, but rather a sort of unofficial tenth season to the original nine season run, sans the late Montalban and Villechaize. In other words, all of the past episodes you know and love all happened within the timeline of this new series.
“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,” Fox said in a press release announcing the season two renewal. “(Showrunners) Liz Craft, Sarah Fain and everyone at Sony and Gemstone did an excellent job on this series and, like all good things, it has 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.”
Fox has plans to air a holiday episode of Fantasy Island on December 21 before the second season officially kicks off in 2022.
