Another day, another series sadly cancelled.
After two seasons of spooky storytelling and progressive casting, Goosebumps — the anthology series based on R.L. Stine’s iconic horror books — has officially been axed by Disney+. The streamer quietly confirmed the cancellation this week, leaving queer fans wondering: Why does this keep happening?
Produced by Sony Pictures Television, Goosebumps found new life in 2023 with a fresh, darker tone, debuting just in time for Halloween. It was well-received, even cracking Nielsen’s Top 10 streaming originals for several weeks. But while Season 1 drew impressive engagement, the second season — Goosebumps: The Vanishing, which premiered in January 2025 — never quite captured the same momentum.
Despite being viewed for a collective 118 million hours globally, Disney+ has opted to walk away. Sony, however, isn’t giving up: the studio is now shopping the series to other platforms and exploring new creative directions for the vast Goosebumps universe (which includes more than 200 stories across various books and spinoffs).
Why should queer viewers care? Because Goosebumps wasn’t just another nostalgic rehash. It embraced LGBTQ+ talent both in front of and behind the camera. Trans actor and YouTube personality Miles McKenna brought authentic representation to the first season, while the second featured a cast including Friends legend David Schwimmer, Dead to Me’s Sam McCarthy, Gossip Girl’s Ana Yi Puig, and Devious Maids’ Ana Ortiz.
Its cancellation adds to a growing — and concerning — trend: Goosebumps is now the third major inclusive series to be cut from Disney+ in the last two years, following the axing of Willow (2023) and The Acolyte (2024), both praised for their LGBTQ+ characters and storylines.
While Disney+ hasn’t cited an official reason for the cancellation, the pattern is becoming hard to ignore. For a company that often touts inclusion, the growing list of dropped titles with queer representation raises eyebrows — and questions about what kind of stories the platform actually wants to invest in long-term.
Still, fans of Goosebumps shouldn’t give up hope just yet. With Sony actively searching for a new home, the series may still rise from the dead — just like any good horror franchise should.
