When young Griffin Campbell’s family moves to a supposedly haunted hotel, he and his new friend Harper decide to investigate the legend of the ghostly Savannah with the aid of a time-travelling portal.

There’s an old aphorism that a children’s book that can’t be enjoyed by an adult is a poor children’s book, and if that can be applied to television I’m happy to report this is a very good children’s TV show. I intended to just watch the first couple of episodes in order to give you the gist, but ended up bingeing all eleven episodes. There’s very little here that feels like kid’s telly, it’s a spooky SF mystery whose plot just happens to mainly involve youngsters.

Savannah Dillon is presumed to have died back in 1990, and everyone in the town talks of the haunted hotel in hushed whispers. Travelling back thirty years via a device in the hotel’s old fallout shelter allows Griffin and Harper to investigate and possibly even change the future. While there they respectively meet their own father and mother, and it becomes clear their grown-up parents are keeping secrets from them. Refreshingly, despite the time travel element, they don’t play the nostalgia card and we’re spared endless references to old TV shows and toys (I like Stranger Things but at times it feels like product placement for the collectables section of eBay). Here 1990 seems much like 2020 with the notable exception of there being no internet; the focus is very much on the mystery at hand.

As is to be expected the time travel element allows this show to get quite complex and there’s a lot more involved later I don’t want to spoil. Needless to say the usual questions and issues familiar from the sub-genre arise. While they don’t ever-egg the point it is noted that it might not always be a lot of fun for a Louisiana-based time-traveller of colour, something which looks to be expanded upon in the second season. Some of the timey-wimey stuff might be a bit complicated for younger kids, and the spooky elements a bit too frightening, but bright tweens and up will probably find this intriguing. It reminded me a little of what I remember of the old Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys shows I enjoyed as a kid, as well as Stephen King’s 11/22/63. I’d be amazed if the latter wasn’t a direct inspiration for this, it’s certainly no rip-off but the premise and some of the content is similar, albeit presented in child-friendly terms.

This show had quite a difficult gestation. It was originally greenlit for the Disney+ streaming service, but was shut down due to not being able to cast it satisfactorily. Some time later the Disney Channel took it up (they were almost entirely separate entities at that time) and were able to find suitable actors. It’s unknown specifically which characters were problematic, but it’s notable that the film version of Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep seems to have been released in between, and that film’s Kyleigh Curran is the standout cast member here, as the thoughtful and clever Harper, once again involved with a haunted hotel. Joining her is the bright and breezy Preston Oliver as Griffin, and they complement each other well. They’re actually a couple of years older than their characters so thankfully have the experience (especially Curran) to make you forget this is supposed to be a show for youngsters.

Verdict: A very well-made SF/horror drama with plenty of twists and turns and the occasional red herring. Just as enjoyable for those for whom 1990 seems like only yesterday as it is for those for whom it’s ancient history. 8/10

Andy Smith