AshVsEvil Deadburst onto our screens almost ten years agoand our lives quite simplyhaven’t been the same since. As genre revivals go, the three seasons ofThe Evil Deadsequel are some of the best, introducinga whole new generation to the wild world of the Deadites and the chainsaw-wieldingAsh Williams–withBruce Campbellmaking a triumphant return to the role.
Hitting out screens more than 20 years since Ash and his Boomstick took on a hoard of thousand-year-oldofskeletons inArmy of Darkness,Ash Vs Evil Deadacted as a sequel to the originalEvil Deadtrilogy and sees Ash forced to dig up his head from under the sand to face a brand new Deadite plague that could destroy the world.
Despite being beloved bybothavidEvil Deadfans and new horror audiences alike, in 2018 viewers were given the devastating news thatAsh Vs Evil Deadhad been canceled– leaving us onthatcliffhanger ending. Petitions soon followed along with an outcry from the cast, with hopes another network would give our demon-fighting heroes a new home.
All went quiet on that front, but with the success ofEvil Dead Risein 2023 and the promise of new films in the franchise from Campbell and original creatorSam Raimi, many have wondered ifAshVsEvil Deadwill finally get that fourth season we so desperately want. Here’s everything we knowso farabout the future of theEvil DeadTV series.
The creation of AshVsEvil Dead
AshVsEvil Deadisthe Frankenstein’sMonster of theEvil Deadfranchise,after it originally began as the amalgamation of two feature-length film ideas. Campbell initially revealed the project at San DiegoComic Conin 2014, before the first series came to Starz just a year later.
Campbell reprised the role of Ash for the show with his new sidekicks, co-workers Pablo Bolivar (Ray Santiago) and Kelly Maxwell (Dana DeLorenzo). It was a family affair for the Raimis, with brothers Sam and Ivan producing the show alongside TomSpezialy,and Ted Raimi starring as Chet Kaminski, a childhood friend of Ash.
Raimi spoke about the decision to release the series, saying thata change inwhat TV would allow on-air helped the move. He said (perDen Of Geek): “So making anEvil Deadmovie, we didn’treallyhave a great format for it anymore.But TV’s changed so much that [while] they previously wouldn’t show something like this, now they want something that draws an audience—I don’treallyknow the business, butwhatI’vebeen toldisthey want outrageous fare to draw unique viewership.Something audiences can’t get on normal TV. So, itjust sohappens that TV’s changed to the point that something likeEvil Deadmight be appropriate for it.”
Series oneis setapproximately 30 years after the first threeEvil Deadfilms, though it seemed out of place due to licensing rights as it could not mention the events ofArmy of Darkness.Thiswas rectifiedin 2016; seasons two and three connected the dots in the timeline, helping it serve as a sequel to the trilogy. Across 30 episodes, the series expanded not just the lore of theDeadites,but also our understanding of Ash as a character and how the original events of the films shaped him beyond the six hours of story we already had.
Trending
IN A VIOLENT NATURE Is Officially Unrated
There are even more fantastic one-liners (who can forget “I’m going to be like a ninja losing their virginity, quick and discreet?”) as well as some of the most creative deaths of the franchise – from a bloody harp-related incident to death by Delta and that cringe-inducing beartrap moment.
The comedic highs are high – and not just during a drugged-up Book of the Dead reading – but as it balances the sheer lunacy of the franchise and pushes it to new lengths whilealsosharing the limelight with dizzyingly gross gore and explosive action sequences.Ash Vs Evil Deadreallywas a crowning moment, but the Boomstick wouldn’t protect itforever
Will there be a season 4 of Ash Vs Evil Dead?
Sadly, there won’t be a fourth season ofAsh Vs Evil Deadafter Starz canceled the show in 2018. Despite plenty of groovy, gory moments across three series, a ratings drop towards the end of the third season meant the Deadites got the axe for good despite its cliffhanger ending.
Speaking toColliderat the time, Campbell opened up on how people’s unfamiliarity with Starzat the timeled to a drop in viewership and ultimately sealed the show’s fate: “We knew the ratings were bad after the end of the second season. We just knew it. No one knew what Starz was.I wouldsay‘Hey, we’re making that as a TV show,’ peoplego‘Yeah, where can I see it?’‘Starz.’And there will be apause,and a pause, and then they wouldgo‘What’s Starz?’When it dropped on Netflix, people went, ‘Hey, Cool. Cool. Netflix is finally doingThe Evil Deadshow.’I’m like, ‘Oh my God, it was three years too late.'”
The cast and fans alike pushed back against the cancellation, with #BringBackBoomstick trending across social media with viewers hoping that another network or Netflix, where you can stream the existing series, could take over the franchise and wrap up things for the gang once and for all. However, there’s been no positive news on the return ofAsh Vs Evil Deadsince then, meaning chances of a revival seem slim.
Creators Raimi and Campbell have given some insight into what fans could have expected from season 4 – and it sounds wild. The duo shared that the fourth season would have skipped forward into the future with Ash exploring a post-apocalyptic world – with Kelly and Pablo at his side following his resurrection.
Who’s laughing now? The future ofThe Evil Dead
It’s not quite the end ofAsh Vs.Evil Deaditwould seem, with Campbell teasingthatan animatedEvil Deadseriesis in production.Chatting withColliderat San Diego Comic-Con in 2022, the actor revealed a cartoon sequel to the beloved series is underway, and it picks up right where we left off:“You can do the future a lot easier in animation. I still sound like Ash, and you know, my voice hasn’t been as beat up as my body has beensoI can still do that crap. So I’ll still do the video game. And we’re already talking about an animated [series].”
The cancellation ofAsh Vs Evil Deadleft many despairing that they would never see Campbell reprise his iconic role. This horrifying thought seemed tobecome realitywhen the actor announced his retirement from the role following the show’s cancellation. And he’s stayed true to his word, with no hint of Ash inEvil Dead Risedespitea voice cameo from Campbell.
However, DeLorenzo believes the actor would ride out for one last time should season four happen, tellingComic Book: “I honestly feel like never say never. There have been shows where they get cancelled but thenthey’repicked up by another network. I know Bruce has said he is in retirement, but I feellikeRay and I could convince him.”Santiago added: “He just needs a good one or two years of just like chilling in the woods and not having the Boomstick in his handsandthen he starts to crave itandit’ll come back.”
With this reasoning,it seems possible thatwe could see Campbell return to the film franchise when he gets the itch to slaughter unruly demons, and the actor has said there’s one condition under whichhe would make anotherEvil Deadfilm.Speaking atthe SXSW premiere ofEvil Dead Rise, Campbell revealed: “If Sam says, ‘I, Sam Raimi, will direct anotherEvil Deadmovie,’ then I, Bruce Campbell, will consider being in it. I don’t want to be Ash, tended to by other people.” So there we have it.
He continued: “Sam’s the meanest director I’ve ever worked with, and Ash needsa little bitof that to shine. And I think Sam’s the only director now who I won’t punch in the face making anEvil Deadmovie!I’mjustsaying,I’ve called Rob (Tapert) and Sam out,I’m not the cowardthat theythink I am; I just want the right circumstances.Because Sam, even thoughhe’s done studio movies, he’s still a good director! So, I want Sam! I’ll do it for Sam.”
Campbell previously let slip toComic Bookthat there are more films in the pipeline – so all hope isnot lostwhen it comes to seeing Ash and his Boomstick again.Further details havebeen keptunder wraps, but wedoknowCampbell’s one condition hasbeen brokenin the next film, withInfesteddirectorSébastien Vaničekset to direct. Plustherecent announcement of a secondEvil Deadmovie in the works withThe Last Stop In Yuma Countydirector Francis Galluppi at the helm.
Many have speculated that the ending ofEvil Dead Risesets up the potential for a sequel. DirectorLee Croninhas shed more light on this, teasing his possible return to the franchise. He said (perScreen Rant): “Yeah, I think the potential isabsolutelythere for that to take place. I think we are right now enjoying the success of this movie.I think it’s important that you don’t justabsolutely try and rinse something outimmediately.It’ssomething that’s always been underdiscussion,because there’s fun to that, aswe were talking and developing the movie, Rob Tapert, who would have been on set when I was shooting, we’d often talk about some different ideas in terms of what canactuallytake place.”
Evil Dead Rise expands the universe ofEvil DeadalongsideAsh Vs Evil Dead, taking us from the cabin in the woods and bringing the Deadites into the wider world. While we can only hope (for now) for a return of the belovedAsh Vs Evil Dead,it’scertainwe haven’t seen the last ofEvil Deadwithplenty of projects on the go to keep the franchise alive and kicking in all its gory, groovy glory.
