Fantasy Island (stylized as FANTASY ISLⱯND) is an American fantasy drama television series developed by Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain for Fox. It is a sequel to and maintains continuity with the original 1977 series. The series premiered on August 10, 2021, with a preview special, Welcome to the New Fantasy Island, which aired two days before. In November 2021, the series was renewed for a second season, and a holiday special aired on December 23, 2021. The second season premiered on January 2, 2023. In May 2023, the series was canceled after two seasons.
Contents
Cast and characters
Main
Roselyn Sánchez as Elena Roarke, a grand niece of Mr. Roarke from the original series
Kiara Barnes as Ruby Akuda, Elena's associate co-host on the island
John Gabriel Rodriquez as Javier (season 2; recurring season 1), the head of transportation on the island and Elena's love interest
Recurring
Daniel Lugo as Segundo (season 2; co-starring season 1)
Gabriela Z. Hernández as Dr. Gina (season 2; co-starring season 1)
Alexa Mansour as Helene (season 2), Javier's daughter
In addition, María Gabriela González co-stars as Isla, Ruby's love interest for the second season.
Guest
Bellamy Young as Christine Collins (season 1)
Odette Annable as Daphne (season 1)
Dave Annable as Zev (season 1)
Daphne Zuniga as Margot (season 1)
Josie Bissett as Camille (season 1)
Laura Leighton as Nettie (season 1)
Leslie Jordan as Jasper (season 1)
Teri Hatcher as Dolly (season 2)
James Denton as Dutch (season 2)
Jason Priestley as Gavin Beck (season 2)
Episodes
Production
Development
On December 15, 2020, it was announced that Fox had ordered a contemporary adaptation of Fantasy Island developed by Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain. The show is produced by Fox Entertainment, Happier in Hollywood and Sony Pictures Television's Gemstone Studios subsidiary. On September 8, 2021, it was reported that a second season is in negotiations. On November 4, 2021, Fox renewed the series for a second season. On May 9, 2023, it was announced that the series had been canceled after two seasons.
Casting
On April 21, 2021, Kiara Barnes had been cast in a regular role and John Gabriel Rodriquez had been cast in the recurring role. On April 27, 2021, Roselyn Sánchez was added to the cast as Elena Roarke. On May 5, 2021, it was announced that Bellamy Young would make a guest appearance in the show. On June 3, 2021, it was announced that Dave and Odette Annable would make a guest appearance in the show. On July 16, 2021, it was announced that Melrose Place stars Laura Leighton, Josie Bissett and Daphne Zuniga will make special guest appearances in the show.
On November 22, 2021, it was reported that Rodriquez had been promoted to a series regular for the second season. On April 25, 2022, Alexa Mansour had been cast in a recurring role. On January 11, 2023, it was announced that Teri Hatcher and James Denton are set to guest star for an episode.
Filming
Filming took place in Puerto Rico.
Release
Fantasy Island premiered on Fox on August 10, 2021. On May 27, 2021, Fox released the first official trailer for the series. A behind-the-scenes special titled "Welcome to the New Fantasy Island" premiered on August 8, 2021, two days before the premiere. Upon the second season renewal, a two-hour holiday special episode titled "Welcome to the Snow Globe" was also announced. It aired on December 23, 2021. The second season premiered on January 2, 2023.
Reception
Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 67% approval rating with an average rating of 6.6/10, based on 12 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Fantasy Island's flights of fancy aren't quite formed enough to make it a must-watch, but viewers looking for beautiful vistas and a bit of mystery could do worse." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 62 out of 100 based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".