Netflix Gives ‘Raising Dion’ a Second Season, Opens 2020 With ‘Dracula,’ ‘Anne With an E’ and Skating Drama ‘Spinning Out’
“Raising Dion,” one of Netflix’s most popular 2019 series and No. 1 in its new kids-family titles, has been renewed for a second season.
It begins as a story of a single mom raising her son after the death of her husband. But it quickly adds a nifty dramatic twist: 8-year-old Dion possesses superhero abilities.
Based on Dennis Liu’s 2015 comic book and short film of the same name, “Raising Dion” pits his mother (Alisha Wainwright) against those hoping to exploit her son’s (Ja’Siah Young) supernatural gifts. She’s trying to keep his talents a secret, while determining the origin of his extraordinary abilities.
Production on the eight-episode second season of “Raising Dion” begins in 2020. Jason Ritter (“Joan of Arcadia,” “The Event”) and Michael B. Jordan (“Black Panther,” “Creed’) are series regulars.
Netflix is also debuting three other shows this weekend: drama “Spinning Out,” “Anne With an E” and a revamp of the horror classic “Dracula.”
The drama “Spinning Out” follows a competitive skater longing to make the Olympics. When a fall ends Kat’s (Kaya Scodelario) career as a single performer, she joins forces with Justin (Evan Roderick) and enters the duo category. But big-time athletics takes its toll.
On a hopeful note, “Anne With an E,” based on the beloved Canadian classic “Anne of Green Gables,” enters its third and final season on the streamer. The fearless and upbeat orphan girl is now 16 and, though she loves her adopted family, longs to discover her real parents. Meantime, romantic interest Gilbert wants to be Avonlea’s first doctor, which means the pair has to navigate friendship and love.
For fans of the horror genre, Bram Stoker’s novel “Dracula” has been transformed into a miniseries that promises scary imagery, from oozing blood to rotting nails ripped from their roots. It chronicles Count Dracula (Claus Bang)’s origins in Transylvania to his epic battles with Van Helsing’s descendants. Brace yourselves — Dracula isn’t the only undead creature to haunt this show, which opens Jan. 5. From the creators of the BBC’s “Sherlock Holmes,” “Dracula” hones to the novel and remains rooted in fear, rather than mystery. It promises blood-curdling moments.