Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai Debuts With Perfect Scores at Rotten Tomatoes

Gizmo is back, and he’s been welcomed with open arms upon his return. The fuzzy little guy has returned for Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, an all-new animated series that serves as a prequel to the Gremlins movies. It debuted on May 23, coinciding with the rebranding of HBO Max to its new name, Max. Upon its launch, the series has achieved the rare distinction of debuting with double perfect scores at Rotten Tomatoes. Along with garnering a 100% approval rating from critics, the series also currently has a perfect audience score of 100% as well.

“Secrets of the Mogwai has a human touch, and a sense of humor and adventure that spans generations,” reads one review written by Rolling Stone’s Chris Vognar. “It doesn’t rewrite any books, but it’s better than an animated prequel series to a 39-year-old live-action movie has any reason to be.”

Also commending the series for appealing to viewers of all ages, Joel Keller of Decider said, “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai should be a good entry point into the Gremlins legend for kids, and it’s sophisticated enough that their parents should enjoy it, as well, even if they watched the original movie with their hands covering their eyes.”

“Funny, dark, and a little bit scary, this series is something that families will be able to enjoy together,” as Mama’s Geeky reviewer Tessa Smith says, adding some further praise to the strong ensemble voice cast. “The incredible voice talent that is lent to this show alone makes it worth checking out.”

That’s certainly no surprise. Created by Tze Chun, the voice cast for the series includes Izaac Wang, Ming-Na Wen, B. D. Wong, James Hong, Matthew Rhys, A. J. Locascio, Gabrielle Nevaeh Green, Sandra Oh, Randall Park, George Takei, and Bowen Yang.

Related: Joe Dante Explains Why Howie Mandel Didn’t Return as Gizmo in Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai

Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai Has a Strong Debut

Only the first two episodes are available, and there’s a good chance one or both of these Rotten Tomatoes numbers will see a decrease as future episodes reviews start coming in. With that said, the debut with double perfect scores is a very strong indicator of how well the show has been received. Even with the change in format, and the loss of Howie Mandel as the voice of Gizmo, longtime fans of Gremlins seem to be loving how Secrets of the Mogwai brings something new to the table while honoring the original films. Perhaps, as some reviewers are saying, it would even serve as the best entry point for newcomers to Gremlins, especially for younger viewers.

Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai is set in 1920s Shanghai. It primarily follows a 10-year-old version of Sam Wing, the elderly shopkeeper who bestows Billy (Zach Galligan) with Gizmo in the 1984 film. It shows how Sam comes to befriend Gizmo, hoping to return the Mogwai to his family while keeping him safe from evil Gremlins and other threats.

Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai can be found streaming on Max where its first two episodes are available. New episodes will return on June 1 and will be released weekly thereafter. The finale will premiere on June 22, 2023.