So, let's talk about that cliffhanger. You know the one. Season 2 of The New Legends of Monkey wrapped up with a massive reveal: Monkey was reborn, and the Demon Queen Hakuru—played by the always-brilliant Rachel House—had basically body-snatched the innkeeper Monica. It was the perfect setup for a massive showdown.
Then? Silence.
It's been years since those ten episodes dropped on Netflix and ABC in 2020. Fans are still scouring Reddit threads and old Twitter posts asking the same thing: is a third season actually coming, or did the cloud just drift away? Honestly, looking at the landscape in early 2026, the answer is... complicated. It's a mix of "ghosting" by the networks and the reality of how global streaming deals actually work.
The Cliffhanger Nobody Talked About
Most people get this wrong: they think the show was officially cancelled. It wasn't. Not exactly. Shows like this, which are co-productions between Netflix, the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC), and TVNZ, often fall into a "renewal limbo."
Basically, the creators—See-Saw Films—left the door wide open. We saw the team thinking Monkey was dead, the scrolls still needing to reach the Western Mountains, and a reborn Queen who was clearly going to be the Big Bad for the next arc.
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But here is the kicker: the lead actors have moved on to massive things. Luciane Buchanan, who played Tripitaka, became a global breakout star in The Night Agent. When your lead is busy saving the President in a massive US thriller, getting her back to Auckland for a niche (though beloved) fantasy series becomes a logistical nightmare.
Why the Delay Turned Into a Disappearance
Streaming moves fast. If a show doesn't hit a certain "completion rate" within the first 28 days, Netflix tends to pull the plug or just stop answering the phone. For The New Legends of Monkey, the audience was loyal but maybe not "Stranger Things" big.
There's also the "whitewashing" controversy that hit the series early on. While the show was a reimagining of the 1970s Japanese cult classic Monkey (which itself was an adaptation of Journey to the West), some audiences felt the casting didn't honor the Chinese roots of the story.
Chai Hansen, who is half-Thai, brought a lot of heart to the Monkey King, but the conversation around cultural representation has changed wildly since the show first aired. In 2026, a revival would likely require a total creative rethink to align with modern expectations of how to handle classic Eastern folklore.
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The Realities of the 2026 TV Market
- The Cast is Scattered: Chai Hansen has been busy with projects like Shadowhunters and The 100.
- The Budget Gap: High-fantasy shows with CGI clouds and demon fights are expensive.
- The IP Overload: With Disney+ doing their own Monkey King-adjacent stories (like American Born Chinese), the market is crowded.
Honestly, it sorta feels like the "legends" might stay in the past.
What Actually Happens in the Story?
If you're desperate for closure, you've gotta look at the source material: Journey to the West. The 16th-century novel is the blueprint. In the book, the journey is less about "saving the world" from a specific demon queen and more about a spiritual pilgrimage to India to get sacred Buddhist texts.
The show swapped the philosophical monk for a teenage girl (Tripitaka) hiding her identity. It worked! It added stakes. But the "new legends" they were building—like the idea of gods being born to mortals—was entirely original to the series.
If Season 3 ever did happen, it would have to deal with Monkey's "rebirth" and whether he kept his memories. In the lore, Monkey is basically immortal and invincible, which is hard to write for TV because he just wins every fight. The show handled this by nerfing his powers, making his journey to regain them the central hook.
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The Actionable Truth for Fans
Stop waiting for a "coming soon" teaser. It’s been over five years since Season 2. In the world of TV, if you haven't heard anything in three years, the production office has usually packed up the costumes.
Here is what you can actually do:
- Check out the Original 1970s Series: If you want that specific campy, weird energy, the Japanese Monkey series is where the DNA of this show lives.
- Read the Graphic Novels: Monkey King and the World of Myths by Maple Lam (2024) is a great modern way to see these characters in new settings.
- Watch the Cast's New Work: Follow Luciane Buchanan in The Night Agent or Josh Thomson (Pigsy) in his various NZ comedy projects.
The story of the Monkey King never really ends; it just changes shape. While this specific version might be stuck in stone for now, the character of Sun Wukong is literally the "Pop Culture Chameleon." He'll be back in another form before you know it.