Disney Plus’s New ‘National Treasure’ TV Show Is Getting Roasted In Reviews

Disney is in an uncomfortable place right now, having leaned heavily on Disney Plus as a vehicle to release shows and movies, but failing to produce all that many meaningful series outside its Star Wars and Marvel bubbles. While it’s a great resource for familes with its huge back catalogue, in terms of new releases it lags behind its competitors, and something like National Treasure: Edge of History does not seem like it’s changing that conversation for the better.

This new National Treasure TV series debuted this past week, and as you might expect, without Nicholas Cage to anchor the whole ridiculous concept, it simply is not working. The Cage-free series has been getting roasted by both critics and fans, who rarely agree on anything these days, with audiences scoring it even lower than the pros.

National Treasure: Edge of History currently has a 44% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes with a 31% audience scores. That joins a 4.6/10 on IMDB, and has spawned articles that ask the question “Is The ‘National Treasure’ Reboot The Worst Show Ever Made?” though a major criticism in that review is that it’s too “woke.”

But it has problems beyond that. Here are some of the reviews in for it:

• “What’s most shocking about Edge of History, I think, is how little it feels like National Treasure.” – Ready Steady Cut
• “A teenybopper version of the already family-friendly National Treasure franchise, and the lack of a compelling group of main characters isn’t helped by a treasure hunt that reveals itself more through luck than skill.” – Decider
• “Somehow Edge of History loses track of the best thing about National Treasure. The lack of actual puzzle solving and treasure hunting in the show is shocking.” – Paste

Sorry, the show lacks…puzzle solving and treasure hunting? Well, that’s not great. And here’s probably the most brutal review I read from a fan that yet again, indicates it may be in fact the worst show of the year:

“Quite possibly the worst show of 2022. Aside from the fact Nicolas Cage isn’t even a part of it (which now make sense), The young bad actors, the poor presentation, the rehash storyline, not to mention Disney pushing their “political views” down our throats makes this completely unwatchable. Disney has been on a downward spiral. If they continue this path I don’t see many people continuing to support this company, and unfortunately this is the end of the road for me and my family as I won’t be continuing my Disney plus subscription moving forward. Finish National Treasure 3 with Cage and leave it at that, Please.”

This is a big problem for Disney, which has failed to meaningfully translate non-Star Wars and Marvel franchises to streaming, and even those two brands are quite hit or miss with their productions. It’s unclear if new (old) CEO Bob Iger will exert some new level of editorial control that prevents disasters like National Treasure from making it to air, but Disney cannot afford too many of these duds tied to previously beloved series. Next up, a Percy Jackson reboot…

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