The launch of Disney+ has afforded many people the opportunity to explore the House of Mouse’s extensive back catalogue of productions, with the animated urban fantasy series Gargoyles being a pleasantly surprising discovery for many, leading to speculation of a revival – a possibility approved by one of its stars: Marina Sirtis.
Gargoyles begins in medieval Scotland, where a clan of the creatures guard the castle of a lord until they’re betrayed and cursed to a millennium of slumber as stone statues. A billionaire businessman obsessed with attaining immortality fulfills the oblique requirements of the curse and frees them in modern day New York, whereupon they take on the roles of nocturnal guardians of the city.
Sirtis provided the voice of Demona, a gargoyle who escaped the curse and as a result was driven by a contempt for humanity and became intent on their destruction, thus becoming one of the primary antagonists of the series, despite being the former lover of the clan’s leader Goliath. Her’s is an appropriate piece of casting in that the character she had the most interaction with other than Goliath was the Machiavellian mogul Xanatos, voiced by her Star Trek co-star Jonathan Frakes, the rapport the pair had from seven years of working together apparent even in voice form.
When a fan on Twitter asked if she was interested in the revival, the actress replied, “Yes but if it’s live action, I won’t be in it due to my age,” on account of being in her mid 60s, while Demona was supposed to have the appearance and attitude of a woman somewhere in her mid-to-late 20s.
The show was notable for its dark tone and complex themes, its stories taking inspiration from Shakespearean drama, Arthurian legend and Celtic mythology, while the depth of characterization was also notable, especially Demona’s tragic story. The thousand years of isolation turned her from a loving and loyal lieutenant into someone driven by thoughts of hatred and vengeance, and Sirtis perfectly brought to life the extent of her suffering, allowing you to empathize with her in spite of her goals.
If Gargoyles is revived, it should stay as an animation, allowing Sirtis and the rest of the cast to reprise their roles. A proper continuation would likely please people newly discovering the series and being left disappointed by its third and final season, made after it was cancelled by Disney and immediately revived by ABC, who turned it into more of another generic program featuring anthropomorphic creatures battling criminals, disregarding much of what otherwise made it one of the best children’s series of the ‘90s.