Was "StuGo" Destined to Fail from the Start?
Recently, we got the official word that the Disney Channel series, StuGo, was cancelled, and not renewed for a second season. We had been in limbo for quite some time, not unlike other Disney Channel shows that had come and gone recently, like Hailey’s On It, Primos, The Ghost and Molly McGee, and others. StuGo, similarly, had its own vocal fanbase who wanted, sometimes demanded, more of the wildly inventive and incredibly unique series - especially compared to other fare currently offered on the Disney Channel, and are now upset to see it fall by the wayside, perhaps for more ZOMBIES, Phineas and Ferb, or other well-established offerings, some decades old.
The show followed six gifted middle schoolers who are tricked into attending what they think is a prestigious academic summer camp on a tropical Caribbean Island. Instead, they discover that the camp is a ruse orchestrated by Dr. Lullah, an eccentric mad scientist. Stuck on the island for the summer, they must navigate bizarre challenges and interact with all kinds of strange creatures, from mind-reading manatees to giant fighting fungi and fashion-forward mutants, turning what should have been three months of learning into a crazy, madcap, and wildly absurd adventure.
While geared toward a family audience, the show transcended their target demographic with smart sci-fi concepts and humor, masterful dialogue, and other moments that made you double check you were actually watching a show on Disney Channel. For adults, it also might have reminded them of a different era of television animation that had no limits, was visually simple and appealing, and most importantly - was just plain fun. When it debuted, I called StuGo “one of the most refreshing, entertaining, and laugh-out-loud things I’ve seen in quite some time” and I stand by that today, constantly encouraging peers and friends with kids to sit down and enjoy the show. While now, it might be too little too late, all episodes are still available on Disney+ and I strongly suggest you turn on this wholly unique program for yourself. However, I do feel like this show might have been doomed to fail from the start.
High-Profile Delay
From the outset, the show was already met with a delay for its premiere. And we’re not talking about a Primos-level delay where we (at least those paying attention) were kind of given a reason for the setback on the show - which in that case was some reworking due to a bit of controversy. The likely reason for StuGo was a new staggered release strategy, which seemed to prioritize linear programming over streaming. This happened at just the right (or wrong) time, and seemed to have already disadvantaged the new animated series from the jump. We got the premiere of the first full episode in January of 2025, with a promised Disney+ debut in the Spring of 2025. However, that would later change to Summer of 2025.
The linear debut was already delayed, after reportedly being ready to debut in October of 2024 along with a broadcast special “sing along” edition of Big City Greens The Movie: Spacecation, which had already debuted on the network earlier that year (without the sing along feature).
Were we to believe the January debut date? I hope so, because at least we got a teaser trailer (at the top of the page) at that point. A “Sneako Peeko” arrived on New Year’s Day 2025, but the official first episode arrived on January 11th, 2025. The “Sneako Peeko” was the second half of the first episode, titled “Dog Eat Dog.”
Linear Line-Up
Not getting into the Disney+ debut just yet (don’t worry, that’s coming), one of the first things that this show had against it was with its broadcast schedule. This is the first series from Disney TV Animation since I’ve started being more tuned into this world over the last six (or so) years, that I’ve seen them air all the episodes of the season consecutively. While on the surface this does sound like a very good thing, there was no mid-season hiatus for an audience to catch-up with reruns or the practically guaranteed marathon when the show returns (or because it’s a random Tuesday afternoon) on Disney XD – assuming of course the Big City Greens or Gravity Falls hourly blocks want to make way for something new. Additionally, early episodes of the series were dropping two at a time. Fortunately, the series is not reliant on seeing them in order (it helps for running and recurring bits) but
A Hiatus from A Hiatus
That hiatus, in retrospect, could have likely built a bigger audience and given the short-form content team some time to get out those favorites like Chibi Tiny Tales, How NOT to Draw, Theme Song Takeover and others. These short form series are peppered with different characters and elements from the various animated series (and sometimes beyond) of Disney Channel and have an audience base all their own- and would have been a great way for those who had yet to watch a full episode of StuGo discover the series. Yes, these shorts eventually did arrive, but they came after the season concluded airing in early May, with the first StuGo Shorts arriving in July to help promote the Disney+ debut. Several Chibi Tiny Tales shorts arrived in August, with a How NOT to Draw featuring Dr. Lullah arriving in September, and a Theme Song Takeover arriving as recently as last month. While I don’t think the theoretical hiatus would have been over half-a-year long, the additional time would have been great to incorporate these into the mix as well. After all, it is possible for a hiatus to be too long - Big City Greens Season Four debuted in September of 2023, and finished up the season in August of 2025, with a number of hiatuses in there, partially because of their movie. But audiences still tuned in to reruns or would revisit favorites on Disney+, something that StuGo fans would never get the chance to do until much later.
The Disney+ Debacle
We can point to all these linear network issues as the main culprit if we’re looking for one reason to blame, but many folks (myself included) would point to the fumbling of the Disney+ debut of this series as the singular reason it didn’t get the viewership it so desperately deserved.
First and foremost, this is the first Disney Channel production (since the debut of Disney+) to have its streaming premiere several MONTHS after the premiere of the show on the linear cable network. Most shows would have debuted the following day (in this case, January 12th, 2025) but instead debuted on July 30th, 2025. Not only is this significantly later, but as we already discussed, this was more than two months AFTER the season finale on Disney Channel.
Along with this, the streaming debut of StuGo was also placed around a first batch of season two episodes from Kiff, and season four episodes of Big City Greens. While both of those shows are great, they also already have a substantial built-in audience that will likely tune into those first, drowning out the chance for a new offering like StuGo and not giving it a chance to stand out on those “recommended” tabs.
This is especially true for those families who don’t have access to cable programming or linear television - IE Cord Cutters - and rely on these show’s arrivals on Disney+ to watch and enjoy.
On the flipside, in this day and age, Disney Channel almost serves as a marketing machine to get people to binge on Disney+. Having the full season of StuGo arrive months later when everyone who viewed it on cable has forgotten likely led to the series getting washed out in the short attention spans of those who consume content.
By comparison, those aforementioned episodes of Kiff and Big City Greens were practically dropped alongside those series while they continued to air on cable. Kids who would talk about StuGo in school, in theory, could recommend it to their friends without Disney Channel, but could go home later in the day and not find the series on Disney+. Months later, they likely had forgotten about it. The same could be true for adults and their friends in the workplace or at parties or social gatherings. Speaking from experience. Tl;dr: The hype and buzz for the new show was long gone by the time it even arrived on Disney+.
#SaveStuGo
That’s not to say the show doesn’t/didn’t have its fans though. After the season wrapped in May, there had been no updates as to the status of the show. A far cry from other projects that get a season renewal before the conclusion of the current season - sometimes before it even starts airing! For Disney Channel fans, this was already a bad sign, but creator Ryan Gillis took to BlueSky, making a post telling everyone that “all eyes are gonna be on StuGo’s Disney+ performance.” This occurred shortly before the Disney+ debut of the series, and several weeks later, he posted again with an image of Francis from the series sitting and waiting saying “Not cancelled yet! Not in production either! Just waiting for the numbers then a decision!...Thanks for caring/streaming the show!”
Eventually (days ago), Gillis confirmed what everyone had feared, and the show was indeed cancelled. While the #SaveStuGo movement didn’t add to the decision to cancel the show, it definitely shows that the series had a plethora of fans, just not enough.
The Emmy Nom
Something that was also likely not taken into consideration for cancellation was the upcoming awards season. Last month, the nominations for the 4th annual Children’s and Family Emmys (spun off the Daytime Emmys several years ago) were announced. Among them was a nom for StuGo, in the Outstanding Voice Direction for an Animated Series category, namely the episode “Francis Wants to be Alone | The Sash.” While there is no guarantee that StuGo will take home the award (the winners will be announced at a ceremony in March of 2026),
Maybe Go Watch It Now.
While watching StuGo now won’t likely reverse any decisions, it’s worth noting that Disney has a bit of a tendency to remove one season shows from Disney+ or use it as a tax write-down later on. Even critically acclaimed and award-winning series that are well regarded. I immediately think of both The Mysterious Benedict Society (though that had two season) and the animated Hailey’s On It!. Both of which were completely wiped from Disney+ and basic existence with little to no trace (outside of outright piracy).
That said, if StuGo has any of your interest, I would go watch all 20 episodes (40 if you count both 11 minute stories) sooner than later. While I truly, truly hope the show remains on Disney+, their current reputation precedes them.