Disney Channel’s newest series “Secrets of Sulphur Springs” premiered on Disney+ Feb. 26. The show initially aired with five episodes and streamed new episodes each Friday until April 9. “Secrets of Sulphur Springs” is a Nancy Drew meets Stranger Things show created for all family members.
Set in Louisiana, “Secrets of Sulphur Springs” follows 12-year-old Griffin Campbell (Preston Oliver) as his family moves from Chicago to an abandoned, supposedly haunted hotel called the Tremont. The Tremont used to be Sulphur Springs’s most popular spot for vacationing until a young girl named Savannah Dillon (Elle Graham) went missing on the grounds. Griffin’s father Ben (Josh Braaten) bought the hotel in hopes of renovating it and bringing it back to its former glory since he used to vacation there. Griffin soon befriends a local girl named Harper Dunn (Kyleigh Curran) and the two investigate the mysteries of the hotel together. While exploring the hotel, the two discover a portal that has the ability to time travel back 30 years. Using the portal, the two seek to uncover the mysteries about the Tremont and see if they can truly find out what happened to Savannah.
The show does a brilliant job in executing a mystery show full of twists and turns. Every episode is left with a cliffhanger, which makes the audience continue yearning for more. Originally, I went in thinking the show would be entertaining enough but lack depth since the target audience is children. However, I was pleasantly surprised.
“Secrets of Sulphur Springs” unraveled in a way that I, nor the audience, could have predicted based on the first episodes. What starts as a ghost story turns into a time-traveling mystery which was cleverly executed. Typically with a missing-person plot, the protagonists have to work with people and information they have in the present time. However, “Secrets of Sulphur Springs” is able to work around that hurdle.
With the introduction of the time-traveling portal, the story is open to more creative paths which are fully explored within the first season. I found it refreshing and intriguing to see the children travel back 30 years to the time where the girl went missing. Especially when the two leads realized that their parents actually stayed at the Tremont and personally knew the missing girl. The shocking revelations left the audience with so many questions, and thankfully the 11 episodes long show answered all of them. Well, almost all of the questions with the last episode opening the door to even more mysteries.
I could not help but find myself eagerly waiting every Friday to find out what is happening in Sulphur Springs. The show may have been marketed for children, but the creators went above and beyond with the story. The plot was solid and provided enough surprises to keep the audience on their toes. The creators did a wonderful job of building up the story and maintaining the suspense until the very end.
“Secrets of Sulphur Springs” is good for all ages and delivers on providing the audience with an intriguing storyline. The show’s plot never weakens, rather grows stronger each episode. The mystery and suspense, along with the excellent acting creates a memorable show that pulls the audience in and leaves them wanting more.
If the Disney Channel logo on the poster makes you wonder if the plot will hold up, you will be surprised to see how immaculate the story is. “Secrets of Sulphur Springs” has surpassed all my expectations and has me eager to watch the second season. This show definitely does not disappoint!
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