The Critters TV Show Looks Great but Where’s Don Keith Opper?

Critters: A New Binge is an upcoming Shudder TV series set to debut March 21, 2019. From showrunners Jordan Rubin, Jon Kaplan, and Al Kaplan (Zombeavers), the series will star Joey Morgan, Stephi Chin-Salvo, Bzhaun Rhoden, Kirsten Robek, Gilbert Gottfried and Thomas Lennon. 

Pursued by intergalactic bounty hunters, the Critters return to Earth on a secret mission and encounter lovelorn high-schooler Christopher (Joey Morgan, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse), his crush Dana (Stephi Chin-Salvo, iZombie), his best friend Charlie (Bzhaun Rhoden, Van Helsing), and his mom Veronica (Kirsten Robek, The Edge of Seventeen), whose past will come back to bite them—literally. The series also features Gilbert Gottfried (Aladdin, Justice League Action) and Thomas Lennon (Reno 911!, Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich).

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There’s a Critters TV series? And it’s coming out this month? IT’S A CONTINUATION OF THE CULT CLASSIC FILM FRANCHISE?!?! I haven’t been this shocked by horror news since they revealed that an Ash Vs. Evil Dead series was announced to continue that beloved franchise. The crew who made the B-Movie hit Zombeavers are running the show now for Shudder (one of the only streaming services I don’t own – because there ARE TOO MANY OF THEM NOW) and all 8 episodes are set to hit March 21st. The trailer is great and it shows that they are still using practical effects to show the furry little bastards in all their glory. I truly appreciate how it literally looks like this show could have come out not long after Critters 4.

There’s just one component missing – and that’s actor Don Keith Opper, who played Charlie in all four films. He was the unsung hero and the only constant aside from the vicious little furballs themselves. He was a redneck turned reluctant bounty hunter after an alien passed the torch to him early on and he spent every single film hunting the infamous Critters. Don Keith Opper was also BRILLIANT. He must be retired at this point since he’s nearing 70 years old and he hasn’t acted in a film since 2005, but I’m going to be sitting over here waiting on a miracle that Rubin and the Kaplans are able to reach out to him and somehow bring him back. I grew up watching those movies and Opper’s performance as the goofball turned badass space bounty hunter was the coolest element of the entire franchise for me personally. It’s nice to see the village idiot turn into the hero and Opper did such a magnificent job that I’m floored to this day that he never really went anywhere professionally after the Critters film franchised died off.

There’s even a Critters MOVIE in development from SyFy with original film star Dee Wallace involved so I’m curious how they handle that since this series is also a sequel to the movies. I’ve been championing this hidden gem of a horror franchise for YEARS so I’m ecstatic that it’s coming back in a big way for 2019, but if there’s one thing I could change – it’s bringing back the original Charlie – Don Keith Opper – one of my favorite actors growing up and a performer that I feel didn’t get the credit he deserved carrying this franchise.