Just Beyond
Just Beyond is an American horror comedy anthology television series created by Seth Grahame-Smith for Disney+, consisting of eight episodes that explore supernatural themes such as witches, aliens, ghosts, and alternate dimensions through standalone stories of self-discovery.[1][2] The series is adapted from a graphic novel series of the same name published by Boom! Studios and written by R.L. Stine, known for his Goosebumps franchise, with each episode presenting a self-contained narrative aimed at a young adult audience.[3][4] Produced by 20th Television, Just Beyond premiered exclusively on Disney+ on October 13, 2021, and features a diverse cast including Mckenna Grace, Gabriel Bateman, and Izabela Vidovic, directed by filmmakers such as Marc Webb and David Katzenberg.[3][4] Critically, the show received positive reviews for its family-friendly approach to horror, earning an 88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on a limited number of reviews, with praise for its imaginative storytelling and visual effects.[2] However, Just Beyond was removed from Disney+ on May 26, 2023, as part of the platform's content purge, and as of November 2025, is available for free with ads on The Roku Channel and for purchase on digital platforms such as Google Play.[5][6][7]Overview
Premise
Just Beyond is an American horror comedy anthology television series created by Seth Grahame-Smith for Disney+, based on the Boom! Studios graphic novel series of the same name by R.L. Stine.[3] The series features self-contained episodes centered on tweens and teens encountering eerie supernatural events in a mysterious "world just beyond" their everyday reality, blending elements of horror with comedic and heartfelt moments.[8] These stories often explore themes of friendship, family, and self-acceptance, using supernatural dilemmas to impart moral lessons suitable for young audiences.[9] Drawing inspiration from Stine's iconic Goosebumps storytelling style, Just Beyond adapts classic horror tropes—such as witches, ghosts, aliens, and parallel universes—into toned-down scares appropriate for viewers aged 8-12, earning a TV-PG rating.[10][11] The anthology format allows each installment to tackle relatable adolescent challenges like anxiety, bullying, and peer pressure through thrilling, otherworldly narratives that encourage self-discovery.[9] Promoted with the tagline "astonishing and thought-provoking stories of a reality just beyond the one we know," the series aims to captivate families with its mix of suspense and positive messaging, distinguishing it as a gateway to horror for younger viewers.[8]Format
Just Beyond is an anthology series consisting of eight standalone episodes, each featuring a new cast of characters and a self-contained supernatural story without an overarching plot or recurring characters across the season.[12][13] Each episode runs approximately 25 to 30 minutes, allowing for compact narratives that build tension and resolve within a single installment, often directed and written by different creative teams to vary the storytelling approach.[14][15] The series employs a visual style that blends practical effects with CGI to depict supernatural elements such as ghosts, witches, and demons, creating eerie atmospheres suitable for young audiences with comedic undertones and mild scares that avoid graphic violence.[16][17] This tonal balance emphasizes empowerment and self-discovery, delivering twisty yet hopeful resolutions that align with Disney's family-friendly guidelines.[11] Episodes loosely adapt stories from R.L. Stine's graphic novel series of the same name, expanding the source material into live-action formats while preserving the author's signature blend of eerie suspense and uplifting themes for teen viewers.[13][9]Production
Development
Disney+ greenlit the eight-episode anthology series Just Beyond in May 2020, adapting R.L. Stine's graphic novel series of the same name, which Boom! Studios began publishing in 2019.[18][19] The project was created by Seth Grahame-Smith, who served as writer and executive producer through his KatzSmith Productions banner in partnership with David Katzenberg.[18] Additional executive producers included R.L. Stine as co-executive producer, along with Stephen Christy and Ross Richie, with the series produced by 20th Television.[18][3] The adaptation process involved assembling a writers' room to select and expand short stories from Stine's graphic novels into standalone television episodes, capturing the original material's spirit while tailoring it for the screen.[9] Grahame-Smith emphasized developing "safe scares" that deliver intense, family-friendly horror aligned with Disney's brand, avoiding overly gory or traumatizing elements to appeal to a broad audience including children, teens, and adults.[20] This approach drew inspiration from Stine's tween-focused horror niche, reminiscent of his Goosebumps series, but positioned for a streaming platform with episodic variety.[20] The initial concept evolved directly from the graphic novels' anthology structure, where each issue presents a self-contained tale, translating seamlessly to television without plans for ongoing serialization or interconnected narratives.[9] Grahame-Smith described the format as a creative "playground" for genre storytelling, allowing fresh casts, settings, and supernatural threats in every episode to sustain the series' 30-minute runtime.[20]Filming
Principal photography for Just Beyond commenced in March 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia, with production wrapping later that year to meet the October premiere schedule on Disney+.[21][22] The series was filmed predominantly in and around Atlanta, leveraging the region's tax incentives and production infrastructure, often referred to as "Hollywood of the South." Key locations included Agnes Scott College and areas around East Lake Drive in Decatur for exterior and campus scenes, Georgia Tech for institutional settings, Boulder Park in Fulton County for neighborhood sequences, the Infinite Realities Comic Book store in Tucker, and the historic Fox Theatre in downtown Atlanta, which featured in promotional materials for its haunted aesthetic.[21][22][23] Additional shoots occurred in Covington, approximately 26 miles east of Atlanta, to capture suburban and rural exteriors. Soundstages in the Atlanta area were utilized for constructing supernatural environments, such as haunted houses and alien landscapes, allowing for controlled filming amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[21] The production employed a rotating directorial team, with Marc Webb helming the first two episodes to establish the anthology's tone of youthful horror and fantasy. Technical aspects combined practical effects, including prosthetic makeup for character transformations and creature designs, with extensive visual effects (VFX) to realize otherworldly elements like ghosts, demons, and paranormal storms. VFX studios such as VFX Legion handled dynamic simulations in Houdini for magical conjurations and digital sorcery in episodes like "Which Witch?", while Framestore contributed hair-raising ghost simulations and transformation sequences requiring complex particle effects.[24][25][26][17] Filming faced challenges from COVID-19 protocols standard to 2021 television productions, including frequent testing, symptom monitoring, and limited crew sizes to ensure safety on set. These measures, implemented across the industry following shutdowns in 2020, contributed to an accelerated schedule for the eight-episode season while balancing the demands of working with young actors.[27]Episodes
Episode list
The eight-episode anthology series Just Beyond was released in its entirety on Disney+ on October 13, 2021, produced by 20th Television.[28]| No. | Title | Director | Writer(s) | Original release date | Runtime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leave Them Kids Alone | Marc Webb | Seth Grahame-Smith | October 13, 2021 | 30 min |
| 2 | Parents Are From Mars, Kids Are From Venus | Antonio Negret | Rob Rosell | October 13, 2021 | 28 min |
| 3 | Which Witch | Ryan Zaragoza | Mitali Jahagirdar | October 13, 2021 | 29 min |
| 4 | My Monster | David Katzenberg | Courtney Perdue | October 13, 2021 | 28 min |
| 5 | Unfiltered | Patricia Cardoso | Nneka Gerstle | October 13, 2021 | 27 min |
| 6 | We've Got Spirits, Yes We Do | Marc Webb | David Walpert | October 13, 2021 | 32 min |
| 7 | Standing Up For Yourself | David Katzenberg | Seth Grahame-Smith | October 13, 2021 | 24 min |
| 8 | The Treehouse | Anna Mastro | Sarah Wise | October 13, 2021 | 29 min |