The popular Chucky franchise has come a long way from the original Child's Play film. What started as a creative supernatural slasher film has since evolved into one of the biggest slasher franchises ever. But what began with just Chucky has since extended into a creative and colorful cast of characters that were slowly introduced over the series' many sequels. But even though many entries are iconic in their own right, few have come close to the standard established by Child's Play 2.
Child's Play 2 is one of the few instances where the sequel was better than the original and earned that title. Not only did creator Don Mancini get more creative freedom, but he also had a larger budget and was allowed to push the limits of what Chucky could and couldn't do. That said, even though the film set a standard for the franchise, the theatrical cut wasn't the only one. In fact, there's another cut with an ending that could've massively changed the timeline.
Child's Play 2 Has a Forgotten TV Cut
As explored in a YouTube breakdown, the TV cut of Child's Play 2 was largely reworked to pad the runtime without showing some of the more gory deaths. This included longer takes of particular scenes and added scenes of dialogue between characters. One example of this is Andy and Kyle talking at the end of the film as they left the Good Guy factory. However, the TV cut also featured a final scene that teased Chucky's inevitable return in a much more on-the-nose sequence that was completely unexpected.
In the scene, after Chucky was melted by plastic, the mass of plastic was melted down with his body still inside, and a remold of the Good Guy doll face was quickly made. But unlike other molds, the camera lingered long enough for the face to stretch into an evil and mischievous grin. This scene very quickly established that Chucky would return and would return much sooner than he had in Child's Play 3.
Child's Play 2's TV Ending Could've Majorly Changed the Franchise
Child's Play 2's initial ending left Chucky dead long enough to leave the window open for a sequel, should it be green-lit. It also remained closed enough should it have been the last film. That said, had the TV cut of the ending remained, it would've changed the course of Child's Play 3 as there would no longer be a need for a time jump. While it could still be an option, Chucky being reborn could've come months following the events of the last film. Had that happened, it could've completely changed Chucky's motivations as well. With Andy likely far from him, he would have to find a new body to inhabit and more victims. If so, it could've added even more characters to the franchise in the future. Or Andy -- now a young boy -- would be in military school much sooner, making the timeline much shorter and more tragic for Andy.
It's hard to say why this ending was only seen on the TV cut and largely forgotten. As it never appeared on a DVD or Blu-ray, it could be because its canonicity no longer applied. However, it could've also existed because, with the third film confirmed, it was okay to show a possible ending through one outlet. While Don Mancini has always been known to recycle old ideas, there's a lifelong mystery surrounding this cut of the film that may not get an answer any time soon. Even so, its existence proves that the series has always evolved and played with ideas before finding the best one to use.