Wizards Beyond Waverly Place has spent the better part of its first two seasons mounting some very big questions, particularly about its main character Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown) and her involvement in the Wizard World.
Well, viewers will finally be getting some answers when Season 2 debuts on Disney+ tomorrow.
“I can’t wait to see people’s reaction to that ending. We really went for it,” star and executive producer David Henrie teases to Deadline.
The season, which has been rolling out weekly on Disney Channel since September 12, picks up with Roman (Alkaio Thiele), Milo (Max Matenko) and Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown) officially competing to retain their wizard powers into adulthood, after the Season 1 finale revealed the boys’ magical abilities. But, the Family Wizard Competition has been far from the only obstacle in their way this season as a mysterious new threat has begun to emerge over the course of the first six episodes.
While episodes have been airing on cable, Wednesday will mark their streaming premiere — and all 10 episodes will come available, meaning that fans won’t have to wait much longer to see how the rest of the season pans out.
But, make no mistake. The series is just getting started. So, while the Season 2 finale might answer one of the biggest questions Wizards Beyond has posed so far, it will also leave viewers with a ton more, according to Henrie.
“For me, the second season is really where the show begins,” he said.
In the interview below, Henrie discusses what to expect from the remaining episodes of Season 2 and where it’ll lead the story next.
DEADLINE: How is Season 2 expanding on the story you started telling last season and what can we expect, especially in those final episodes that no one has seen yet?
DAVID HENRIE: For me, the second season is really where the show begins, because the first season we really looked at like the prequel. The family didn’t know about magic. They didn’t know the kids had powers. There was no Wizard Competition. This season, the competition begins in our own way. We’re really excited about it because we answer a lot of questions unique to our series that were lingering from last season, like, is Alex Billy’s mom? So we answer that question this season, and we also bring in some big easter eggs that I think will leave a lot of lingering questions as to Alex’s character, her backstory in the lore.
DEADLINE: We found out that Milo and Roman have powers at the end of last season, so similarly to Wizards of Waverly Place, these kids are now competing to see who will get to retain their powers as an adult. How have you tried to keep things fresh while also incorporating these familiar elements from the original series?
HENRIE: What I love about this show is it takes the feeling and the heart and the themes of the old show and it represents them in a fresh way. I like that word, fresh, because the driving engine of this show is different than the other show. In the other show, we had a family who were all blood and always had each other’s backs. In this show, we have a found family. So we bring in this new girl who doesn’t understand what family is like the Russos do and also doesn’t trust family like the Russos do. So it’s a wonderfully fresh engine and a fresh way to tell family stories for 2025.
DEADLINE: How have you continued to reflect on the experience you want to create for these kids on set in Season 2?
HENRIE: I think a lot about my own experience as a kid on set, which is why I try to create the culture that I always wanted when I was a kid actor on various sets. Growing up, I always studied different sets and different cultures and learned. So now that I’m in a position of power here, I try to create the most fertile environment for mental health and for the kids to thrive. We’re all imperfect people. So everyone has their moments. But in general, I’m incredibly proud of the culture on our set. It is a professional, loving atmosphere that recognizes the reality that we have children on set, and they need to be treated like children. They’re not adults, and we need to respect that. It really is meaningful to me.
DEADLINE: You directed this season. Was that something you’d been thinking about since boarding the project?
HENRIE: I’ve directed films before. I’ve never directed TV. This is my first time directing TV. I was really excited to do it, because I’ve done hundreds of episodes of sitcoms from the original show, and others, and know the format so well. It really just works with my psychology or cognitive style, whatever you want to call it, it just is how I think. I loved every second of it. I got to do things that I haven’t gotten to do in single cam that I’ve always wanted to do, like I’ve always wanted to do the Spielberg push-pull shot, where you compress the background image. We got to do that here, because there’s a big comedic moment with Janice where she screams, ‘What?’ And I got to do this big Spielberg zoom in push-pull, which was such a fun shot and heightened the moment in a really great way. I got to have some heartfelt moments as well. The Christmas episode that I directed is the first time we’re introducing Christmas to the Wizards world, and it speaks to the kids that maybe feel lonely on Christmas. So we got to put a really nice message into this Christmas episode. I think the fans are gonna love it. I really do. I’m excited for them to see it.
DEADLINE: When you think beyond Season 2, how energized are you about the longevity of the story you’re telling here?
HENRIE: We end this season on the biggest cliffhanger the wizards universe has ever known. So what energizes me is to explore the questions that we provoke at the end of the season — very big ones, some questions that really speak to the overarching lore of the show, especially Selena’s character. So I’m really excited to explore those thoughts and ideas into this next season, because [in] Season 3, [we] are really going to lean into the questions of identity, belonging, legacy, universal questions that will really come to the forefront at the end of the season, which I can’t wait for people to see.
DEADLINE: The kids really come into their own this season. How has it been for you to watch them grow on this set and settle into their characters?
HENRIE: Selena said the same thing. She’s like, ‘Man, the kids are soaring.’ When we did the original show, the first season, you’re figuring out who you are and what your character is, and you’re finding yourself. Everyone’s finding themselves. The writers are finding their voice with each character, and it’s an exploratory process in any first season of any show. The second season, you start to find your thing. You start to really know what works for you and what doesn’t work for you, and you start to add in nuance that you didn’t have before. All the kids did that. They doubled down on their strengths. They did such a great job growing from one season to the next, and they’re soaring. They really are soaring. I’m so proud of them for growing and trusting their instincts.
DEADLINE: What are you most looking forward to about the release of those final episodes tomorrow?
HENRIE: I can’t wait to see people’s reaction to that ending. We really went for it. We really pushed the envelope. We swung for the fences. I mean, it turns into a drama and a heartfelt one, and Janice and Selena both give career-best performances. So I can’t wait for people to see all that they put into it, and I’m just so excited to see their reactions.
