National Treasure: Edge of History

National Treasure: Edge of History premiered in December 2022 on Disney Plus and was cancelled after one season. The series had 10 episodes. The show was a spin-off of the National Treasure movies that starred Nicolas Cage. The show had a new cast but was set in the same world and followed a new young woman who embarked on her own treasure hunt. The series starred Lisette Olivera as treasure hunter Jess Valenzuela, Zuri Reed as Jess’ best friend and computer wiz Tasha Rivers, Antonio Cipriano as sneaker enthusiast and former boyfriend of Tasha, Oren Bradley, Jordan Rodrigues as Jess’ childhood friend and aspiring lawyer Ethan Cho, Jake Austin Walker as Jess’ love interest and grandson of a former FBI Agent Liam Sadusky, Lydon Smith as FBI Agent Ross, and Catherine Zeta-Jones as treasure hunter Billie Pearce.

I recently learned that National Treasure: Edge of History was not well liked by critics or audiences. I’m a little surprised more by fan reaction. I am not surprised critics did not care for the show. It seems the reason the show was cancelled was due to low ratings. Disney Plus, along with most streaming services do not share their ratings the way the main networks and cable do. For years Netflix has kept their numbers for their original content close to the vest. They only share numbers once and awhile for record breaking content. Even with streaming, there are ways one can tell if a show or movie is a hit. Every streaming service has some form of a Top 10, Top 25, Top 50 etc. when it comes to what is trending on the service. The Mandalorian is always in the top spots on Disney Plus when a new season is airing. Wednesday, the Adams Family series was in the Top 10 for Netflix for multiple weeks. From what I recall when National Treasure: Edge of History was airing its season, it did not seem that it was in the trending spots on Disney Plus. That doesn’t always mean anything. Not every show or movie can be in the Trending section. That usually indicates how popular something is.

I don’t know why people don’t like National Treasure: Edge of History. It seems a lot of people were not aware it was a show to begin with. I don’t remember there being much promotion prior to the series launching. I have seen several commercials for Peter Pan & Wendy which is a movie for Disney Plus. I have also seen numerous commercials for The Mandalorian throughout its run of the current season. I have seen a lot of commercials for Citadel, a spy series for Amazon Prime. I even saw a promo for the series when I was at the movies. I think there was not a strong marketing campaign for National Treasure: Edge of History. I did not watch it while it was initially airing its season. It seems the show has not caught on the way other series have.

As for the show itself, I think National Treasure: Edge of History had a lot of potential. It should have been given more time. Season 1 wrapped up at the end of January. Disney Plus cancelled it in April. There were ideas for Season 2 but nothing concrete was ever really stated. Nicolas Cage did not appear on the show; however, Benjamin Gates was referenced. Justin Bartha who plays Riley, Benjamin’s best friend from the movies guest starred in the fourth episode. That episode also hinted at a looming plotline from National Treasure 2. The end of the movie teased something important on Page 47 which presumably would be the plot in National Treasure 3. The episode seemed to set up for a potential National Treasure 3. At this point, National Treasure 3 is in development. No word yet on when it will finally move forward. Harvey Keitel also appeared in the first episode reprising his role as Peter Saduski from National Treasure: Book of Secrets. He is the grandfather of series regular Liam Saduski. Liam gets involved in the show because his grandfather was murdered. Jess is the prime suspect. She gets framed by villainous Billie Pierce.

The show’s finale can function as a series finale. It was left open ended after Liam found a cassette left by his grandfather which suggested another treasure hunt. I enjoyed the series and I have had mixed feelings about the National Treasure movies. I have seen both films. I liked the second one. I did not care for the first one originally. I found it boring. When the first movie came out, I was in middle school. It’s possible I might find it more enjoyable now. I think the show is a fun adventure. It would have been nice to see more adventures with the characters. Despite what some might think, Edge of History was a bit more mature despite being on Disney Plus. The show carried a TV PG and TV 14 ratings depending on the episode. The last two episodes were decently bloody for a Disney project. The National Treasure films were PG. The series also had some sexual content which is usually unheard of for Disney projects. I thought the show was enjoyable and I wanted to see more. Maybe in time it would have caught on and theoretically it could still catch on. Unless it gets removed from Disney Plus, anyone can watch the show.

The series wrapped up major storylines. There is not much that is lingering other than the tease of another adventure. Depending, the characters could show up in National Treasure 3 if that is the direction, they want to go in. The characters met Riley Poole who will presumably be in a third National Treasure. There were hopes from the creators that Nicolas Cage would eventually appear in the series had it continued on for additional seasons. There is still a chance the characters from the show could be involved in future installments of National Treasure. There is also the slim chance later on Disney Plus could decide to uncancel the show. That has happened once and awhile, but it is not the most common especially when a streaming service cancels an original series.

National Treasure: Edge of History deserved to be given more of a chance. It is fun for all ages but is not as childish as some might think because it’s a Disney property. When and if National Treasure 3 happens, that could have boosted interest in the series. As of now, that chapter is closed. Fans can wait and hope for National Treasure 3 to happen sooner than later. Nicolas Cage is still open to doing it if it can get off the ground.