Renegade Nell, on Disney+
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This 8-episode British series debuted on Disney+ in March 2024, and I didn't manage to finish watching it until March 2025. Well before I finished it, I learned that it had been cancelled, so I was worried it might end without a proper resolution. But I needn't have worried. The story is neatly wrapped up by the end of the season, and while another season would no doubt have been enjoyable, it isn't necessary. As it is, it's a very entertaining story, and Nell herself is a really good character.
It begins in England in 1705, with Nell Jackson returning home after a long absence, following the death of her husband. On her way home, she thwarts a highway robbery by an outlaw called Isambard Tulley, and his gang. She was able to do this because a fairy, appearing as a small light, entered her mouth and temporarily gave her super strength. Once she gets home, her father, Sam Trotter, and younger sisters, Roxy and George, are glad to see her. But Sam is soon murdered by Thomas Blancheford, the ne'er-do-well son of the local Magistrate, who falsely accuses Sam of poaching. When Nell goes to the Magistrate to demand justice, Thomas kills his father and blames Nell. His story is corroborated by his sister, Sofia Wilmot. So Nell goes on the run, along with Roxy and George, and one of Lord Blancheford's servants, Rasselas. They get entangled with Isambard, who is also known as Charles Devereux. He eventually gets arrested, and hopes his fiancée, Lady Eularia Moggerhanger (Joely Richardson), will be able to arrange his release.
Thomas had been encouraged to kill his father by the Earl of Poynton, who is a student of black magic, which he later begins teaching Sofia. It turns out he is also secretly a Jacobite, planning to overthrow Queen Anne and put James Stuart on the throne. Meanwhile, Nell gets to know the fairy who had made her such a badass, Billy Blind (now appearing as a proper fairy), who knows he had been sent to help Nell, but he doesn't know by whom or for what purpose. He also tells Nell that he can only help her whenever she is in immediate danger. (I suppose season two could have dealt with finding out more about Billy's origins, or whatever, but now we'll never know. It would also be nice to learn more about Rasselas's origins, as he doesn't even learn his own real name until the finale, "Rasselas" being his slave name.) Anyway, Nell becomes quite infamous, but just wants to have the truth about Lord Blancheford's murder made known, so she and her sisters could go back to their normal lives. But eventually they must try to save the Queen from Poynton.
And... lots of other stuff happens throughout the season, which I don't suppose I need to go into. And I certainly won't spoil how it all ends. But I definitely enjoyed it. It really is a shame there won't be another season, but I feel the season ended with sufficient closure. And it was fun while it lasted.