Skip to main content

TL;DR: 

  • The Bad Seed Returns premieres Monday, September 5 on Lifetime. 
  • The movie stars Mckenna Grace and is a sequel to 2018’s The Bad Seed. 
  • The Bad Seed Returns was initially supposed to air on Memorial Day, but the broadcast was postponed after the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. 

Emma, the twisted little girl at the heart of Lifetime’s The Bad Seed, is growing up. But she hasn’t changed her diabolical ways. The Bad Seed Returns, a sequel to the 2018 movie starring Mckenna Grace, follows Emma, who is now in high school, in her new life with her aunt Angela. When those around her begin to discover her secrets, Emma slips back into her old ways, with devastating consequences. 

 ‘The Bad Seed Returns’ airs on Labor Day on Lifetime 

In 2018, Lifetime aired its remake of the classic 1956 horror movie The Bad Seed, which was based on a 1954 book by William March. Grace played Emma, the nine-year-old daughter of the newly-widowed David Grossman (Rob Lowe). Emma is manipulative and violent, and her actions eventually lead to the death of her father (though she doesn’t kill him herself). 

The Bad Seed Returns picks up several years after the events of the earlier movie. Emma is now living with Angela and her husband Robert. Emma’s uncle suspects there is something wrong with his niece, and he suggests sending her off to boarding school. Meanwhile, Kat, a new student at Emma’s school, seems to know her secrets. Threatened on multiple fronts, Emma slips back into her old ways. She decides to take care of her enemies, by any means necessary. 

The Bad Seed Returns airs Monday, September 5 at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime. It will be available to stream the next day on the Lifetime website with your cable or live TV streaming login. In addition to Grace, the movie’s cast includes Michelle Morgan as Angela, Benjamin Ayres as Robert, and Ella Dixon as Kat. 

Mckenna Grace co-wrote ‘The Bad Seed Returns’ script

Mckenna Grace as Emma, wearing a hoodie, in the Lifetime movie 'The Bad Seed Returns'
Mckenna Grace in ‘The Bad Seed Returns’ | Lifetime

Grace, who has also appeared in Captain Marvel and Ghostbusters: Afterlife, doesn’t just star in The Bad Seed Returns. She also co-wrote the script and is an executive producer on the movie. 

“When Mckenna came to us with a spec script she wrote, we were blown away with her vision for the next installment and thrilled we could greenlight it and reteam with her and Mark Wolper,” Tanya Lopez, Lifetime’s executive vice president for scripted content said when the movie was announced. “This is an incredible Broader Focus moment to have such a talented young star stretch her abilities beyond acting into writing and executive producing.”

The movie’s release was delayed after the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas

Related

9 Lifetime Movies Based on Shocking True Stories

The Bad Seed Returns was initially scheduled to air on Memorial Day. But the movie’s premiere was rescheduled following the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.  

“In the wake of the recent tragedy in my home state of Texas, we have decided to delay the release of The Bad Seed Returns,” Grace said in a statement shared on Twitter. “Lifetime and everyone involved are in agreement.” 

“I don’t feel comfortable promoting the film this week and we don’t think Monday is the right time to release it,” she added. 

For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel.

Best in Entertainment