Originally published in The Baum Bugle, vol. 61, no. 2 (Autumn 2017), pgs. 46–47
Citations
Chicago 17th ed.:
Crotzer, Sarah. Review of Lost in Oz, season one, Baum Bugle 61, no. 2 (2017): 46–47.
MLA 9th ed.:
Crotzer, Sarah. Review of Lost in Oz, season one, The Baum Bugle, vol. 61, no. 2, 2017, pp. 46–47.
(Note: typographical errors have been left in place to accurately reflect the printed version.)
Lost in Oz: Season One
[Warning: Unavoidable Spoilers Follow!]
In my review of Lost in Oz in the Winter 2016 Baum Bugle, I praised the new cartoon from Amazon Prime because it made “no concession to audience expectation.” However, I’ll admit that it pushes credibility just a little to debut a pilot episode in 2015, an Extended Adventure in 2016, and only now—more than two years later—a full, thirteen-episode season. The kids who would have been initially interested in the series have, presumably, grown past it. It’s hard not to wonder how long it will be before we see a second season.
Having said that, if you haven’t jumped onboard yet, there’s no better time. The Lost in Oz pilot and award-winning Extended Adventure have been taken offline; as I suspected would happen, they have been re-edited into the first three episodes of the season. If you haven’t watched them yet—and you’ve been meaning to make the time—I invite you to set your Bugle aside now and go do just that. Don’t worry. We’ll wait.
Is everybody on the same page now? Good. We left Dorothy and Toto in the floating castle of Glinda the Good, with the surprise reveal of the Scarecrow—our Scarecrow—closing out the last seconds of the third episode. This is no hologram or other ruse. This is our old friend, “the most famous man in Oz,” newly unable to form any short-term memories. Might that be a modern substitute for needing a brain? Perhaps. If you think about it carefully, though, the introduction of the Scarecrow to the regular cast throws Lost in Oz into an entirely new light. Is this an entirely new take on Oz after all? Or is there a more subtle implication?
No matter the reason for his introduction, the Scarecrow adds a whole new splash of fun to the series. In an interesting coincidence, he neither looks nor sounds significantly different from the Scarecrow of the new Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz cartoon, although his short-term amnesia pushes him closer to the goofiness of Shaggy from Scooby-Doo. In fact, he becomes such a boon to the series that he threatens to push other regular characters straight out of sight and out of mind. Ojo’s family business is the backdrop for several episodes, but the character never moves far beyond being awkward and kind; worse, Reigh is almost completely relegated to his techno-lair. The storylines really revolve around Dorothy, West, and their personal journeys, with the Scarecrow present to provide comic relief.
In fact, West might be the character best served by the series at this point, because—unlike Dorothy—she is allowed to experience a complex range of emotions. As has become clear, one of Lost in Oz’s most important storylines focuses on West’s temptation to evil (or at very least, dark magic), and her tempter takes the form of her aunt, Langwidere, voiced by film and TV actress Gina Gerson (Showgirls, Bound). There is no Hall of Heads here; instead, Langwidere is a cold and calculated practitioner of the dark arts. Unfortunately, she’s also not a very interesting character beyond her honeyed tones; as annoying as Fitz, the Crooked Magician, could be, he was actually the better adversary, and it’s sad to see the writers sideline him. After making him waffle ineffectually as Langwidere’s lackey for a few episodes, there’s a brief attempt to have him “turn good,” but it’s more than a little half-hearted.
Little hidden “easter egg” references for Baum fans continue in these new episodes, including a search for Glinda’s Pearl of Pingaree (the name of which has been conflated with her magic pearl from The Marvelous Land of Oz). Baumian elements aren’t limited to names and titles, though. Both the Growleywogs and the Nomes—the latter led by General Guph—are seen at length on-screen, and I can only say they are unusual and interesting new takes on these fantastical races. Some fans will be upset at the failure to adhere to Baum’s text, but I found the new interpretations pleasantly free of outside influence. Similarly, I enjoyed a cameo by Professor Wogglebug: instead of appearing as a human-sized insect, his silhouette is projected on a screen over his students’ heads. Clearly, even here, he is Highly Magnified!
In this review, you have barely heard me talk about the individual stories or overall plot of the season. Honestly, there’s not a lot I can say. Certain revelations are made, and both Dorothy and West continue down their paths, but to give you specifics would ruin the few significant moments in the series so far. Most of the time, you can depend on some progression of the mystery in the first half of each episode, while the second half is more action/chase-oriented. Even watching them over the course of an entire week, the individual episodes really start to blur into each other. I would be surprised if it were any other way: after all, kids love to watch shows over and over because they want “more of the same.” It’s part of their learning process, and I can hardly begrudge a series for serving its audience’s needs.
Ultimately, Lost in Oz is inoffensive, often quite fun, and occasionally genuinely clever. It has the guts to try something really different with the Oz stories, which I applaud. Adults might find it a little too much to watch all 13 episodes in a short time-frame, but I think eight-year-old viewers are going to gobble it up (and probably already have). Let’s just hope it’s not three more years before another season!Lost in Oz season 1 is now available for streaming as part of Amazon Prime Video, which is available free with a US-based Amazon Prime subscription.
Authors of articles from The Baum Bugle that are reprinted on the Oz Club’s website retain all rights. All other website contents Copyright © 2026 The International Wizard of Oz Club, Inc. All Rights Reserved.