Max & the Midknights (TV series)

Max & the Midknights is an American animated television series based on the book series of the same name by Lincoln Peirce. The series officially premiered on Nickelodeon on October 30, 2024, albeit the first two episodes being uploaded to YouTube prior.

Max & the Midknights
Genre	Adventure
Based on	Max & the Midknights by Lincoln Peirce
Developed by	Sharon Flynn David Skelly
Voices of	Blu del Barrio Melissa Villaseñor Zeno Robinson Caleb Yen Jeremy Rowley Gary Anthony Williams Brian Stepanek India de Beaufort
Theme music composer	Matt Mahaffey
Composer	Matt Mahaffey
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	10
Production
Executive producers	Jane Startz Lincoln Peirce
Producer	Amy McKenna
Production location	Burbank, California
Production companies	Jane Startz Productions Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Original release
Network	Nickelodeon
Release	October 30, 2024 (2024-10-30) – present

Premise

Set in the fictional city of Byjovia during the Middle Ages, Max & the Midknights follows 10-year-old Max who takes off on a journey with her newly discovered friends: Millie, Simon, and Kevyn to rescue the kingdom from notorious monarch King Gastley.

Voice cast

• Blu del Barrio as Max,^[1] a brave and determined 10-year-old girl whose dream is to become a knight. She is the leader of the Midknights.
• Melissa Villaseñor as Millie,^[1] a girl with magical powers who is one of the Midknights.
• Zeno Robinson as Simon,^[1] Millie's companion who is one of the Midknights.
• Caleb Yen as Kevyn,^[1] the brains of the Midknights.
• Jeremy Rowley as Uncle Budrick,^[1] Max's parental figure who volunteers to be Gastley's personal jester to protect Max.
• Gary Anthony Williams as Mumblin,^[1] an old wizard who helps the Midknights.
• Brian Stepanek as King Gastley,^[1] the notorious ruler of Byjovia who stole the throne from King Conrad.
• India de Beaufort as Fendra, an evil sorceress who is King Gastley's assistant.^[2]

Production

Max & the Midknights was conceived by David Skelly and Sharon Flynn.^[3] The series was greenlit on November 16, 2021, and 20 episodes were ordered for the first season.^[4] The series is produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio in Burbank, California.^[1]

Episodes

No.	Title [5][6]	Written by	Storyboarded by	Original release date [5][6]	Prod. code [5]	U.S. viewers (millions)
1	"Welcome to Byjovia"	Sharon Flynn	Jackie Bae, Ingrid Kan, Kimberly Jo Mills & Daniel O'Sullivan	June 9, 2024 (2024-06-09) (YouTube) October 30, 2024 (2024-10-30) (Nickelodeon)	101	N/A
After accidentally losing their wagon, Max and Uncle Budrick are forced to travel to Budrick's hometown: Byjovia. However, when they arrive, it isn't how Budrick remembered it. Confused by the city's strangeness, they meet Kevyn who, over a small meal, explains how Byjovia became this way. Afterwards, Max sees the mistreatment of Millie and Simon due to being shoeless and attempts to stand up to King Gastley, and in the process, takes off her hat to reveal that she is a girl. She was sentenced to death, but before she was taken away, Budrick stepped in and offered to be Gastley's jester, in exchange for Max's safety. Though, as Budrick was taken away, Gastley ordered the guards to catch Max and the others. She and Kevyn ran away and eventually met up with Millie and Simon again. The four escape pursuit and hid in Kevyn's barn, and Max is now determined to rescue Budrick.
2	"Meet the Midknights"	Sharon Flynn	Jackie Bae, Ingrid Kan, Kimberly Jo Mills & Daniel O'Sullivan	July 7, 2024 (2024-07-07) (YouTube) November 6, 2024 (2024-11-06) (Nickelodeon)	102	N/A
Max, Millie, and Simon meet Kevyn's ostler father Nolan. When they ask Nolan for help, he takes out a magical coin that can summon a wizard named Mumblin the Magician. Millie excitedly uses the coin to do so. Mumblin explains that he is "rusty" in magic, having retired from the skill due to King Conrad's disappearance and King Gastley outlawing magic. After finding out that everyone in Byjovia is going to a jousting tournament, including Gastley and his guards, the gang think this is the perfect time to storm the castle. Max is unsure and decides to sneak off to rescue Uncle Budrick on her own, though she changes her mind when Millie, Simon, and Kevyn follow her. They all end up participating in the tournament and having to outrun a vicious giant boar. The boar chases them out of the tournament to a dead end, but Mumblin arrives just in time to turn the boar into a bee. He agrees to help the kids rescue Budrick. Outside the castle, Mumblin tries to make a boat to cross the moat but fails, so the kids make their own raft out of barrels. While sailing, a giant squid destroys the raft and attacks the gang, but they escape from it safely and head back to the barn. The kids start thinking up a different plan to rescue Budrick, and they come up with a name for themselves, the "Midknights".
3	"A Midknight Run"	Gavin Laing	Jackie Bae, Andrew Bendik, Ingrid Kan & Patricia Pham	November 13, 2024 (2024-11-13)	103	N/A
4	"Don't Lose Your Head"	Alec Schwimmer	Jackie Bae, Ben Fosselman, Ingrid Kan, Kimberly Jo Mills, Patricia Pham & Prem Sai G.S.	November 20, 2024 (2024-11-20)	104	N/A
5	"Escape from Byjovia"	Lindsay Katai	Jackie Bae, Andrew Bendik, Peter Foltz, Ingrid Kan, Kimberly Jo Mills & Ken Mitchroney	November 27, 2024 (2024-11-27)	105	N/A
6	"For Whom the Troll Tolls"	Sharon Flynn	Andrew Bendik, Patricia Pham & Daniel O'Sullivan	December 4, 2024 (2024-12-04)	106	N/A
7	"The Road Not Taken"	Alec Schwimmer	Jackie Bae, Andrew Bendik, & Prem Sai G.S.	December 11, 2024 (2024-12-11)	107	N/A
8	"The Trail of the Dead"	Gavin Laing	Kat Chan, Peter Foltz, Ingrid Kan, & Ken Mitchroney	January 1, 2025 (2025-01-01)	108	N/A
9	"A Vial of Valor"	Lindsay Katai	Jackie Bae, Andrew Bendik, Kat Chan, Ingrid Kan, Ken Mitchroney, Daniel O'Sullivan, & Patricia Pham	January 8, 2025 (2025-01-08)	109	N/A
10	"An Uphill Battle"	Alec Schwimmer	Jackie Bae, Andrew Bendik, & Prem Sai G.S.	January 15, 2025 (2025-01-15)	110	N/A

Soundtrack

The original soundtrack for the Nickelodeon animated television series Max & the Midknights was released on October 30, 2024 by Republic Records on music platforms, features 14 songs from the show.^[2]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Max & the Midkinghts Theme Song"	Leticia Wolf	00:39
2.	"Welcome to Byjovia"	Leticia Wolf Sharon Flynn	01:39
3.	"Somebody's Gotta Do Something"	Leticia Wolf Matthew Mahaffey	00:46
4.	"Gather Round"	Lincoln Peirce	00:13
5.	"What to Wear"	Alec Schwimmer Leticia Wolf	01:41
6.	"Eight Arms to Hold You Down"	Leticia Wolf Matt Mahaffey	02:06
7.	"Flower Welcoming Song"	Alec Schwimmer Leticia Wolf	01:05
8.	"Don't Say Good-Byjovja"	Alec Schwimmer Leticia Wolf	00:20
9.	"Sir Gadabout"	Gavin Laing Leticia Wolf	01:35
10.	"Riding a Dragon"	Leticia Wolf Matt Mahaffey	01:43
11.	"Nothing But Pigs"	Gavin Laing	00:27
12.	"Get After It"	Leticia Wolf Matt Mahaffey	01:30
13.	"Go Green"	Leticia Wolf Matt Mahaffey	02:56
14.	"Mountain Song"	Leticia Wolf	03:05
Total length:			19:38

Reception

Ashley Moulton from Common Sense Media gave the series five-out-of-five stars, stating "this adaptation is a fresh animated show with a winning combination of dynamic characters, positive messages, hilarious jokes, and high-octane music."^[7]