Endlings (TV series)

Lore & Background

The series begins in the year 2040 when an alien abducts the last elephant on Earth, Tuko, from an African wildlife refuge. The alien's ship malfunctions and crash-lands on a farm in North America, just as foster parent Mr. Leopold is taking in a new foster child, Julia. The four children—Johnny, Tabby, Finn, and Julia—discover the injured alien and an escaped insect alien loose on the farm. They learn to work together to help the alien, which grows weaker due to unfamiliarity with Earth's environment. Wildlife activist Abiona Maina, who cared for Tuko, tracks the elephant to the farm and uses her knowledge to save the alien's life. The children must recapture various endlings released during the crash, which communicate in different ways.

In Season 2, set in 2041, the children continue helping their alien friend Ling save fantastical endlings. Ling accidentally shows Tabby a vision of their quest failing, revealing that Tresa Hewes, CEO of Infinitum Corporation, has been tracking them. The vision shows Hewes capturing Ling and the endlings and tearing the foster family apart. The group decides to confront their painful pasts to change their futures and save Ling.

Reader's Guide

Endlings is notable as a Canadian science fiction series that blends extraterrestrial themes with foster family dynamics and environmental conservation. The series was renewed for a second twelve-episode season in October 2019, before the first season aired. Production for Season One took place in and around Guelph, Ontario, with the second season also scheduled to film there starting January 6, 2020. The series aired on multiple international broadcasters including Universal Kids in the US, CBBC in the UK, and ABC Me in Australia. The cast includes Edison Grant as Johnny, Kamaia Fairburn as Julia, Michela Luci as Tabby, Cale Thomas Ferrin as Finn, Neil Crone as Mr. Leopold, Oyin Oladejo as Abiona Maina, and Lisa Ryder as Tresa Hewes. The series explores themes of trust, family, and confronting past trauma through the lens of a science fiction adventure.

Did You Know?

• The series premiered on CBC Television on January 5, 2020, but had already premiered on Hulu on January 17, 2019.
• Season One was filmed in and around Guelph, Ontario.
• The alien in the series is named Ling and has powers that can show both pasts and futures.

The World of Endlings

Set in the year 2040, Endlings constructs a near-future Earth where biodiversity has been pushed to the brink. The narrative ignites when an extraterrestrial being kidnaps Tuko, the final surviving elephant on the planet, from the African wildlife refuge where she has lived since infancy. Before the alien can complete its extraction, a mechanical failure sends its vessel tumbling into a North American cornfield, depositing the injured creature into the barn of a modest farmstead. The alien's overarching purpose is to rescue endlings—the very last individuals of endangered species scattered across the globe. Unable to speak the local language and steadily deteriorating in an environment foreign to it, the being depends on the farm's young residents to keep it alive and assist in its mission. A secondary threat emerges in the form of a loose insectoid alien that escaped during the crash, forcing the children to balance caregiving with containment. The show weaves speculative sci-fi with an intimate, grounded setting, making the extraordinary feel like a backyard problem.

The Leopold Household

At the heart of the series is a foster family assembled under the roof of Mr. Kenneth Leopold, a man who believes these children need someone to champion them when the wider world has failed. Johnny, the eldest and first to arrive, takes on the role of making the farm feel like a genuine home for everyone who follows. Julia, the newest arrival, carries the raw anger of a sudden paternal loss and initially resists bonding with her siblings. Tabby, the family's self-made engineer, masks a history of repeated betrayal behind a sharp tongue and quick wit. Finn, the youngest, never speaks a single word, expressing love instead through vivid drawings, animated facial expressions, and warm embraces. Though they are far from instant friends, the four gradually forge a working partnership when they stumble upon the crashed alien ship. As the season unfolds, each child is pushed to confront buried trauma, and their collective resilience becomes the engine that drives the plot forward. Mr. Leopold anchors them all, offering steady belief where the outside world offers none.

Season Arcs and Narrative Escalation

Season One introduces the central conflict: the alien, later named Ling, must recover the endlings it was tasked with saving while the children navigate their fractured relationships. Abiona Maina, the wildlife activist who raised Tuko at the refuge, tracks the elephant to the farm and, after confirming the alien poses no threat, uses her knowledge of animal behavior to stabilize the dying creature. The children then recapture a menagerie of endlings released during the crash—some communicating at frequencies beyond human hearing, others more bark than bite, and a few the kids are tempted to keep despite knowing they shouldn't. Season Two raises the stakes. Set in 2041, the group is closing in on completing their mission with the support of Mr. Leopold and Dr. Maina. But Ling inadvertently shows Tabby a vision of their quest ending in failure, revealing that the alien's powers extend into the future. The vision exposes Tresa Hewes, CEO of Infinitum Corporation, who has been surveilling the family and ultimately captures Ling and the endlings, shattering the household. The season becomes a high-octane race in which the four teens must face their wounds head-on rather than let those wounds dictate their fate.

Production and Global Broadcast

Endlings is a Canadian production from Sinking Ship Entertainment, with Season One filmed in and around Guelph, Ontario. The series premiered on CBC Television on January 5, 2020, and found its American audience on Hulu, where it debuted on January 17, 2019. The show's international footprint extends well beyond North America: it was picked up by Universal Kids in the United States, CBBC in the United Kingdom, Norddeutscher Rundfunk in Germany, ABC Me in Australia, Sveriges Television in Sweden, NRK in Norway, and Gloob in Brazil, giving the story of four foster kids and a stranded alien a genuinely global audience. In October 2019, the series was renewed for a second season of twelve episodes. Production on that season commenced in October 2019, with filming scheduled to begin in Guelph on January 6, 2020. The renewal confirmed confidence in the show's blend of family drama and speculative adventure, ensuring the Leopold household's story would continue beyond its initial twelve-episode run.