A world that's in the grips of chaos and panic as an unknown entity threatens to tear the very fabric of society. An environment where the principles of truth, empathy and kindness are under attack from those that doubt people with intelligence and knowledge.
In this era of uncertainty and paranoia, the world turns to new heroes that redefines the image of the traditional hero.
How? Well, brains, bravery and compassion are needed to save humanity, not brawn.
All this might sound familiar and topical but in The Mysterious Benedict Society, Disney + have a show that's guaranteed to capture the imaginations of audiences around the globe.
Based on the best-selling book series by Trenton Lee Stewart, the series touches upon the eerily prescient themes that we've all experienced during the pandemic along with the rise of fake news and the ridiculous campaign to doubt and discredit experts.
This all might sound heavy for a kids show but fear not, The Mysterious Benedict Society is also a riot as it cleverly mixes puzzles, mystery and adventure.
Aside from this, we're also introduced to some brilliant characters that kids and adults will definitely relate to.
In terms of plot, the show follows four gifted orphans who are recruited by the eccentric Mr Benedict (Tony Hale) to save the world.
After winning a scholarship competition, the four gifted orphans are recruited by Mr Benedict for a dangerous mission to save the world from a global crisis known as The Emergency.
It's up to Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance to infiltrate the mysterious L.I.V.E. Institute and discover the truth behind the crisis.
When the headmaster, the sophisticated Dr Curtain appears to be behind this worldwide panic, the kids must devise a plan to defeat him.
Speaking with the Irish Mirror, Tony Hale (Arrested Development, Veep) said that it wasn't too hard to draw from some real-life inspiration when it came to playing the role.
"When I got this show, the pandemic had not hit and I loved what Trent Stewart brought to the table with his books. But as you know, the show starts out when there's a global crisis called The Emergency that's creating fear and anxiety. My character, Mr Benedict brings these four kids together to find the source of it.
"These kids don't have crazy magical powers but their superpower is their intellect, their creativity and their empathy. Man, after this year, those are superpowers! Having those qualities is making a difference and can bring change. While shooting this, it was really difficult to not find constant parallels with what was going on in the world because there was so much chaos in the news. When you heard those voices of truth and empathy, they stood out. That's what it's about. Those are the voices that matter," said Hale.
As the eccentric and mysterious Mr Benedict, Hale's performance feels like it wouldn't be out of place in a Wes Anderson movie, while there's also nods to Willy Wonka and Lemony Snicket's Count Olaf.
With the world on a precipice, it's up to a team of precocious children to save the day and like all great children's adventures, each character brings something new to the table.
Meet Reynie (Mystic Inscho) - an extremely kind, brave and empathetic boy that has a gift for solving problems - and his friends; Sticky (Seth Carr), a nervous boy with a photographic memory; Kate (Emmy DeOliveira), a fearless daredevil that has a bucket of random items and accessories that would make MacGyver jealous; and Constance (Marta Timofeeva), a rebellious Russian girl who disagrees and challenges everything and everyone.
Together, the fate of the world is in their hands and when asked, Hale said he can see elements of his own younger self in all of these great new characters.
"Marta's defiance made me laugh all the time! She just wasn't having it, she was never having it! I can see a little bit of each character in myself, like Reynie's wide-eyedness to the world. I kind of saw a little bit of myself in all of them.
"I was probably a mash-up but definitely Reynie, Kate and Sticky. I don't know if I had much of Constance. I think maybe internally I wanted to but I was too much of a rules kid to say the stuff that she said! Even as an adult, I'd like to say some of the stuff she says!" said Hale.
Without getting into spoiler territory, Reynie gets his opportunity to shine after a teacher goes the extra mile and encourages him to achieve his full potential.
Having won Emmy Awards and starred in iconic comedies like Arrested Development and Veep, Hale could identify with the universal message of the show - kindness and empathy can have a massive impact on someone's life, even if people can't see it.
"If I'm honest, I don't think it's just one person that helped me. I think God has placed many people in my path to give me that encouragement and I always tell people that before they start their career, they should invest in their community. Because it's the community that's going to continually give you the strength to continue on. This business has a lot of rejection and you can feel really insecure at times but having that community around you helps. It can really push you forward.
"I've had a lot of people that have been placed in my life and they all help to keep me going. I'm really thankful for that. I think in terms of my career, although I didn't really know him that well, Tim Conway from The Carol Burnett Show was a massive inspiration to me growing up.
"He was just like this beacon of comedy to me but he never pushed the comedy, it was always very subtle and very real to me. I just always looked at him and thought, 'Whoo. I like that style.' He was always this kind of far away encouragement to me."
The Mysterious Benedict Society is now available to watch on Disney +
