The quest must go on.......but not now.
Hey everyone. If you're reading this, you're probably wondering why I stopped doing Mike's Quest after one episode. Well, the answer to that is simple: My procrastination took over. Now I could do some more episodes of these shows by the end of 2016, but December starts this week. And you know what that means.
It means the holidays are coming up. And of course, what better way to celebrate this time of year than by reviewing Christmas episodes? I feel like I failed last year because all I reviewed was Ho Ho Holidays, something so traumatic and ridiculous it made me question why I even bother reviewing anything outside of Girl Meets World (which I already stopped reviewing episode by episode due to having my intelligence insulted) and The Thundermans, which is really only good for special episodes because that's when they pull out all the stops and give me a lot of material to work with. So this coming month, I'm going to be knee deep in Christmas reviews. Since this is a blog where you can exercise your creative rights, I will be reviewing other episodes that aren't a part of Nickelodeon or Disney. But they have to stand out, not just be average, but either really good or really bad. Like the Simpsons episode where Bart is caught shoplifting. If I can find something as bad as Henry Danger's Christmas episode, I'll do that too. I'm pulling out all the stops this month.
As for the Quest, I'm not abandoning that. I still want to review one episode of every Nick/Disney live-action sitcom that's currently on right now. But since December is right around the corner, I don't want to kill myself. By the end of the week, to cap off November, I hope to complete reviews of Game Shakers and School of Rock. I just want to get those two out of the way before working extra hard in December. Then in January, I'll complete the Quest. Hopefully. I already failed to deliver on one promise, but I want to step it up as a reviewer and give you a lot more of my thoughts next month to make up for it.
Yeah, so by the end of the week, Game Shakers and School of Rock. Keep banging. :)
RANDOM THOUGHTS
-You guys hear about that Hannah Montana marathon coming up? That should really pull in some ratings. I'm not joking. I don't doubt people talking about it on the first night and Disney Channel getting a big ratings spike. You have to remember that Hannah Montana came during a time when it was really easy to get high ratings on cable. When Nickelodeon had iCarly, Disney had that to counter it. I don't even hate the show like a lot of other people do. In fact, growing up, I liked it and it's only been off for a couple years so how badly could it have aged? I'm going to feel like I just saw every episode yesterday, even the ones I haven't seen in a really long time. So for all the people who love to criticize the show, let me ask you this: Is kids live-action seriously better off now than before?
-This weekend is the Legends of the Hidden Temple movie. I don't really get the purpose of adapting a movie from a game show but I guess the show had more material to work with than I thought. I'm just glad Nickelodeon is still giving Isabela Moner jobs.
-As far as I know, Disney Channel has yet to renew Girl Meets World for a fourth season. I'm not really all that shaken up by it. In this day and age, a lot of shows get renewed very quickly. Shows like Star vs. The Forces of Evil and Legends of Chamberlain Heights were renewed for a second season before the first episode even aired. However, with Disney Channel and Girl Meets World, it's the complete opposite. Something tells me that Disney was unhappy with the ratings from season two and was really hesitant about renewing the show. Season three wasn't confirmed for several months. Besides, it seems like the actors have already started packing it in. While I'm not happy about the show being treated like this, it's pretty obvious that it wasn't nearly as good as it could have been and didn't get the ratings Disney was hoping for. Expectations were high, and after watching several more Boy Meets World episodes for the first time, it was clear that GMW was never going to surpass it. It could have been a great successor, but in the end it was just okay. Interesting fact, Fuller House is a monster hit on Netflix so far. That nostalgia train just keeps chugging along.
-Keeping that in mind, I don't really know how this That's So Raven reboot is going to turn out. I didn't grow up with Boy Meets World so I was more willing to give GMW a chance. But That's So Raven was a classic Disney Channel show and I don't know how they're going to handle the reboot. Especially in today's era where there's no show bringing in the ratings and good reviews like that. I guess only time will tell.
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
So let's come up with a bunch of episodes for Mike to watch (an evolving document/post)
Ok so Mike wants a list of episodes to watch for review of different Disney Channel and Nickelodeon shows. Not only that but he wants at least one episode for every such show. So let's go ahead and come up with that list!
Because I frequently forget that certain shows even exist I'll be coming back and adding those. Let's start with the ones I actually know off the top of my head!
I'm also going to assume Mike wants some actual good episodes to watch so I'll be strictly featuring those, with some exceptions that will be indicated with notes:
Jessie
I suggested to Christian and Sean that they should check out Green-Eyed Monsters and that turned out to be kind of a mistake.... So instead I'll recommend Mike check out Tempest in a Teacup instead. I think that one for the most part avoids all the stuff Christian and Sean didn't like in the previous episode.Also, probably a good idea to avoid the final season entirely.
Good Luck Charlie
Futuredrama seems to be one people like a lot, although I think that has less to do with the actual episode and more to do with the fact that future Charlie is played by none other than Heather Locklear's daughter, but hey, there's nothing wrong with the episode itself. I also really liked Up a Tree (which also seems to be regarded as a classic) and Teddy's Lonely Hearts Club.
ANT Farm
influANTces (yes that's how the episode is actually spelled) is probably hands-down the best of the series, although I'm partial to endurANTs for some weird reason. And as with Jessie it's probably best just avoid the final season entirely.
Wizards of Waverly Place
Eh, re-watching the show in rerun form, it's not as good as I remember. It's easier to come up with a list of episodes to avoid, although even the worst episodes aren't that bad either. Definitely something in Season 3 to get the full 720p benefit, but not Season 4 where everything went into that senior slump. Maybe Alex Russo, Matchmaker? (No, I'm not posing a question...well, I guess I am, but the question mark is also part of the actual episode title - yeah WoWP episode titles get wonky probably because for the most part they just didn't give a damn when coming up with them) Or if you have to go with a Season 4 episode I guess the whole Wizards vs. Angels arch (you'll get to see a pre-ANT Farm China Ann McClain in that one!)
Suite Life on Deck
International Date Line is by far the funniest, Party On! is an awful piece of shit that makes me want to punch people in the face and represents exactly why sometimes people actively hate this network. If you want to go with something in "glorious" 720p format Senior Ditch Day is probably going to be the best.
Bunk'd
The first Luke episode, or even the recent Halloween one. Avoid: pretty much the entire first season, most of the second season. It's still a pretty awful show, though I have to begrudgingly admit it's gone through the sophomore season improvement process.
Bizaardvark
Yeah this show is a pile of meh so you might as well go with the Halloween episode since it's the funniest so far or the one with the cats because cats.
Stuck in the Middle
Eh the Rachel Platten one (Stuck in the Harley Car) because why not, or I thought Stuck in Harley's Comet was pretty good too.
Phineas and Ferb
The first Meep episode, full-stop (it's the episode that not only got me into Phineas and Ferb but the rest of Disney Channel and ultimately the existence of this very blog), or Where's Perry?
Gravity Falls
Honestly you just need to see the series in its entirety to really appreciate it, but Fight Fighters is the one that convinced me it's worth that time investment.
Shake it Up
Review-it-Up is the one with Ben Savage in it and honestly it's not that bad, and I really liked I Do-it-Up as far as episodes that come to mind, especially a decent S3 episode. The easiest episode to find, actually, might be Shake it Up, Up and Away because if you can find a copy of Geek Charming at your library it's automatically included in that disk (plus it's a two-fer-one!) I also really liked Made in Japan, which is effectively a multi-cam DCOM (it was even aired in one go).
Liv and Maddie
As long as you for the most part just avoid Season 1 you can't really go wrong (I even like Cali-style so far!) but Rate-a-Rooney is one of the few episodes of anything period to get GMW-like attention that isn't GMW, and for actual good reasons.
Best Friends Whenever
I actually like this show but it does tend to be very consistent in quality so you might as well just pick any one that isn't part of a multi-episode arc. If I had to pick a specific one I'd go with When Shelby met Cyd.
Dog with a Blog
Guess Who's Dating Karl (yeah they didn't exactly put their most creative efforts into these titles) is probably the funniest one.
Austin and Ally
I really liked Diners and Daters and Albums and Auditions but it's one of those shows where either the whole series will have appeal, or it won't. That said it kind of has the weird effect of the middle two seasons being the worst (it's like they just stopped caring and started throwing up just whatever shit they felt like).
So Random!!
Uhhhh...besides not really being into variety shows, especially kids shows, and this series just bungling up this whole concept in the first place (there's a reason why it was a One Season Wonder) yeah, you might as well pick any but I think you'd be better off just skipping this series entirely. No one will judge you for it.
JONAS/JONAS LA
Again, of the few I have seen I think they're pretty interchangeable in quality and I haven't actually seen a single episode of L.A. so again you're on your own.
That's So Raven
Probably Save the Last Dance, that was a nice one.
Cory in the House
I did see a few episodes of this but I don't really remember them that well so yeah you're on your own for this one too.
Phil of the Future
It's just a really good series I think so just feel free to take your pick.
Even Stevens
Probably A Very Scary Story, though overall I think the series is pretty good too. You can also try the DCOM, which is one of my favorites.
Kim Possible
It might be a little hard to follow if you don't know all the characters and ins and outs since it tends to be very self-referential, but if you want to be really adventurous you can try the Sitch in Time arc (it's really a DCOM in all but name) or the actual DCOM, So The Drama. The Christmas one is also fondly remembered too, if only for The Six Tasks of Snowman Hank.
The Proud Family
The best episode I've seen, actually, is the DCOM.
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
The reason why this is so far down the list is because it took me a while to think of one that I think would really appeal to a first-timer, but then I gave up and I'm just going to say Wish Gone Amiss (is that the episode title?)
Lizzie McGuire
I honestly find this series terminally boring to the point where it tends to literally put me to sleep, but I liked Magic Train (or at least the concept behind it)
The Thundermans
Mike seems to already have this covered as it is, but for the sake of other readers I really did like A Hero is Born.
School of Rock
I still think this show is awful, just not quite as awful, but I did somehow manage to like I Put a Spell on You (and it does have Daya in it). Pretty much avoid the entire first season at all costs as its pretty uniform garbage, yes including the Kira Kosarin one, in fact it's one of the worst of all.
Bella and the Bulldogs
I actually thought what turned out to be the series finale was the best.
Henry Danger
I mention an episode in one of the reviews so I need to go look up what it is.
Game Shakers
...I just can't stand this show and really I think you're better off avoiding it entirely so, no deal.
VicTORious
...am I nuts for really liking Wanko's Warehouse? Really, this and Drake and Josh is going to be Peak Schneider, yes even with iCarly. Speaking of which...
iCarly
iKiss Freddie, no really.
I have to get back to questing this month. I'm still sticking to Game Shakers and School of Rock being the next two shows.
Also, thank you for the work you put into this post, Unknown. Of course, to keep myself from going completely insane, I'm only tackling shows that are currently making new episodes. I have no relationship with Disney XD at all so, um......that's something that might have to wait. To make sure your work doesn't go to waste, I guess I'll give my thoughts on each show listed here.
Jessie: I might just check out the episodes Unknown suggested to save time. I was never a big fan of this show, but it was a lot better when the kids were younger. After Luke went through puberty and they tried ignoring the fact that Ravi's accent no longer worked, it fell off......hard. The series finale pretty much was a reflection of what the show turned into, while also reminding me of what it used to be. Also, I can't be the only one thinking this, but Bertram looks like Uncle Phil and somewhat acts like Geoffrey. Don't tell me you never thought about it.
Good Luck Charlie: When I was younger, my best friend and I both had crushes on Bridgit Mendler. I got over it once she cut her hair. Anyway, I always liked this show. I remember reading that the creators wanted something more grounded and realistic than what was on kids TV at the time, and I can definitely see the attempt. It was always consistent, had some well-done comedy, and it felt like we could relate to the characters as viewers. Also, Gabe got a lot funnier as he aged, to the point where he became the most entertaining character in the last season. I'm ready to debate.
A.N.T. Farm: This show is a shining example of what happens when you change things for the sake of changing things. I don't know why they had the kids move to a new location in the last season. I don't know why they stripped away the best characters and replaced them with guys who weren't nearly as entertaining. I don't know why Fletcher became "special" in the other sense in season three. And I don't know why they had Olive and Fletcher play Sam and Freddie and start dating. Seriously, why not put Chyna and Fletcher together? No one wanted to see Olive and Fletcher get it on! Despite all that, the first two seasons were comedy gold and nobody will remember season three. Cameron was a riot all by himself, along with Chyna's father. The episode where Chyna made Cameron think he was a psychic cracks me up thinking about it, along with the one where Cameron had an imaginary girlfriend.
Wizards of Waverly Place: Okay, let's get this bandage off right now: I like the show, and I also dislike it. I liked the first two seasons when it was goofier and felt more relatable. The last two seasons felt way too melodramatic at times and you could tell that the movie had way too much of an influence on the writing at some point. It's like the writers felt the need to make every episode feel epic, when it used to be an everyday sitcom that had supernatural elements. The show went on too long, Max became way too much of an idiot (to the point where his own family was scared of the thought of him becoming family wizard), and that last episode they did a year after the finale was pointless. Max should have won the competition. I'm just saying, they could have pulled it off as a story arc if they wanted to.
Suite Life on Deck: Eh, pretty good show. The graduation episode was pretty emotional, and the characters......did their stuff. I remember the episodes after Cody and Bailey broke up being hard to watch, mostly because of how awkward their interactions were. You could tell there was no reason for them to break up at all and they just did it so they could inevitably get back together in dramatic fashion. I don't know whether or not I like this show better than the original because neither one was especially good or especially bad.
Bunk'd: Get out of here with that awful theme song. I know I'm going to hate whatever freaking episode I decide to review. If the original show was already declining, and this pointless spin-off has the exact same team working on it, then I have my work cut out for me. I'm not looking forward to talking about this show at all. The only thing I'm wondering is what snarky jokes I'll come up with.
Bizaardvark: I saw a little bit of this show weeks ago. All I remember was that it was painfully unfunny. My funny bone passed out upon absorbing whatever little bit what was on screen. I can't be sure, but I think this is Disney Channel's response to iCarly, even though nobody wanted one in the first place. I don't think this show is going to be very interesting.
Stuck in the Middle: That single-camera format really throws me off and makes me not even want to watch this show. I think it's not the format itself, just how they employ it. Like Bizaardvark, I really don't expect anything from this show at all. Hopefully, it just turns out decent and inoffensive.
Phineas and Ferb: Seriously one of the best kids cartoons I have ever seen. If early SpongeBob had a baby with early Simpsons, this would be the result. It's hilarious, it's fun, the music was always enjoyable, the characters were all charming in their own way. It was the last reminder of an old era of animation until The Loud House showed up. My only complaint is that it should have ended after the movie. That movie was pure, uncut perfection and the show never reached that height again. I'm serious. If you stop watching the show after the movie, it goes out in a blaze of glory. If you include the episodes they made after, it just ends peacefully. Either way, this was a really great show and deserves credit for thriving in an era of mediocrity.
Gravity Falls: Another bandage to rip off here. I haven't seen much of this show at all. What I have seen entertained me, and I don't doubt that it was one of the best cartoons out, but I just never had a big interest in watching it. Maybe I'll sit down and check out some more episodes one day. Also, props to Alex Hirsch for quitting while he was ahead and ending the show on a high note. Very few shows get the chance to go out on their own terms, especially when they're good enough to justify the ratings so he has my respect.
Shake It Up: I liked this show from the moment it came out. I don't know, I just did. I liked the feeling it gave me and those season one episodes have that charming innocence I gravitate to. I'm just glad the show ended before Davis Cleveland lost his cute kid charm because......he did. Watch the movie Rufus if you don't believe me. I was devastated. Also, the episode where we find out about Cece's dyslexia was......genuinely emotional. Bella Thorne had the performance of her life near the end. I say this now because I have no idea what she's good at these days. I liked her extra-pop songs in 2011/2012, I confess.
Liv and Maddie: I'm just going to avoid the first season and the current one because one of them is apparently garbage and the other one most likely has three years of stories invested in it so I'll stick to the middle. This is apparently the best, of the best.........of the best, of the best, of the best.......that Disney Channel has to offer. I'll be the judge of that.
Best Friends Whenever: Landry Bender grew up and turned out pretty cute. Who knew? Anyway, I don't know what to say about this show. I liked the Halloween episode, and the guest appearances by Riley and Lucas were pretty funny, but I feel like I'm going to be disappointed. I mean, there was one episode where I literally could not understand what Shelby and Cyd were talking about. What the hell is a slamrito? This is not Seinfeld, I shouldn't have to tune in at the beginning to know what's going on. Or at the very least, have to use a translator because apparently, teenagers talk like that now.
Dog with a Blog: No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. NO. Hey, remember when Avery had that social media thing and she ended up getting stalked by a bicycle shop owner? Wait, wrong show.
Austin and Ally: I agree with Unknown. You either like the whole show or you don't. I personally liked the show, but you could take or leave a handful of episodes. Also, I liked the remix they did on the theme song in the last season. I didn't like Austin's stupid haircut though.
So Random: Without Demi Lovato, this show has no legs to stand on. Instead of getting season three of Sonny with a Chance, we were stuck with this. I know why things turned out the way they did, but still, it's disappointing. I don't know what to say about this show either. If I ever tackle a sketch comedy show here, it will be either Chappelle's Show or In Living Color. Also, this might be a nitpick, but why didn't this show have the same theme song it did when it was a part of SWAC?
JONAS/JONAS L.A.: Nobody ever talks about this show. The Jonas Brothers themselves want to forget this show ever happened, and honestly, if I were them, I might feel the same way. But I really liked the first season. It was goofy, it was fun, it was charming, it was easy to enjoy. Then they moved to Los Angeles and everything I liked about this show was destroyed. The music was good but it's the Jonas Brothers so I expected that. I don't know how I feel about Macy's character change. I know they address it, but it's like, they completely changed her character around. In season one, she had an actual personality. In season two, she has none. It's weird. The first season was great though. The second season can kick rocks, I don't mess with it.
That's So Raven: Arguably the best live-action show Disney Channel has ever put out. We can debate it, but this series has way too many classics. The Black History Month episode, the Pushover Patterson episode, the uniform/stinky cheese episode, the musical episode. Okay, maybe not way too many, but this was definitely a show worth watching again. By the way, that reboot they have planned will most likely be mediocre but hopefully, this blog will still be around on premiere night.
Cory in the House: I don't think there was a reason for this show to exist. Cory was never the best character and with a new location, he had to play off of people who he didn't gel with like on That's So Raven. That's what I hate about spin-offs. They take the funniest character and build a show around them without giving them comedic foils or straight men. That's what made them funny on the original show! I don't know. This show was probably just unsalvageable.
Phil of the Future: He's a 21st-century man! I remember bits and pieces of episodes but it's been a long time since I've seen anything so my memory is almost completely shot. I remember it being an entertaining show.
Even Stevens: Without this show, Disney Channel wouldn't have inspired an entire generation of smart-mouthed kids with their brilliant comedies. I think this show might just be a product of its time. I don't know what I'm saying, it's been a really long time since I've seen anything from this show. I definitely remember it being an innovator.
Kim Possible: This show was originally going to end after So the Drama (great movie by the way) but Disney Channel wanted more episodes so in came season four, which the writers actually put their work into. They could have easily let the show decline once it was revived but they took it seriously. "Grande Size Me" is one of the best episodes in the series. I have nothing bad to say about this show. Definitely one of the best ones the network ever put out.
The Proud Family: This show was originally pitched to Nickelodeon. Could you imagine what they would have done to it? This show was right where it needed to be. It was hilarious, had some nice lessons sprinkled in, and really treated the black community with respect instead of talking down to it. Next month, I might even review the Kwanzaa episode because, let's face it, it was a really entertaining episode. The movie was hyped up for weeks but ended up living up to the hype and was a great way to end the series. Seriously, what the hell happened to Disney Channel?
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody: The Suite 613 episode. That's all I'm going to say about that. It's a classic. Anyway, I really don't know about this show. I think some of it doesn't hold up years later and some of it does. I liked it when it was out, but whether or not it was better than the spin-off is anyone's guess. I can't believe they got Chris Brown as a guest star. You know, before all that stuff happened.
Lizzie McGuire: Unknown's opinion is very refreshing. I recognize that this show was a pioneer and everything, but I was never crazy about it and I feel like it might be overrated. Was it a bad show? Of course not, but it was definitely a product of its time. The theme song is classic without a shadow of a doubt, even though I have no idea if that's a man or a woman singing it.
The Thundermans: To quote Birdman, "I said it already. I did it already."
School of Rock: I don't have an opinion on this show yet so give me time, but I just wanted to talk about the Daya episode for a bit. When the promos first came out, I literally had no idea who Daya was. I thought she won American Idol or something. Then I look her up and I see she was never on American Idol but she was on a Chainsmokers single. So she's just a rising singer and in the promos, it looks like she's this world famous pop star? What the hell? Just because someone famous appears on a show, doesn't mean you have to treat them like the second coming. Daya's not even that big a name yet for the audience to care about her like that. I bet kids were soiling themselves just to see what Daya would do on a sitcom where she probably only has three generic lines.
Come on, man, give me a break. These kids never heard "Don't Let Me Down," Daya is not a big name to them at all. That would be like if Cimorelli showed up on The Thundermans and everybody creamed their pants. It's not realistic because acts like Cimorelli are unknown to the general audience. Like I said, I didn't even know who Daya was before the promos so having Dewey treat her like Taylor Swift or, screw it, Beyonce is ridiculous and laughable.
Bella and the Bulldogs: From what I've seen, this is not a bad show at all. I really wish Nickelodeon would have given this more of a chance but the review will hopefully put everything in perspective.
Henry Danger: "I said it already. I did it already." - Birdman
Game Shakers: I'll get to you. You know what, while we're on the topic, the pilot was absolutely horrendous and a bad remake of the iCarly one.
Victorious: This probably deserves its own review, but let me just save time here: I loved the first season, liked the second season, wasn't crazy about the third season and hated the fourth season. I don't know what Nickelodeon was thinking when they cancelled it, but it was an inconsistent show anyway so maybe there was a good reason. This show was actually really good at taking odd ideas (April Fools, blooper episode) and doing them really well, in stark contrast to when iCarly did them. Speaking of which......
iCarly: One of the last good kids shows we had. It was more clever than it had any right to be and the early seasons hold up pretty well. The show went on longer than it should have and was on autopilot for an entire year before it ended, but there was something special about it that a lot of kids shows right now are lacking. It felt like the show everyone should be watching. New episodes felt like big events. Its roster of guest stars was really impressive for a kids show, ranging from Jim Parsons to Michelle Obama to Jimmy Fallon and The Roots. It even got mentioned by Family Guy. iCarly may very well be the last show of its kind.
Because I frequently forget that certain shows even exist I'll be coming back and adding those. Let's start with the ones I actually know off the top of my head!
I'm also going to assume Mike wants some actual good episodes to watch so I'll be strictly featuring those, with some exceptions that will be indicated with notes:
Jessie
I suggested to Christian and Sean that they should check out Green-Eyed Monsters and that turned out to be kind of a mistake.... So instead I'll recommend Mike check out Tempest in a Teacup instead. I think that one for the most part avoids all the stuff Christian and Sean didn't like in the previous episode.Also, probably a good idea to avoid the final season entirely.
Good Luck Charlie
Futuredrama seems to be one people like a lot, although I think that has less to do with the actual episode and more to do with the fact that future Charlie is played by none other than Heather Locklear's daughter, but hey, there's nothing wrong with the episode itself. I also really liked Up a Tree (which also seems to be regarded as a classic) and Teddy's Lonely Hearts Club.
ANT Farm
influANTces (yes that's how the episode is actually spelled) is probably hands-down the best of the series, although I'm partial to endurANTs for some weird reason. And as with Jessie it's probably best just avoid the final season entirely.
Wizards of Waverly Place
Eh, re-watching the show in rerun form, it's not as good as I remember. It's easier to come up with a list of episodes to avoid, although even the worst episodes aren't that bad either. Definitely something in Season 3 to get the full 720p benefit, but not Season 4 where everything went into that senior slump. Maybe Alex Russo, Matchmaker? (No, I'm not posing a question...well, I guess I am, but the question mark is also part of the actual episode title - yeah WoWP episode titles get wonky probably because for the most part they just didn't give a damn when coming up with them) Or if you have to go with a Season 4 episode I guess the whole Wizards vs. Angels arch (you'll get to see a pre-ANT Farm China Ann McClain in that one!)
Suite Life on Deck
International Date Line is by far the funniest, Party On! is an awful piece of shit that makes me want to punch people in the face and represents exactly why sometimes people actively hate this network. If you want to go with something in "glorious" 720p format Senior Ditch Day is probably going to be the best.
Bunk'd
The first Luke episode, or even the recent Halloween one. Avoid: pretty much the entire first season, most of the second season. It's still a pretty awful show, though I have to begrudgingly admit it's gone through the sophomore season improvement process.
Bizaardvark
Yeah this show is a pile of meh so you might as well go with the Halloween episode since it's the funniest so far or the one with the cats because cats.
Stuck in the Middle
Eh the Rachel Platten one (Stuck in the Harley Car) because why not, or I thought Stuck in Harley's Comet was pretty good too.
Phineas and Ferb
The first Meep episode, full-stop (it's the episode that not only got me into Phineas and Ferb but the rest of Disney Channel and ultimately the existence of this very blog), or Where's Perry?
Gravity Falls
Honestly you just need to see the series in its entirety to really appreciate it, but Fight Fighters is the one that convinced me it's worth that time investment.
Shake it Up
Review-it-Up is the one with Ben Savage in it and honestly it's not that bad, and I really liked I Do-it-Up as far as episodes that come to mind, especially a decent S3 episode. The easiest episode to find, actually, might be Shake it Up, Up and Away because if you can find a copy of Geek Charming at your library it's automatically included in that disk (plus it's a two-fer-one!) I also really liked Made in Japan, which is effectively a multi-cam DCOM (it was even aired in one go).
Liv and Maddie
As long as you for the most part just avoid Season 1 you can't really go wrong (I even like Cali-style so far!) but Rate-a-Rooney is one of the few episodes of anything period to get GMW-like attention that isn't GMW, and for actual good reasons.
Best Friends Whenever
I actually like this show but it does tend to be very consistent in quality so you might as well just pick any one that isn't part of a multi-episode arc. If I had to pick a specific one I'd go with When Shelby met Cyd.
Dog with a Blog
Guess Who's Dating Karl (yeah they didn't exactly put their most creative efforts into these titles) is probably the funniest one.
Austin and Ally
I really liked Diners and Daters and Albums and Auditions but it's one of those shows where either the whole series will have appeal, or it won't. That said it kind of has the weird effect of the middle two seasons being the worst (it's like they just stopped caring and started throwing up just whatever shit they felt like).
So Random!!
Uhhhh...besides not really being into variety shows, especially kids shows, and this series just bungling up this whole concept in the first place (there's a reason why it was a One Season Wonder) yeah, you might as well pick any but I think you'd be better off just skipping this series entirely. No one will judge you for it.
JONAS/JONAS LA
Again, of the few I have seen I think they're pretty interchangeable in quality and I haven't actually seen a single episode of L.A. so again you're on your own.
That's So Raven
Probably Save the Last Dance, that was a nice one.
Cory in the House
I did see a few episodes of this but I don't really remember them that well so yeah you're on your own for this one too.
Phil of the Future
It's just a really good series I think so just feel free to take your pick.
Even Stevens
Probably A Very Scary Story, though overall I think the series is pretty good too. You can also try the DCOM, which is one of my favorites.
Kim Possible
It might be a little hard to follow if you don't know all the characters and ins and outs since it tends to be very self-referential, but if you want to be really adventurous you can try the Sitch in Time arc (it's really a DCOM in all but name) or the actual DCOM, So The Drama. The Christmas one is also fondly remembered too, if only for The Six Tasks of Snowman Hank.
The Proud Family
The best episode I've seen, actually, is the DCOM.
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
The reason why this is so far down the list is because it took me a while to think of one that I think would really appeal to a first-timer, but then I gave up and I'm just going to say Wish Gone Amiss (is that the episode title?)
Lizzie McGuire
I honestly find this series terminally boring to the point where it tends to literally put me to sleep, but I liked Magic Train (or at least the concept behind it)
The Thundermans
Mike seems to already have this covered as it is, but for the sake of other readers I really did like A Hero is Born.
School of Rock
I still think this show is awful, just not quite as awful, but I did somehow manage to like I Put a Spell on You (and it does have Daya in it). Pretty much avoid the entire first season at all costs as its pretty uniform garbage, yes including the Kira Kosarin one, in fact it's one of the worst of all.
Bella and the Bulldogs
I actually thought what turned out to be the series finale was the best.
Henry Danger
I mention an episode in one of the reviews so I need to go look up what it is.
Game Shakers
...I just can't stand this show and really I think you're better off avoiding it entirely so, no deal.
VicTORious
...am I nuts for really liking Wanko's Warehouse? Really, this and Drake and Josh is going to be Peak Schneider, yes even with iCarly. Speaking of which...
iCarly
iKiss Freddie, no really.
I have to get back to questing this month. I'm still sticking to Game Shakers and School of Rock being the next two shows.
Also, thank you for the work you put into this post, Unknown. Of course, to keep myself from going completely insane, I'm only tackling shows that are currently making new episodes. I have no relationship with Disney XD at all so, um......that's something that might have to wait. To make sure your work doesn't go to waste, I guess I'll give my thoughts on each show listed here.
Jessie: I might just check out the episodes Unknown suggested to save time. I was never a big fan of this show, but it was a lot better when the kids were younger. After Luke went through puberty and they tried ignoring the fact that Ravi's accent no longer worked, it fell off......hard. The series finale pretty much was a reflection of what the show turned into, while also reminding me of what it used to be. Also, I can't be the only one thinking this, but Bertram looks like Uncle Phil and somewhat acts like Geoffrey. Don't tell me you never thought about it.
Good Luck Charlie: When I was younger, my best friend and I both had crushes on Bridgit Mendler. I got over it once she cut her hair. Anyway, I always liked this show. I remember reading that the creators wanted something more grounded and realistic than what was on kids TV at the time, and I can definitely see the attempt. It was always consistent, had some well-done comedy, and it felt like we could relate to the characters as viewers. Also, Gabe got a lot funnier as he aged, to the point where he became the most entertaining character in the last season. I'm ready to debate.
A.N.T. Farm: This show is a shining example of what happens when you change things for the sake of changing things. I don't know why they had the kids move to a new location in the last season. I don't know why they stripped away the best characters and replaced them with guys who weren't nearly as entertaining. I don't know why Fletcher became "special" in the other sense in season three. And I don't know why they had Olive and Fletcher play Sam and Freddie and start dating. Seriously, why not put Chyna and Fletcher together? No one wanted to see Olive and Fletcher get it on! Despite all that, the first two seasons were comedy gold and nobody will remember season three. Cameron was a riot all by himself, along with Chyna's father. The episode where Chyna made Cameron think he was a psychic cracks me up thinking about it, along with the one where Cameron had an imaginary girlfriend.
Wizards of Waverly Place: Okay, let's get this bandage off right now: I like the show, and I also dislike it. I liked the first two seasons when it was goofier and felt more relatable. The last two seasons felt way too melodramatic at times and you could tell that the movie had way too much of an influence on the writing at some point. It's like the writers felt the need to make every episode feel epic, when it used to be an everyday sitcom that had supernatural elements. The show went on too long, Max became way too much of an idiot (to the point where his own family was scared of the thought of him becoming family wizard), and that last episode they did a year after the finale was pointless. Max should have won the competition. I'm just saying, they could have pulled it off as a story arc if they wanted to.
Suite Life on Deck: Eh, pretty good show. The graduation episode was pretty emotional, and the characters......did their stuff. I remember the episodes after Cody and Bailey broke up being hard to watch, mostly because of how awkward their interactions were. You could tell there was no reason for them to break up at all and they just did it so they could inevitably get back together in dramatic fashion. I don't know whether or not I like this show better than the original because neither one was especially good or especially bad.
Bunk'd: Get out of here with that awful theme song. I know I'm going to hate whatever freaking episode I decide to review. If the original show was already declining, and this pointless spin-off has the exact same team working on it, then I have my work cut out for me. I'm not looking forward to talking about this show at all. The only thing I'm wondering is what snarky jokes I'll come up with.
Bizaardvark: I saw a little bit of this show weeks ago. All I remember was that it was painfully unfunny. My funny bone passed out upon absorbing whatever little bit what was on screen. I can't be sure, but I think this is Disney Channel's response to iCarly, even though nobody wanted one in the first place. I don't think this show is going to be very interesting.
Stuck in the Middle: That single-camera format really throws me off and makes me not even want to watch this show. I think it's not the format itself, just how they employ it. Like Bizaardvark, I really don't expect anything from this show at all. Hopefully, it just turns out decent and inoffensive.
Phineas and Ferb: Seriously one of the best kids cartoons I have ever seen. If early SpongeBob had a baby with early Simpsons, this would be the result. It's hilarious, it's fun, the music was always enjoyable, the characters were all charming in their own way. It was the last reminder of an old era of animation until The Loud House showed up. My only complaint is that it should have ended after the movie. That movie was pure, uncut perfection and the show never reached that height again. I'm serious. If you stop watching the show after the movie, it goes out in a blaze of glory. If you include the episodes they made after, it just ends peacefully. Either way, this was a really great show and deserves credit for thriving in an era of mediocrity.
Gravity Falls: Another bandage to rip off here. I haven't seen much of this show at all. What I have seen entertained me, and I don't doubt that it was one of the best cartoons out, but I just never had a big interest in watching it. Maybe I'll sit down and check out some more episodes one day. Also, props to Alex Hirsch for quitting while he was ahead and ending the show on a high note. Very few shows get the chance to go out on their own terms, especially when they're good enough to justify the ratings so he has my respect.
Shake It Up: I liked this show from the moment it came out. I don't know, I just did. I liked the feeling it gave me and those season one episodes have that charming innocence I gravitate to. I'm just glad the show ended before Davis Cleveland lost his cute kid charm because......he did. Watch the movie Rufus if you don't believe me. I was devastated. Also, the episode where we find out about Cece's dyslexia was......genuinely emotional. Bella Thorne had the performance of her life near the end. I say this now because I have no idea what she's good at these days. I liked her extra-pop songs in 2011/2012, I confess.
Liv and Maddie: I'm just going to avoid the first season and the current one because one of them is apparently garbage and the other one most likely has three years of stories invested in it so I'll stick to the middle. This is apparently the best, of the best.........of the best, of the best, of the best.......that Disney Channel has to offer. I'll be the judge of that.
Best Friends Whenever: Landry Bender grew up and turned out pretty cute. Who knew? Anyway, I don't know what to say about this show. I liked the Halloween episode, and the guest appearances by Riley and Lucas were pretty funny, but I feel like I'm going to be disappointed. I mean, there was one episode where I literally could not understand what Shelby and Cyd were talking about. What the hell is a slamrito? This is not Seinfeld, I shouldn't have to tune in at the beginning to know what's going on. Or at the very least, have to use a translator because apparently, teenagers talk like that now.
Dog with a Blog: No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. NO. Hey, remember when Avery had that social media thing and she ended up getting stalked by a bicycle shop owner? Wait, wrong show.
Austin and Ally: I agree with Unknown. You either like the whole show or you don't. I personally liked the show, but you could take or leave a handful of episodes. Also, I liked the remix they did on the theme song in the last season. I didn't like Austin's stupid haircut though.
So Random: Without Demi Lovato, this show has no legs to stand on. Instead of getting season three of Sonny with a Chance, we were stuck with this. I know why things turned out the way they did, but still, it's disappointing. I don't know what to say about this show either. If I ever tackle a sketch comedy show here, it will be either Chappelle's Show or In Living Color. Also, this might be a nitpick, but why didn't this show have the same theme song it did when it was a part of SWAC?
JONAS/JONAS L.A.: Nobody ever talks about this show. The Jonas Brothers themselves want to forget this show ever happened, and honestly, if I were them, I might feel the same way. But I really liked the first season. It was goofy, it was fun, it was charming, it was easy to enjoy. Then they moved to Los Angeles and everything I liked about this show was destroyed. The music was good but it's the Jonas Brothers so I expected that. I don't know how I feel about Macy's character change. I know they address it, but it's like, they completely changed her character around. In season one, she had an actual personality. In season two, she has none. It's weird. The first season was great though. The second season can kick rocks, I don't mess with it.
That's So Raven: Arguably the best live-action show Disney Channel has ever put out. We can debate it, but this series has way too many classics. The Black History Month episode, the Pushover Patterson episode, the uniform/stinky cheese episode, the musical episode. Okay, maybe not way too many, but this was definitely a show worth watching again. By the way, that reboot they have planned will most likely be mediocre but hopefully, this blog will still be around on premiere night.
Cory in the House: I don't think there was a reason for this show to exist. Cory was never the best character and with a new location, he had to play off of people who he didn't gel with like on That's So Raven. That's what I hate about spin-offs. They take the funniest character and build a show around them without giving them comedic foils or straight men. That's what made them funny on the original show! I don't know. This show was probably just unsalvageable.
Phil of the Future: He's a 21st-century man! I remember bits and pieces of episodes but it's been a long time since I've seen anything so my memory is almost completely shot. I remember it being an entertaining show.
Even Stevens: Without this show, Disney Channel wouldn't have inspired an entire generation of smart-mouthed kids with their brilliant comedies. I think this show might just be a product of its time. I don't know what I'm saying, it's been a really long time since I've seen anything from this show. I definitely remember it being an innovator.
Kim Possible: This show was originally going to end after So the Drama (great movie by the way) but Disney Channel wanted more episodes so in came season four, which the writers actually put their work into. They could have easily let the show decline once it was revived but they took it seriously. "Grande Size Me" is one of the best episodes in the series. I have nothing bad to say about this show. Definitely one of the best ones the network ever put out.
The Proud Family: This show was originally pitched to Nickelodeon. Could you imagine what they would have done to it? This show was right where it needed to be. It was hilarious, had some nice lessons sprinkled in, and really treated the black community with respect instead of talking down to it. Next month, I might even review the Kwanzaa episode because, let's face it, it was a really entertaining episode. The movie was hyped up for weeks but ended up living up to the hype and was a great way to end the series. Seriously, what the hell happened to Disney Channel?
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody: The Suite 613 episode. That's all I'm going to say about that. It's a classic. Anyway, I really don't know about this show. I think some of it doesn't hold up years later and some of it does. I liked it when it was out, but whether or not it was better than the spin-off is anyone's guess. I can't believe they got Chris Brown as a guest star. You know, before all that stuff happened.
Lizzie McGuire: Unknown's opinion is very refreshing. I recognize that this show was a pioneer and everything, but I was never crazy about it and I feel like it might be overrated. Was it a bad show? Of course not, but it was definitely a product of its time. The theme song is classic without a shadow of a doubt, even though I have no idea if that's a man or a woman singing it.
The Thundermans: To quote Birdman, "I said it already. I did it already."
School of Rock: I don't have an opinion on this show yet so give me time, but I just wanted to talk about the Daya episode for a bit. When the promos first came out, I literally had no idea who Daya was. I thought she won American Idol or something. Then I look her up and I see she was never on American Idol but she was on a Chainsmokers single. So she's just a rising singer and in the promos, it looks like she's this world famous pop star? What the hell? Just because someone famous appears on a show, doesn't mean you have to treat them like the second coming. Daya's not even that big a name yet for the audience to care about her like that. I bet kids were soiling themselves just to see what Daya would do on a sitcom where she probably only has three generic lines.
Come on, man, give me a break. These kids never heard "Don't Let Me Down," Daya is not a big name to them at all. That would be like if Cimorelli showed up on The Thundermans and everybody creamed their pants. It's not realistic because acts like Cimorelli are unknown to the general audience. Like I said, I didn't even know who Daya was before the promos so having Dewey treat her like Taylor Swift or, screw it, Beyonce is ridiculous and laughable.
Bella and the Bulldogs: From what I've seen, this is not a bad show at all. I really wish Nickelodeon would have given this more of a chance but the review will hopefully put everything in perspective.
Henry Danger: "I said it already. I did it already." - Birdman
Game Shakers: I'll get to you. You know what, while we're on the topic, the pilot was absolutely horrendous and a bad remake of the iCarly one.
Victorious: This probably deserves its own review, but let me just save time here: I loved the first season, liked the second season, wasn't crazy about the third season and hated the fourth season. I don't know what Nickelodeon was thinking when they cancelled it, but it was an inconsistent show anyway so maybe there was a good reason. This show was actually really good at taking odd ideas (April Fools, blooper episode) and doing them really well, in stark contrast to when iCarly did them. Speaking of which......
iCarly: One of the last good kids shows we had. It was more clever than it had any right to be and the early seasons hold up pretty well. The show went on longer than it should have and was on autopilot for an entire year before it ended, but there was something special about it that a lot of kids shows right now are lacking. It felt like the show everyone should be watching. New episodes felt like big events. Its roster of guest stars was really impressive for a kids show, ranging from Jim Parsons to Michelle Obama to Jimmy Fallon and The Roots. It even got mentioned by Family Guy. iCarly may very well be the last show of its kind.
So let's come up with a bunch of episodes for Mike to watch (an evolving document/post)
Ok so Mike wants a list of episodes to watch for review of different Disney Channel and Nickelodeon shows. Not only that but he wants at least one episode for every such show. So let's go ahead and come up with that list!
Because I frequently forget that certain shows even exist I'll be coming back and adding those. Let's start with the ones I actually know off the top of my head!
I'm also going to assume Mike wants some actual good episodes to watch so I'll be strictly featuring those, with some exceptions that will be indicated with notes:
Jessie
I suggested to Christian and Sean that they should check out Green-Eyed Monsters and that turned out to be kind of a mistake.... So instead I'll recommend Mike check out Tempest in a Teacup instead. I think that one for the most part avoids all the stuff Christian and Sean didn't like in the previous episode.Also, probably a good idea to avoid the final season entirely.
Good Luck Charlie
Futuredrama seems to be one people like a lot, although I think that has less to do with the actual episode and more to do with the fact that future Charlie is played by none other than Heather Locklear's daughter, but hey, there's nothing wrong with the episode itself. I also really liked Up a Tree (which also seems to be regarded as a classic) and Teddy's Lonely Hearts Club.
ANT Farm
influANTces (yes that's how the episode is actually spelled) is probably hands-down the best of the series, although I'm partial to endurANTs for some weird reason. And as with Jessie it's probably best just avoid the final season entirely.
Wizards of Waverly Place
Eh, re-watching the show in rerun form, it's not as good as I remember. It's easier to come up with a list of episodes to avoid, although even the worst episodes aren't that bad either. Definitely something in Season 3 to get the full 720p benefit, but not Season 4 where everything went into that senior slump. Maybe Alex Russo, Matchmaker? (No, I'm not posing a question...well, I guess I am, but the question mark is also part of the actual episode title - yeah WoWP episode titles get wonky probably because for the most part they just didn't give a damn when coming up with them) Or if you have to go with a Season 4 episode I guess the whole Wizards vs. Angels arch (you'll get to see a pre-ANT Farm China Ann McClain in that one!)
Suite Life on Deck
International Date Line is by far the funniest, Party On! is an awful piece of shit that makes me want to punch people in the face and represents exactly why sometimes people actively hate this network. If you want to go with something in "glorious" 720p format Senior Ditch Day is probably going to be the best.
Bunk'd
The first Luke episode, or even the recent Halloween one. Avoid: pretty much the entire first season, most of the second season. It's still a pretty awful show, though I have to begrudgingly admit it's gone through the sophomore season improvement process.
Bizaardvark
Yeah this show is a pile of meh so you might as well go with the Halloween episode since it's the funniest so far or the one with the cats because cats.
Stuck in the Middle
Eh the Rachel Platten one (Stuck in the Harley Car) because why not, or I thought Stuck in Harley's Comet was pretty good too.
Phineas and Ferb
The first Meep episode, full-stop (it's the episode that not only got me into Phineas and Ferb but the rest of Disney Channel and ultimately the existence of this very blog), or Where's Perry?
Gravity Falls
Honestly you just need to see the series in its entirety to really appreciate it, but Fight Fighters is the one that convinced me it's worth that time investment.
Shake it Up
Review-it-Up is the one with Ben Savage in it and honestly it's not that bad, and I really liked I Do-it-Up as far as episodes that come to mind, especially a decent S3 episode. The easiest episode to find, actually, might be Shake it Up, Up and Away because if you can find a copy of Geek Charming at your library it's automatically included in that disk (plus it's a two-fer-one!) I also really liked Made in Japan, which is effectively a multi-cam DCOM (it was even aired in one go).
Liv and Maddie
As long as you for the most part just avoid Season 1 you can't really go wrong (I even like Cali-style so far!) but Rate-a-Rooney is one of the few episodes of anything period to get GMW-like attention that isn't GMW, and for actual good reasons.
Best Friends Whenever
I actually like this show but it does tend to be very consistent in quality so you might as well just pick any one that isn't part of a multi-episode arc. If I had to pick a specific one I'd go with When Shelby met Cyd.
Dog with a Blog
Guess Who's Dating Karl (yeah they didn't exactly put their most creative efforts into these titles) is probably the funniest one.
Austin and Ally
I really liked Diners and Daters and Albums and Auditions but it's one of those shows where either the whole series will have appeal, or it won't. That said it kind of has the weird effect of the middle two seasons being the worst (it's like they just stopped caring and started throwing up just whatever shit they felt like).
So Random!!
Uhhhh...besides not really being into variety shows, especially kids shows, and this series just bungling up this whole concept in the first place (there's a reason why it was a One Season Wonder) yeah, you might as well pick any but I think you'd be better off just skipping this series entirely. No one will judge you for it.
JONAS/JONAS LA
Again, of the few I have seen I think they're pretty interchangeable in quality and I haven't actually seen a single episode of L.A. so again you're on your own.
That's So Raven
Probably Save the Last Dance, that was a nice one.
Cory in the House
I did see a few episodes of this but I don't really remember them that well so yeah you're on your own for this one too.
Phil of the Future
It's just a really good series I think so just feel free to take your pick.
Even Stevens
Probably A Very Scary Story, though overall I think the series is pretty good too. You can also try the DCOM, which is one of my favorites.
Kim Possible
It might be a little hard to follow if you don't know all the characters and ins and outs since it tends to be very self-referential, but if you want to be really adventurous you can try the Sitch in Time arc (it's really a DCOM in all but name) or the actual DCOM, So The Drama. The Christmas one is also fondly remembered too, if only for The Six Tasks of Snowman Hank.
The Proud Family
The best episode I've seen, actually, is the DCOM.
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
The reason why this is so far down the list is because it took me a while to think of one that I think would really appeal to a first-timer, but then I gave up and I'm just going to say Wish Gone Amiss (is that the episode title?)
Lizzie McGuire
I honestly find this series terminally boring to the point where it tends to literally put me to sleep, but I liked Magic Train (or at least the concept behind it)
The Thundermans
Mike seems to already have this covered as it is, but for the sake of other readers I really did like A Hero is Born.
School of Rock
I still think this show is awful, just not quite as awful, but I did somehow manage to like I Put a Spell on You (and it does have Daya in it). Pretty much avoid the entire first season at all costs as its pretty uniform garbage, yes including the Kira Kosarin one, in fact it's one of the worst of all.
Bella and the Bulldogs
I actually thought what turned out to be the series finale was the best.
Henry Danger
I mention an episode in one of the reviews so I need to go look up what it is.
Game Shakers
...I just can't stand this show and really I think you're better off avoiding it entirely so, no deal.
VicTORious
...am I nuts for really liking Wanko's Warehouse? Really, this and Drake and Josh is going to be Peak Schneider, yes even with iCarly. Speaking of which...
iCarly
iKiss Freddie, no really.
Because I frequently forget that certain shows even exist I'll be coming back and adding those. Let's start with the ones I actually know off the top of my head!
I'm also going to assume Mike wants some actual good episodes to watch so I'll be strictly featuring those, with some exceptions that will be indicated with notes:
Jessie
I suggested to Christian and Sean that they should check out Green-Eyed Monsters and that turned out to be kind of a mistake.... So instead I'll recommend Mike check out Tempest in a Teacup instead. I think that one for the most part avoids all the stuff Christian and Sean didn't like in the previous episode.Also, probably a good idea to avoid the final season entirely.
Good Luck Charlie
Futuredrama seems to be one people like a lot, although I think that has less to do with the actual episode and more to do with the fact that future Charlie is played by none other than Heather Locklear's daughter, but hey, there's nothing wrong with the episode itself. I also really liked Up a Tree (which also seems to be regarded as a classic) and Teddy's Lonely Hearts Club.
ANT Farm
influANTces (yes that's how the episode is actually spelled) is probably hands-down the best of the series, although I'm partial to endurANTs for some weird reason. And as with Jessie it's probably best just avoid the final season entirely.
Wizards of Waverly Place
Eh, re-watching the show in rerun form, it's not as good as I remember. It's easier to come up with a list of episodes to avoid, although even the worst episodes aren't that bad either. Definitely something in Season 3 to get the full 720p benefit, but not Season 4 where everything went into that senior slump. Maybe Alex Russo, Matchmaker? (No, I'm not posing a question...well, I guess I am, but the question mark is also part of the actual episode title - yeah WoWP episode titles get wonky probably because for the most part they just didn't give a damn when coming up with them) Or if you have to go with a Season 4 episode I guess the whole Wizards vs. Angels arch (you'll get to see a pre-ANT Farm China Ann McClain in that one!)
Suite Life on Deck
International Date Line is by far the funniest, Party On! is an awful piece of shit that makes me want to punch people in the face and represents exactly why sometimes people actively hate this network. If you want to go with something in "glorious" 720p format Senior Ditch Day is probably going to be the best.
Bunk'd
The first Luke episode, or even the recent Halloween one. Avoid: pretty much the entire first season, most of the second season. It's still a pretty awful show, though I have to begrudgingly admit it's gone through the sophomore season improvement process.
Bizaardvark
Yeah this show is a pile of meh so you might as well go with the Halloween episode since it's the funniest so far or the one with the cats because cats.
Stuck in the Middle
Eh the Rachel Platten one (Stuck in the Harley Car) because why not, or I thought Stuck in Harley's Comet was pretty good too.
Phineas and Ferb
The first Meep episode, full-stop (it's the episode that not only got me into Phineas and Ferb but the rest of Disney Channel and ultimately the existence of this very blog), or Where's Perry?
Gravity Falls
Honestly you just need to see the series in its entirety to really appreciate it, but Fight Fighters is the one that convinced me it's worth that time investment.
Shake it Up
Review-it-Up is the one with Ben Savage in it and honestly it's not that bad, and I really liked I Do-it-Up as far as episodes that come to mind, especially a decent S3 episode. The easiest episode to find, actually, might be Shake it Up, Up and Away because if you can find a copy of Geek Charming at your library it's automatically included in that disk (plus it's a two-fer-one!) I also really liked Made in Japan, which is effectively a multi-cam DCOM (it was even aired in one go).
Liv and Maddie
As long as you for the most part just avoid Season 1 you can't really go wrong (I even like Cali-style so far!) but Rate-a-Rooney is one of the few episodes of anything period to get GMW-like attention that isn't GMW, and for actual good reasons.
Best Friends Whenever
I actually like this show but it does tend to be very consistent in quality so you might as well just pick any one that isn't part of a multi-episode arc. If I had to pick a specific one I'd go with When Shelby met Cyd.
Dog with a Blog
Guess Who's Dating Karl (yeah they didn't exactly put their most creative efforts into these titles) is probably the funniest one.
Austin and Ally
I really liked Diners and Daters and Albums and Auditions but it's one of those shows where either the whole series will have appeal, or it won't. That said it kind of has the weird effect of the middle two seasons being the worst (it's like they just stopped caring and started throwing up just whatever shit they felt like).
So Random!!
Uhhhh...besides not really being into variety shows, especially kids shows, and this series just bungling up this whole concept in the first place (there's a reason why it was a One Season Wonder) yeah, you might as well pick any but I think you'd be better off just skipping this series entirely. No one will judge you for it.
JONAS/JONAS LA
Again, of the few I have seen I think they're pretty interchangeable in quality and I haven't actually seen a single episode of L.A. so again you're on your own.
That's So Raven
Probably Save the Last Dance, that was a nice one.
Cory in the House
I did see a few episodes of this but I don't really remember them that well so yeah you're on your own for this one too.
Phil of the Future
It's just a really good series I think so just feel free to take your pick.
Even Stevens
Probably A Very Scary Story, though overall I think the series is pretty good too. You can also try the DCOM, which is one of my favorites.
Kim Possible
It might be a little hard to follow if you don't know all the characters and ins and outs since it tends to be very self-referential, but if you want to be really adventurous you can try the Sitch in Time arc (it's really a DCOM in all but name) or the actual DCOM, So The Drama. The Christmas one is also fondly remembered too, if only for The Six Tasks of Snowman Hank.
The Proud Family
The best episode I've seen, actually, is the DCOM.
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
The reason why this is so far down the list is because it took me a while to think of one that I think would really appeal to a first-timer, but then I gave up and I'm just going to say Wish Gone Amiss (is that the episode title?)
Lizzie McGuire
I honestly find this series terminally boring to the point where it tends to literally put me to sleep, but I liked Magic Train (or at least the concept behind it)
The Thundermans
Mike seems to already have this covered as it is, but for the sake of other readers I really did like A Hero is Born.
School of Rock
I still think this show is awful, just not quite as awful, but I did somehow manage to like I Put a Spell on You (and it does have Daya in it). Pretty much avoid the entire first season at all costs as its pretty uniform garbage, yes including the Kira Kosarin one, in fact it's one of the worst of all.
Bella and the Bulldogs
I actually thought what turned out to be the series finale was the best.
Henry Danger
I mention an episode in one of the reviews so I need to go look up what it is.
Game Shakers
...I just can't stand this show and really I think you're better off avoiding it entirely so, no deal.
VicTORious
...am I nuts for really liking Wanko's Warehouse? Really, this and Drake and Josh is going to be Peak Schneider, yes even with iCarly. Speaking of which...
iCarly
iKiss Freddie, no really.
Friday, October 14, 2016
Mike's Quest, Part 1 ("Thundermans: Secret Revealed")
Is Dan Schneider taking notes?
Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. This is part one of Mike's Quest. I'm like that guy......that Spanish guy who fought the windmills. I don't know, Don Quixote or something. Anyway, I made a goal to review one episode of every current live-action sitcom on Nickelodeon and Disney Channel by the end of 2016. Some shows will be alright, and some shows will be terrible. But maybe, just maybe, one show will be good at least. My hopes aren't high, but I'm sticking to my promise. Just a few things to clarify:
1. Shows that I have already reviewed (Henry Danger, Girl Meets World) are off the table.
2. Despite Bella and the Bulldogs ending in June, I decided to make this one exception and review it anyway. It deserves the attention.
Okay, let's do this.
What is it? Half-hour multi-cam sitcom about the lives of a superhero family trying to conceal their identity and live a normal life in a new city.
Where does it air? Nickelodeon since the fall of 2013.
Who stars in it: Kira Kosarin, Jack Griffo, Addison Riecke, Diego Velazquez, Chris Tallman, Rosa Blasi.
Why are we reviewing this? It's part one of Mike's Quest.
Unknown really knew what he was doing by introducing shows this way. Gives the blog a more professional touch.
You might recognize this show because this isn't the very first time that The Thundermans is being talked about on this blog. However, this is the very first time that I'm going to look at an episode in-depth. I have two other Nickelodeon shows on tap, and I'm not looking forward to either of them. But you know what? I knew I had to start my quest off right. And when I found out about this episode a few days ago, I knew it had to be the first one. So why don't we kick this off with a bang?
The Thundermans is a good show. I'm not being sarcastic or just giving them a little credit. I genuinely like watching this show, and it has definitely improved since it first came out. Even in season one, I thought the show was entertaining and deserved props for being a live-action sitcom that's actually good. That's like a unicorn discovery in 2016, and while The Thundermans is nothing groundbreaking or out of this world, it's without a shadow of a doubt the best live-action sitcom Nick has. The jokes are actually funny, the characters are entertaining, the stories are interesting enough, and the superhero concept adds a great amount of suspense. I don't think this show would be anywhere near as good without the superhero stuff, but just take a look at Henry Danger. Even with the superhero stuff, that show has turned into a complete train wreck. The Thundermans does everything Henry Danger tries to do with actual competence and style.
The crossover didn't do The Thundermans justice. It's a much better show than that episode showed you, and with this episode, it's proof that an episode with actual stakes and actual hype.......can live up to expectations and doesn't always have to fall flat on its face. You want another comparison? Take this episode and put it next to "I Know Your Secret," where Jasper finds out that Henry is Kid Danger. That episode had inept storytelling and tried getting emotion out of characters who are nothing more than walking punchlines. The people working on The Thundermans actually care about these characters, and this episode is what happens when you invest time and effort into making your characters mean something.
So, why don't we just cut to the chase here? The title explains it all, but let me give you the details: The town of Hiddenville finds out that the Thundermans are superheroes when Mrs. Wong exposes them, and Max is finally pushed to the dark side. If you've been watching this show from the beginning, you know that Max's desire to be evil has been built up for a very long time. They addressed it in the Haunted Hathaways crossover, which was proof that Max looks at being evil the same way a little kid growing up in the hood might look at gangsta rappers. It's just something cool to him, and Max refuses to compete with Phoebe because he knows she will be a better superhero than him, so why not be the best supervillain? However, this is the first time in the actual series that Max does go there. It's surprisingly dramatic at times and I was genuinely invested in seeing where the plot was going.
One thing this episode knew was that it had to deliver something interesting, and we saw that. Max's desire to officially become a villain in this episode is affected by everything that happens to him. Dark Mayhem, the world's most dangerous bad guy, gives Max an orb designed to take away Phoebe's powers. He's not even one hundred percent behind doing this to Phoebe, and he struggles with his decision until Phoebe not only finds out about the orb, but takes away his powers and says that he did it to himself. Combine that with Hank and Barb turning Max's room into a family room, moving Dr. Colosso to their room and grounding him, it all plants the seeds for Max's eventual heel turn. I was genuinely shocked when Max's powers were taken away. It's very rare that a kids show these days can actually catch me off guard, but it did, and it says a lot about how much I care about these characters that it affected me.
Max is able to get the orb back from Colosso, and he's able to override the system so he can get his powers back and take away the powers of his own family. He also uses his superpower of being a human freeze ray to prevent the family from escaping. There were real stakes in this episode. Not only was the family secret revealed, compromising the reason the family moved to Hiddenville, but Max was finally becoming the villain he always imagined himself being. He did a legitimately evil thing in leaving his family in the house as helpless prisoners. The final confrontation between him and Phoebe actually had me guessing what was going to happen. The tone of the episode was a little more intense, more serious than usual because of what was on the line.
You see, when you have an episode like this, you have to up the ante a little bit. Being a sitcom isn't an excuse. No one said that it has to be nonstop comedy. With Henry Danger, the tone is usually over the top and the pacing is unbelievably slow at times. Because of this, they can't handle more intense stories without dropping the ball. The Thundermans writers understood they had to tell a more dramatic story, so they let the drama do what it had to do while still being able to tell jokes. However, the most important part was in making sure the story was coherent. No emphasis on gags, no overly long scenes, no phony attempts at emotion. It was an episode that was entertaining throughout the 44 minutes, with a strong story, decent jokes, and some much-needed character development for Max.
I say much-needed because Max is now a superhero, and with the show entering its fourth (and most likely, final) season this month, it's the right time to start telling different stories for the character. Max has officially sided with his family, started dating someone new, and made peace with Phoebe after taking down Dark Mayhem and his crew. Writing him in a slightly different way could be interesting. Maybe as an Alex Russo-type character that's prone to goofing off but is capable of being the best hero in the family when he takes things seriously. Just a thought.
It will also be interesting to see how the show deals with the family now being famous superheroes. I don't expect too much to change, but the whole point of moving to Hiddenville was so the Thundermans could protect their identity. Now with the secret exposed, what can the writers do to shake things up? One thing's for sure, I'm genuinely interested in where the show goes this season. The Thundermans is the longest-running live action show on Nick right now. It's survived changing dates and time slots, managed to improve over time, become more consistent with quality, and even outlasted The Haunted Hathaways like I predicted. If this episode is any indication, I'm going to miss the show when it's gone, and I appreciate the fact that this show actually tries its hardest to entertain.
When the stakes are high and the chips are down, The Thundermans comes through with great season finales. Season two brought us a baby, and season three brought us the exposure. What can we expect in season four? I have no idea, but at least there's something to look forward to.
Episode Grade: B+
Episode MVP: Kira Kosarin and Jack Griffo. Phoebe and Max really carry this episode but they both do a great job of being relatable and likable. I don't hate Max in this episode because this is the result of wanting to be the bad guy for three seasons, and Phoebe is the ultimate hero so in a way, I can understand her not caring too much that she took Max's powers. The character motivations make sense and help give the story legs instead of dragging it down.
EXTRA THOUGHTS
-The next show I tackle will most likely be Game Shakers, followed by School of Rock. That's what it's looking like.
-Tonight's Girl Meets World was hot garbage. I stuck to my word by not being a part of the ratings for it, but watching it on DVR is really no less shameful. I'm interested in the next one where Topanga hits Riley with a steel chair. Should be exciting.
-There's an okay subplot here that deserves some attention. Billy and Nora want to fight crime but Hank and Barb tell them they're still too young, so they take the hero aptitude test to see how ready they are. Nora passes with flying colors, while Billy fails of course, because he's Billy and he's stupid. Nora switches the scores to boost Billy's confidence, Billy starts thinking he's a hero mastermind, Nora tells the truth, and during the big fight, Billy proves his mettle. I always wondered whether or not Billy has some kind of learning disorder. Either that or he's prone to severe mental problems but the show's never made that clear.
-Phoebe and her friends decide to go to the junior prom with each other and to demonstrate that, do the "Single Ladies" dance multiple times in the episode. I'm not even that upset that the show is referencing "Single Ladies" because I guess that song is going to end up being one of those timeless hits. I'm more upset at the fact that half the time when they do the dance, they're not even trying.
-At the museum, when Phoebe caught a jewel thief, she ended up exposing the Villain League's hideout so that's why Max ends up meeting them at the burger joint. I'm glad they actually bothered to explain why they were meeting there. If it was another superhero show, the scene would just go on without the characters wondering why the meeting wasn't at the hideout.
-I really like how pissed off Hank and Barb are for Max meeting up with Dark Mayhem. It's like, they know he's been interested in villainy for a long time but they never thought he would go as far as to consider taking Phoebe's powers so they really drop the hammer on him.
-I was wondering why Max was wearing different clothes once he got the orb back and took the family's powers. I guess he had time to change into a villainous outfit? I also like how nonchalant he was about walking into the prom dressed like Dean Ambrose and threatening Phoebe with the orb, like it was just a normal thing for him to do and no one would question why he was doing it.
-You might know Max's girlfriend from See Dad Run. I say might because that show didn't exist for a long time. Also, she has a high pitched voice and she's pretty short. I loved her attitude in this whole episode, just being freaked out and aggressive about everything. Her hypocrisy when it came to protesting prom until she found a nice dress, yelling at Phoebe because she didn't know where Max was, and just telling the boys in the hall that if they want to take her to prom, meet her outside. I had no idea Ryan Newman could actually play a funny character.
-The Thundermans' secret being exposed could have been its own episode, but I liked how they threw it in here without having it take away from the story of Max becoming a villain. I also had a suspicion that since Hiddenville knew the secret, the Hero League would force the family to move out, creating a cliffhanger for season four. However, that didn't happen. That was a surprise too, so seeing how the show handles the family's new status has me curious.
-A good joke in this episode is when Phoebe's friends are shocked that she's a superhero, and Cherry's just like, "I knew for a year." I was almost expecting the show to do a joke where Cherry forgets she knew the secret.
Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. This is part one of Mike's Quest. I'm like that guy......that Spanish guy who fought the windmills. I don't know, Don Quixote or something. Anyway, I made a goal to review one episode of every current live-action sitcom on Nickelodeon and Disney Channel by the end of 2016. Some shows will be alright, and some shows will be terrible. But maybe, just maybe, one show will be good at least. My hopes aren't high, but I'm sticking to my promise. Just a few things to clarify:
1. Shows that I have already reviewed (Henry Danger, Girl Meets World) are off the table.
2. Despite Bella and the Bulldogs ending in June, I decided to make this one exception and review it anyway. It deserves the attention.
Okay, let's do this.
What is it? Half-hour multi-cam sitcom about the lives of a superhero family trying to conceal their identity and live a normal life in a new city.
Where does it air? Nickelodeon since the fall of 2013.
Who stars in it: Kira Kosarin, Jack Griffo, Addison Riecke, Diego Velazquez, Chris Tallman, Rosa Blasi.
Why are we reviewing this? It's part one of Mike's Quest.
Unknown really knew what he was doing by introducing shows this way. Gives the blog a more professional touch.
You might recognize this show because this isn't the very first time that The Thundermans is being talked about on this blog. However, this is the very first time that I'm going to look at an episode in-depth. I have two other Nickelodeon shows on tap, and I'm not looking forward to either of them. But you know what? I knew I had to start my quest off right. And when I found out about this episode a few days ago, I knew it had to be the first one. So why don't we kick this off with a bang?
The Thundermans is a good show. I'm not being sarcastic or just giving them a little credit. I genuinely like watching this show, and it has definitely improved since it first came out. Even in season one, I thought the show was entertaining and deserved props for being a live-action sitcom that's actually good. That's like a unicorn discovery in 2016, and while The Thundermans is nothing groundbreaking or out of this world, it's without a shadow of a doubt the best live-action sitcom Nick has. The jokes are actually funny, the characters are entertaining, the stories are interesting enough, and the superhero concept adds a great amount of suspense. I don't think this show would be anywhere near as good without the superhero stuff, but just take a look at Henry Danger. Even with the superhero stuff, that show has turned into a complete train wreck. The Thundermans does everything Henry Danger tries to do with actual competence and style.
The crossover didn't do The Thundermans justice. It's a much better show than that episode showed you, and with this episode, it's proof that an episode with actual stakes and actual hype.......can live up to expectations and doesn't always have to fall flat on its face. You want another comparison? Take this episode and put it next to "I Know Your Secret," where Jasper finds out that Henry is Kid Danger. That episode had inept storytelling and tried getting emotion out of characters who are nothing more than walking punchlines. The people working on The Thundermans actually care about these characters, and this episode is what happens when you invest time and effort into making your characters mean something.
So, why don't we just cut to the chase here? The title explains it all, but let me give you the details: The town of Hiddenville finds out that the Thundermans are superheroes when Mrs. Wong exposes them, and Max is finally pushed to the dark side. If you've been watching this show from the beginning, you know that Max's desire to be evil has been built up for a very long time. They addressed it in the Haunted Hathaways crossover, which was proof that Max looks at being evil the same way a little kid growing up in the hood might look at gangsta rappers. It's just something cool to him, and Max refuses to compete with Phoebe because he knows she will be a better superhero than him, so why not be the best supervillain? However, this is the first time in the actual series that Max does go there. It's surprisingly dramatic at times and I was genuinely invested in seeing where the plot was going.
One thing this episode knew was that it had to deliver something interesting, and we saw that. Max's desire to officially become a villain in this episode is affected by everything that happens to him. Dark Mayhem, the world's most dangerous bad guy, gives Max an orb designed to take away Phoebe's powers. He's not even one hundred percent behind doing this to Phoebe, and he struggles with his decision until Phoebe not only finds out about the orb, but takes away his powers and says that he did it to himself. Combine that with Hank and Barb turning Max's room into a family room, moving Dr. Colosso to their room and grounding him, it all plants the seeds for Max's eventual heel turn. I was genuinely shocked when Max's powers were taken away. It's very rare that a kids show these days can actually catch me off guard, but it did, and it says a lot about how much I care about these characters that it affected me.
Max is able to get the orb back from Colosso, and he's able to override the system so he can get his powers back and take away the powers of his own family. He also uses his superpower of being a human freeze ray to prevent the family from escaping. There were real stakes in this episode. Not only was the family secret revealed, compromising the reason the family moved to Hiddenville, but Max was finally becoming the villain he always imagined himself being. He did a legitimately evil thing in leaving his family in the house as helpless prisoners. The final confrontation between him and Phoebe actually had me guessing what was going to happen. The tone of the episode was a little more intense, more serious than usual because of what was on the line.
You see, when you have an episode like this, you have to up the ante a little bit. Being a sitcom isn't an excuse. No one said that it has to be nonstop comedy. With Henry Danger, the tone is usually over the top and the pacing is unbelievably slow at times. Because of this, they can't handle more intense stories without dropping the ball. The Thundermans writers understood they had to tell a more dramatic story, so they let the drama do what it had to do while still being able to tell jokes. However, the most important part was in making sure the story was coherent. No emphasis on gags, no overly long scenes, no phony attempts at emotion. It was an episode that was entertaining throughout the 44 minutes, with a strong story, decent jokes, and some much-needed character development for Max.
I say much-needed because Max is now a superhero, and with the show entering its fourth (and most likely, final) season this month, it's the right time to start telling different stories for the character. Max has officially sided with his family, started dating someone new, and made peace with Phoebe after taking down Dark Mayhem and his crew. Writing him in a slightly different way could be interesting. Maybe as an Alex Russo-type character that's prone to goofing off but is capable of being the best hero in the family when he takes things seriously. Just a thought.
It will also be interesting to see how the show deals with the family now being famous superheroes. I don't expect too much to change, but the whole point of moving to Hiddenville was so the Thundermans could protect their identity. Now with the secret exposed, what can the writers do to shake things up? One thing's for sure, I'm genuinely interested in where the show goes this season. The Thundermans is the longest-running live action show on Nick right now. It's survived changing dates and time slots, managed to improve over time, become more consistent with quality, and even outlasted The Haunted Hathaways like I predicted. If this episode is any indication, I'm going to miss the show when it's gone, and I appreciate the fact that this show actually tries its hardest to entertain.
When the stakes are high and the chips are down, The Thundermans comes through with great season finales. Season two brought us a baby, and season three brought us the exposure. What can we expect in season four? I have no idea, but at least there's something to look forward to.
Episode Grade: B+
Episode MVP: Kira Kosarin and Jack Griffo. Phoebe and Max really carry this episode but they both do a great job of being relatable and likable. I don't hate Max in this episode because this is the result of wanting to be the bad guy for three seasons, and Phoebe is the ultimate hero so in a way, I can understand her not caring too much that she took Max's powers. The character motivations make sense and help give the story legs instead of dragging it down.
EXTRA THOUGHTS
-The next show I tackle will most likely be Game Shakers, followed by School of Rock. That's what it's looking like.
-Tonight's Girl Meets World was hot garbage. I stuck to my word by not being a part of the ratings for it, but watching it on DVR is really no less shameful. I'm interested in the next one where Topanga hits Riley with a steel chair. Should be exciting.
-There's an okay subplot here that deserves some attention. Billy and Nora want to fight crime but Hank and Barb tell them they're still too young, so they take the hero aptitude test to see how ready they are. Nora passes with flying colors, while Billy fails of course, because he's Billy and he's stupid. Nora switches the scores to boost Billy's confidence, Billy starts thinking he's a hero mastermind, Nora tells the truth, and during the big fight, Billy proves his mettle. I always wondered whether or not Billy has some kind of learning disorder. Either that or he's prone to severe mental problems but the show's never made that clear.
-Phoebe and her friends decide to go to the junior prom with each other and to demonstrate that, do the "Single Ladies" dance multiple times in the episode. I'm not even that upset that the show is referencing "Single Ladies" because I guess that song is going to end up being one of those timeless hits. I'm more upset at the fact that half the time when they do the dance, they're not even trying.
-At the museum, when Phoebe caught a jewel thief, she ended up exposing the Villain League's hideout so that's why Max ends up meeting them at the burger joint. I'm glad they actually bothered to explain why they were meeting there. If it was another superhero show, the scene would just go on without the characters wondering why the meeting wasn't at the hideout.
-I really like how pissed off Hank and Barb are for Max meeting up with Dark Mayhem. It's like, they know he's been interested in villainy for a long time but they never thought he would go as far as to consider taking Phoebe's powers so they really drop the hammer on him.
-I was wondering why Max was wearing different clothes once he got the orb back and took the family's powers. I guess he had time to change into a villainous outfit? I also like how nonchalant he was about walking into the prom dressed like Dean Ambrose and threatening Phoebe with the orb, like it was just a normal thing for him to do and no one would question why he was doing it.
-You might know Max's girlfriend from See Dad Run. I say might because that show didn't exist for a long time. Also, she has a high pitched voice and she's pretty short. I loved her attitude in this whole episode, just being freaked out and aggressive about everything. Her hypocrisy when it came to protesting prom until she found a nice dress, yelling at Phoebe because she didn't know where Max was, and just telling the boys in the hall that if they want to take her to prom, meet her outside. I had no idea Ryan Newman could actually play a funny character.
-The Thundermans' secret being exposed could have been its own episode, but I liked how they threw it in here without having it take away from the story of Max becoming a villain. I also had a suspicion that since Hiddenville knew the secret, the Hero League would force the family to move out, creating a cliffhanger for season four. However, that didn't happen. That was a surprise too, so seeing how the show handles the family's new status has me curious.
-A good joke in this episode is when Phoebe's friends are shocked that she's a superhero, and Cherry's just like, "I knew for a year." I was almost expecting the show to do a joke where Cherry forgets she knew the secret.
Monday, October 10, 2016
The Swap Review (Disney Channel Original Movie)
Striker, Gunner and Jack? What, did they run out of cool names at the Cool Name Store?
What is it? DCOM (single-camera made-for-Disney Channel original movie)
Where did it air? Disney Channel
Who stars in it? Peyton List from Jessie/Bunk'd, Jacob Bertrand from Kirby Buckets (and the Lucas Cruikshank vehicle Marvin, Marvin prior to that but...I bet even Lucas Cruikshank wants to forget that one).
Why are we reviewing this? Because it's a DCOM, so, yay!
If you've been reading the comments Spongey44 has posted on the review of The Swap: The Young Adult Novel, then yeah, the DCOM was decent.
I guess I'll just get the biggest thing out of the way first: the whole Peyton List/Jacob Bertrand casting. Yeah.... Just as I had predicted/feared, it was a bit awkward to say the least. There's almost exactly a two year difference in age between the two and while that might not seem like a lot, yeah, it is a big difference for teens. And if nothing else, it just doesn't seem to match. It's like watching Rowan and The Other Peyton on Girl Meets World. If they were going to go for a Peyton vehicle (and they overwhelmingly were likely determined towards that) then I probably would've just had Peyton the Second - Peyton Meyer as Jack. If they were determined to keep Jacob Bertrand instead I would've cast Best Friend Whenever's Landry Bender instead. And I still think Francesca Capaldi and Isaak Presley are much closer to the characters in the book, though that might've been pushing for too young for the audience Disney's hoping for (the general rule of thumb for kids' shows is that it's easier to attract an audience younger than the stars as opposed to around the same age, let alone trying to hit above the stars' age).
Speaking of keeping faithful to the book, it...was close enough. The biggest, most substantial and quite frankly most bizarre change is changing Ellie from a soccer star to a gymnast, because I'd think having her as a soccer star would've been better-serving the type of image Disney Channel tries to go for, but whatever. It also meant no epic soccer showdown between Ellie and Sassy as in the book which I think would've also translated well into the movie, whether or not Disney Channel would've insisted they had Ellie barrel down and blast through her defenders to the point of literally causing them to knock and spin into the air, which I still maintain is the stupidest scene in all of DCOM history, and I've seen Read It and Weep (yes this is me knocking on Invisible Sister yet again).
That's all I can really think of that's worth discussing as for the most part everything else is more or less already covered in the novel review. It didn't diverge nearly as much as I had predicted/feared, so that's good I guess? Still, and even keeping in mind the original source material is a middle school-level book, there still feels something lost in translation.
DCOM Grade: B-. I was wavering between this and a C+ to be honest (I think I openly shared this with Spongey in the comments from the novel review) but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt, especially after a weekend to think about it. It's definitely not as good as the last DCOM (Adventures in Babysitting), that's for sure.
DCOM MVP: Eh, I guess Peyton List is a safe enough choice.
Extra Thoughts:
- stupid random-person-gets-hit-so-hard-they-spin-in-the-air count: Exactly 1, and it's Jack who gets hit and spun by Porter very early in the movie.
- I was just re-reading my Adventures in Babysitting review and it just only occurred to me now how creepy my whole paragraph about awarding MVP to Sofia was so I apologize for that. She's still that DCOM's MVP I just wish I'd been more aware of just how fucking creepy I sounded about it.
What is it? DCOM (single-camera made-for-Disney Channel original movie)
Where did it air? Disney Channel
Who stars in it? Peyton List from Jessie/Bunk'd, Jacob Bertrand from Kirby Buckets (and the Lucas Cruikshank vehicle Marvin, Marvin prior to that but...I bet even Lucas Cruikshank wants to forget that one).
Why are we reviewing this? Because it's a DCOM, so, yay!
If you've been reading the comments Spongey44 has posted on the review of The Swap: The Young Adult Novel, then yeah, the DCOM was decent.
I guess I'll just get the biggest thing out of the way first: the whole Peyton List/Jacob Bertrand casting. Yeah.... Just as I had predicted/feared, it was a bit awkward to say the least. There's almost exactly a two year difference in age between the two and while that might not seem like a lot, yeah, it is a big difference for teens. And if nothing else, it just doesn't seem to match. It's like watching Rowan and The Other Peyton on Girl Meets World. If they were going to go for a Peyton vehicle (and they overwhelmingly were likely determined towards that) then I probably would've just had Peyton the Second - Peyton Meyer as Jack. If they were determined to keep Jacob Bertrand instead I would've cast Best Friend Whenever's Landry Bender instead. And I still think Francesca Capaldi and Isaak Presley are much closer to the characters in the book, though that might've been pushing for too young for the audience Disney's hoping for (the general rule of thumb for kids' shows is that it's easier to attract an audience younger than the stars as opposed to around the same age, let alone trying to hit above the stars' age).
Speaking of keeping faithful to the book, it...was close enough. The biggest, most substantial and quite frankly most bizarre change is changing Ellie from a soccer star to a gymnast, because I'd think having her as a soccer star would've been better-serving the type of image Disney Channel tries to go for, but whatever. It also meant no epic soccer showdown between Ellie and Sassy as in the book which I think would've also translated well into the movie, whether or not Disney Channel would've insisted they had Ellie barrel down and blast through her defenders to the point of literally causing them to knock and spin into the air, which I still maintain is the stupidest scene in all of DCOM history, and I've seen Read It and Weep (yes this is me knocking on Invisible Sister yet again).
That's all I can really think of that's worth discussing as for the most part everything else is more or less already covered in the novel review. It didn't diverge nearly as much as I had predicted/feared, so that's good I guess? Still, and even keeping in mind the original source material is a middle school-level book, there still feels something lost in translation.
DCOM Grade: B-. I was wavering between this and a C+ to be honest (I think I openly shared this with Spongey in the comments from the novel review) but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt, especially after a weekend to think about it. It's definitely not as good as the last DCOM (Adventures in Babysitting), that's for sure.
DCOM MVP: Eh, I guess Peyton List is a safe enough choice.
Extra Thoughts:
- stupid random-person-gets-hit-so-hard-they-spin-in-the-air count: Exactly 1, and it's Jack who gets hit and spun by Porter very early in the movie.
- I was just re-reading my Adventures in Babysitting review and it just only occurred to me now how creepy my whole paragraph about awarding MVP to Sofia was so I apologize for that. She's still that DCOM's MVP I just wish I'd been more aware of just how fucking creepy I sounded about it.
Thursday, October 6, 2016
The Swap Review (Young Adult Novel)
peanut butter, grape jelly, banana slices, whole wheat bread #snackofchampions
What is it? Young adult novel (actually a bit lower in age than that even, appropriate for middle school students) in the "contemporary magical realistic sports fiction" genre at least according to Goodreads.com. It's also a whopping 388 pages which is definitely getting into doorstopper territory for any genre book, let alone a middle school-level book.
Where did it air? Umm, it's a book so...through Kindle? It also should be commonly available at your library, which is where I picked up my copy, because of course I'm a cheap bastard.
Who stars in it? Uhhh, it's a book so...a bunch of made-up characters with no corporeal form whatsoever. But it's written by Megan Schull and edited by a bunch of people over at HarperCollins Children's Books.
Why are we reviewing this? Because Disney Channel's going to air The Swap (it's 101st DCOM, supposedly) tomorrow which is allegedly based on this very book so why not?
DCOM adaptations of young adult or children's books were somewhat of a tradition since the DCOM was a thing, going all the way back to Zenon and even The Cheetah Girls (yes that's a book series, though the DCOMs far outstrip the originals in terms of notoriety and even they've pretty much fallen off the radar aside from Disney nostalgists such as myself). The previous DCOM prior to Adventures in Babysitting, Invisible Sister, is also based on the children's book My Invisible Sister (and yes I've read it, and yes I'm still sticking to my opinion that the movie was pretty bad, k?) So it shouldn't come as a surprise that The Swap continues the tradition, even though I only found out about it about a week ago, ordered it from the library and as soon as it came in that weekend I immediately dived into it specifically for this review ahead of the DCOM release.
And again, it's 388 pages long.
Fortunately being a middle school-level book it's not that hard to read and I got through it pretty quickly. And, uh, you know, it turns out it's pretty decent.
As you've probably gotten from the DCOM trailers The Swap is about a boy and a girl who switch places, and despite the tendency for DCOMs to differ radically from the book (we'll get to that in Extra Thoughts) it seems this time it more or less follows the basic plot. The DCOM seems to be implying that the two switch through some sort of phone mishap? ala Zapped (yet another one based on a book series) while in the book it's some sort of weird curse put on them by their school nurse? And I don't know what the DCOM is trying to imply or explicitly state with the relationship between the two characters but I think it's pretty clear that there's a significant age difference between Peyton List and Jacob Bertrand, while in the book there's only a one year difference, both are in middle school (Ellie, the girl being in seventh grade and Jack, the boy being in eight grade) and in fact they're each other's love interest which makes things kind of creepy if the DCOM goes that direction.
As for the book itself? Again, pretty decent. There's a lot of typical middle school narrative tropes stacked on top of each other, especially in the first half or so, and the whole "bro" nature of Jack's, well, bros is both a little overwhelming and frankly stereotypically stupid (but hey, I can let it slide because again, middle school audience). In these alternating viewpoint stories that involve counterpoint male and female characters, I do find myself finding the female perspective more interesting (I don't know if this is the result of me just finding a different perspective interesting or if young adult writers just tend to be better at writing from the female perspective - you'll find that young adult novels like this are overwhelmingly from the female perspective. Yeah the whole genre is pretty much High School Chick Lit) and I find The Swap to be no exception - except I find Jack's situation in Ellie's body more interesting while I find Ellie's actual perspective from Jack's body more interesting (yeah even I got confused about how I should find which more interesting). Again with the middle school tropes - the whole story is about how Ellie should find more confidence in herself to stand up for herself (whether it be directly learning this through the perspective of Jack's body and family or Jack in Ellie's body teaching the other girls to respect her) and Jack in how he should have more confidence to stand up to his brothers and dad, but I get the overwhelming stance that this is primarily Ellie's story, Jack just happens to live in it. And again, given how interesting I found Ellie's story to be, I don't consider that a problem at all. In fact, in terms of straightforward play of the "girl gains confidence, girl gets empowered, YAY GIRL POWER!" genre, I've actually found Ellie's story to be one of the most deeply satisfying ones I've encountered so far (not that there's a shortage of satisfying stories in that genre either).
Given the ready availability and relative easy reading level of this book I'm not in a hurry to spoil it, but I am interested in seeing how it compares to the DCOM. Expect a review of that as I get to it.
Episode Grade: Well I gave it a full five stars on its Goodreads page but it would be a rather weak five stars. I've always thought the five-star rating system was rather clunky and stupid because it forces a more restrictive pigeon-hole on reviews without a lengthy written summary to provide qualifiers (something my young adult novel professor didn't appreciate me hijacking the whole class on sharing - and yes, that is a real course and yes I took it) which is why I either like a straight up "it's worth watching/reading or not" and just give us an explanation why or why not or the grade system we've stolen from GirlMeetsWorldReviewed. Speaking of which, on that scale I'd give it a B+.
Episode MVP: Uhhh...again being a novel there's no real creative players involved other than author Megan Schull herself so...Megan Schull by default? You can read the book's afterward to see who she herself picks for MVP for making the book a reality for what it's worth.
Favorite Character: Ellie no doubt, I found her perspective to be the more insightful and more developed of the two main characters.
Extra Thoughts:
- fun fact: this blog (yes this one you're reading) was originally going to be a young adult novel review blog at the suggestion of a professor, about a year or so before Christian and Sean even started GMWReviewed (the name "Unknown" was actually specifically invented for it because I have the creative imagination of a brick). I never got to it because frankly I got discouraged by the large number of already high-quality young adult literature review blogs out there and it seemed a bit redundant and, uh, I'm also lazy. Then Christian and Sean did their thing and I decided maybe there'd be an audience for a blog covering the rest of Disney Channel and Nickelodeon so, uh, thanks, the five or so of you who are my audience.
- on that note there's certainly no reason why we can't review other young adult novels anyway, whether they be ones that were adapted into DCOMs (like say Geek Charming) or more mainstream movies (like The Fault in Our Stars and yes I'm not ashamed to admit I've both read and seen The Fault in Our Stars) or ones that haven't been adapted at all yet (like The Probability of Miracles aka That One Book That Hack John Greene Ripped Off to Make The Fault In Our Stars [not true], although I understand that's being adapted into a movie too).If the five of you reading this or so happen to have any suggestions, I'm open - hell chances are I've probably already read it.
- And yeah, there's an equally proud tradition of DCOMs veering significantly from the books. Off the top of my head Geek Charming was one of the ones most faithful, and even there given that Geek Charming is an Upper-High School level book they've had to, well, make some creative changes more suitable for the target audience (not to mention buggered up the ending to make it more Disney Princess-ish). I've never read the Twitches books (yes that's another book series) but I understand that's more or less faithful if a little condensed, though the eponymous Twitches are supposed to be redheads (as you probably know by now, a detail I really appreciate it, but after having been a big fan of Sister, Sister and recording Instant Mom on my DVR, yeah I think Tia Mowry-Hardict is hot as hell so whatever. Also, I'll shut up now). Lemonade Mouth was a pretty faithful adaptation too although the author of that book later released a "movie tie-in edition" with cleaned-up language (apparently a lot of parents got the book for their kids after the DCOM, actually read it, and went all please think of the children! when they actually bothered to read it). There's supposedly a "movie tie-in" edition of The Swap coming out too though I don't know why since it's already aiming at 11-13 year olds.
- And then you have DCOMs that have no resemeblence to their source material. Remember the Debby Ryan DCOM Radio Rebel? It's based on a book called Shrinking Violet and besides a title change (IMHO "Radio Rebel" kinda sounds a little generic into stupid territory, I wish they'd just keep the title) they did do a bunch to change the basic plot and content (in Radio Rebel, Tara has her podcast of course but in the book she's actually interning at her stepdad's radio station - yeah, kinda like what the DCOM eventually does but in the book she starts out as an intern and then gets a radio gig when they just find themselves short-handed. Also there's no subplot about the principal getting all buttmad and BTFO about Radio Rebel and music - in fact, in the book the principal's actually pretty supportive of the whole thing, it's just that the radio station keeps it a secret as part of a giveaway contest [no points for guessing who in the book wins that one, if you've seen the movie] and to "keep the mystique." Oh, and they tone the sexual aspects of the book way the hell down including the detail that not even Tara's own mother knows who her father is) but the overall plot and message more or less stay the same. Not so with Zapped, Invisible Sister and Frenemies - based on Boys are Dogs, My Invisible Sister and, um, well, Frenemies, respectively. In both Zapped and Frenemies, they just about keep some of the names and that's it. In Boys are Dogs, there's no magical or fantastic elements whatsoever (other than the main character sometimes wishing she can understand boys, there's no indication why and how Disney Channel thought to introduce the whole "boy control app" thing in the first place) and it's actually pretty much standard "realistic fiction" middle school fare. Being a four-part book series (the last one came out shortly after the DCOM) it's sometimes compared to The Secret Language of Girls series and Saffy's Angel/The Casson Family series (both series which are increasingly becoming accepted into the middle school canon, especially in The Casson Family series' native Britain) and in, like, the whole combined collection of a dozen or so books from these three series except for the third Boys are Dogs book being centered around a talent show there's zero magical stuff going on whatsoever. Also, Jackson, the main love interest in the DCOM, is actually the main character's bully in the book series (although by the fourth book he starts to come around to being a love interest, perhaps influenced by the DCOM - remember, the fourth book came after the DCOM).
- And don't get me started on Frenemies, where almost literally it just borrowed the names "Halley" and "Avalon" from the book. The Frenemies book series actually has a lot more resemblance to The Clique (a book series I mentioned in my last young adult novel post) and it's basically a series about the reader slowly watching Halley and Avalon's friendship completely break down until they become enemies, except it's even more poorly written than The Clique and it got to the point where the last book or so was made available as an e-book only (the book equivalent of being Straight-to-DVD, don't let all the people proclaiming e-books are the future most people read e-books now! fool you). And then there's Invisible Sister (don't worry Mike I'm not going to bang on the movie anymore) but again, not a lot of resemblance. In the book the eponymous invisible sister is actually born invisible as a deformity (yeah it's, um, pretty out there - it's also meant for an elementary school-level audience) and it's about how her brother feels so inconvenienced about her deformity until he learns to accept it and at the end of the book on Christmas Day they take advantage of snowfall so that she can appear visible if only in general outline form. It's actually, well...I *guess* it could be an emotional ending if you're, like, 8 and into that kind of thing and, yeah, like, totally, if you happen to be into that. *sniff*
- As for the actual DCOM, The Swap, it seems to be a no-show on Disney Channel OnDemand or Watch Disney Channel so I guess I'll have to wait for tomorrow like everyone else.
- And one last thing typing those last two things together: if they were really trying to follow the book I'd more imagine Dog With a Blog's Francesca Capaldi (she's explicitly mentioned as being a redhead in the book) and Stuck in the Middle's Isaak Presley in the roles of Ellie and Jack, respectively (really, if you read the book and follow the character descriptions I swear Megan Schull had Francesca and Isaak in mind specifically when she was imagining these characters), or I guess maybe Jacob's still young enough to pull it off (remember, middle school students). But yeah Peyton List is way too old if they were really sticking with the source material, and given the cell phone angle it makes me think it's going to be another Zapped/Boys are Dogs relationship.
What is it? Young adult novel (actually a bit lower in age than that even, appropriate for middle school students) in the "contemporary magical realistic sports fiction" genre at least according to Goodreads.com. It's also a whopping 388 pages which is definitely getting into doorstopper territory for any genre book, let alone a middle school-level book.
Where did it air? Umm, it's a book so...through Kindle? It also should be commonly available at your library, which is where I picked up my copy, because of course I'm a cheap bastard.
Who stars in it? Uhhh, it's a book so...a bunch of made-up characters with no corporeal form whatsoever. But it's written by Megan Schull and edited by a bunch of people over at HarperCollins Children's Books.
Why are we reviewing this? Because Disney Channel's going to air The Swap (it's 101st DCOM, supposedly) tomorrow which is allegedly based on this very book so why not?
DCOM adaptations of young adult or children's books were somewhat of a tradition since the DCOM was a thing, going all the way back to Zenon and even The Cheetah Girls (yes that's a book series, though the DCOMs far outstrip the originals in terms of notoriety and even they've pretty much fallen off the radar aside from Disney nostalgists such as myself). The previous DCOM prior to Adventures in Babysitting, Invisible Sister, is also based on the children's book My Invisible Sister (and yes I've read it, and yes I'm still sticking to my opinion that the movie was pretty bad, k?) So it shouldn't come as a surprise that The Swap continues the tradition, even though I only found out about it about a week ago, ordered it from the library and as soon as it came in that weekend I immediately dived into it specifically for this review ahead of the DCOM release.
And again, it's 388 pages long.
Fortunately being a middle school-level book it's not that hard to read and I got through it pretty quickly. And, uh, you know, it turns out it's pretty decent.
As you've probably gotten from the DCOM trailers The Swap is about a boy and a girl who switch places, and despite the tendency for DCOMs to differ radically from the book (we'll get to that in Extra Thoughts) it seems this time it more or less follows the basic plot. The DCOM seems to be implying that the two switch through some sort of phone mishap? ala Zapped (yet another one based on a book series) while in the book it's some sort of weird curse put on them by their school nurse? And I don't know what the DCOM is trying to imply or explicitly state with the relationship between the two characters but I think it's pretty clear that there's a significant age difference between Peyton List and Jacob Bertrand, while in the book there's only a one year difference, both are in middle school (Ellie, the girl being in seventh grade and Jack, the boy being in eight grade) and in fact they're each other's love interest which makes things kind of creepy if the DCOM goes that direction.
As for the book itself? Again, pretty decent. There's a lot of typical middle school narrative tropes stacked on top of each other, especially in the first half or so, and the whole "bro" nature of Jack's, well, bros is both a little overwhelming and frankly stereotypically stupid (but hey, I can let it slide because again, middle school audience). In these alternating viewpoint stories that involve counterpoint male and female characters, I do find myself finding the female perspective more interesting (I don't know if this is the result of me just finding a different perspective interesting or if young adult writers just tend to be better at writing from the female perspective - you'll find that young adult novels like this are overwhelmingly from the female perspective. Yeah the whole genre is pretty much High School Chick Lit) and I find The Swap to be no exception - except I find Jack's situation in Ellie's body more interesting while I find Ellie's actual perspective from Jack's body more interesting (yeah even I got confused about how I should find which more interesting). Again with the middle school tropes - the whole story is about how Ellie should find more confidence in herself to stand up for herself (whether it be directly learning this through the perspective of Jack's body and family or Jack in Ellie's body teaching the other girls to respect her) and Jack in how he should have more confidence to stand up to his brothers and dad, but I get the overwhelming stance that this is primarily Ellie's story, Jack just happens to live in it. And again, given how interesting I found Ellie's story to be, I don't consider that a problem at all. In fact, in terms of straightforward play of the "girl gains confidence, girl gets empowered, YAY GIRL POWER!" genre, I've actually found Ellie's story to be one of the most deeply satisfying ones I've encountered so far (not that there's a shortage of satisfying stories in that genre either).
Given the ready availability and relative easy reading level of this book I'm not in a hurry to spoil it, but I am interested in seeing how it compares to the DCOM. Expect a review of that as I get to it.
Episode Grade: Well I gave it a full five stars on its Goodreads page but it would be a rather weak five stars. I've always thought the five-star rating system was rather clunky and stupid because it forces a more restrictive pigeon-hole on reviews without a lengthy written summary to provide qualifiers (something my young adult novel professor didn't appreciate me hijacking the whole class on sharing - and yes, that is a real course and yes I took it) which is why I either like a straight up "it's worth watching/reading or not" and just give us an explanation why or why not or the grade system we've stolen from GirlMeetsWorldReviewed. Speaking of which, on that scale I'd give it a B+.
Episode MVP: Uhhh...again being a novel there's no real creative players involved other than author Megan Schull herself so...Megan Schull by default? You can read the book's afterward to see who she herself picks for MVP for making the book a reality for what it's worth.
Favorite Character: Ellie no doubt, I found her perspective to be the more insightful and more developed of the two main characters.
Extra Thoughts:
- fun fact: this blog (yes this one you're reading) was originally going to be a young adult novel review blog at the suggestion of a professor, about a year or so before Christian and Sean even started GMWReviewed (the name "Unknown" was actually specifically invented for it because I have the creative imagination of a brick). I never got to it because frankly I got discouraged by the large number of already high-quality young adult literature review blogs out there and it seemed a bit redundant and, uh, I'm also lazy. Then Christian and Sean did their thing and I decided maybe there'd be an audience for a blog covering the rest of Disney Channel and Nickelodeon so, uh, thanks, the five or so of you who are my audience.
- on that note there's certainly no reason why we can't review other young adult novels anyway, whether they be ones that were adapted into DCOMs (like say Geek Charming) or more mainstream movies (like The Fault in Our Stars and yes I'm not ashamed to admit I've both read and seen The Fault in Our Stars) or ones that haven't been adapted at all yet (like The Probability of Miracles aka That One Book That Hack John Greene Ripped Off to Make The Fault In Our Stars [not true], although I understand that's being adapted into a movie too).If the five of you reading this or so happen to have any suggestions, I'm open - hell chances are I've probably already read it.
- And yeah, there's an equally proud tradition of DCOMs veering significantly from the books. Off the top of my head Geek Charming was one of the ones most faithful, and even there given that Geek Charming is an Upper-High School level book they've had to, well, make some creative changes more suitable for the target audience (not to mention buggered up the ending to make it more Disney Princess-ish). I've never read the Twitches books (yes that's another book series) but I understand that's more or less faithful if a little condensed, though the eponymous Twitches are supposed to be redheads (as you probably know by now, a detail I really appreciate it, but after having been a big fan of Sister, Sister and recording Instant Mom on my DVR, yeah I think Tia Mowry-Hardict is hot as hell so whatever. Also, I'll shut up now). Lemonade Mouth was a pretty faithful adaptation too although the author of that book later released a "movie tie-in edition" with cleaned-up language (apparently a lot of parents got the book for their kids after the DCOM, actually read it, and went all please think of the children! when they actually bothered to read it). There's supposedly a "movie tie-in" edition of The Swap coming out too though I don't know why since it's already aiming at 11-13 year olds.
- And then you have DCOMs that have no resemeblence to their source material. Remember the Debby Ryan DCOM Radio Rebel? It's based on a book called Shrinking Violet and besides a title change (IMHO "Radio Rebel" kinda sounds a little generic into stupid territory, I wish they'd just keep the title) they did do a bunch to change the basic plot and content (in Radio Rebel, Tara has her podcast of course but in the book she's actually interning at her stepdad's radio station - yeah, kinda like what the DCOM eventually does but in the book she starts out as an intern and then gets a radio gig when they just find themselves short-handed. Also there's no subplot about the principal getting all buttmad and BTFO about Radio Rebel and music - in fact, in the book the principal's actually pretty supportive of the whole thing, it's just that the radio station keeps it a secret as part of a giveaway contest [no points for guessing who in the book wins that one, if you've seen the movie] and to "keep the mystique." Oh, and they tone the sexual aspects of the book way the hell down including the detail that not even Tara's own mother knows who her father is) but the overall plot and message more or less stay the same. Not so with Zapped, Invisible Sister and Frenemies - based on Boys are Dogs, My Invisible Sister and, um, well, Frenemies, respectively. In both Zapped and Frenemies, they just about keep some of the names and that's it. In Boys are Dogs, there's no magical or fantastic elements whatsoever (other than the main character sometimes wishing she can understand boys, there's no indication why and how Disney Channel thought to introduce the whole "boy control app" thing in the first place) and it's actually pretty much standard "realistic fiction" middle school fare. Being a four-part book series (the last one came out shortly after the DCOM) it's sometimes compared to The Secret Language of Girls series and Saffy's Angel/The Casson Family series (both series which are increasingly becoming accepted into the middle school canon, especially in The Casson Family series' native Britain) and in, like, the whole combined collection of a dozen or so books from these three series except for the third Boys are Dogs book being centered around a talent show there's zero magical stuff going on whatsoever. Also, Jackson, the main love interest in the DCOM, is actually the main character's bully in the book series (although by the fourth book he starts to come around to being a love interest, perhaps influenced by the DCOM - remember, the fourth book came after the DCOM).
- And don't get me started on Frenemies, where almost literally it just borrowed the names "Halley" and "Avalon" from the book. The Frenemies book series actually has a lot more resemblance to The Clique (a book series I mentioned in my last young adult novel post) and it's basically a series about the reader slowly watching Halley and Avalon's friendship completely break down until they become enemies, except it's even more poorly written than The Clique and it got to the point where the last book or so was made available as an e-book only (the book equivalent of being Straight-to-DVD, don't let all the people proclaiming e-books are the future most people read e-books now! fool you). And then there's Invisible Sister (don't worry Mike I'm not going to bang on the movie anymore) but again, not a lot of resemblance. In the book the eponymous invisible sister is actually born invisible as a deformity (yeah it's, um, pretty out there - it's also meant for an elementary school-level audience) and it's about how her brother feels so inconvenienced about her deformity until he learns to accept it and at the end of the book on Christmas Day they take advantage of snowfall so that she can appear visible if only in general outline form. It's actually, well...I *guess* it could be an emotional ending if you're, like, 8 and into that kind of thing and, yeah, like, totally, if you happen to be into that. *sniff*
- As for the actual DCOM, The Swap, it seems to be a no-show on Disney Channel OnDemand or Watch Disney Channel so I guess I'll have to wait for tomorrow like everyone else.
- And one last thing typing those last two things together: if they were really trying to follow the book I'd more imagine Dog With a Blog's Francesca Capaldi (she's explicitly mentioned as being a redhead in the book) and Stuck in the Middle's Isaak Presley in the roles of Ellie and Jack, respectively (really, if you read the book and follow the character descriptions I swear Megan Schull had Francesca and Isaak in mind specifically when she was imagining these characters), or I guess maybe Jacob's still young enough to pull it off (remember, middle school students). But yeah Peyton List is way too old if they were really sticking with the source material, and given the cell phone angle it makes me think it's going to be another Zapped/Boys are Dogs relationship.
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