Disney Channel: Throwback

[evenstevensranked]

I searched for "Disney Channel" on here but there were so many unrelated results. I couldn't find an actual thread or community on here about it. If my creation of this topic is unnecessary and there already is a Disney Channel section on here, which I feel like there probably is... please redirect me to it? I'd hate to be redundant. I'm new to the site, lol. 

I grew up with Disney Channel circa 2000-2007. I was in 2nd-8th grade then. What era of Disney Channel did you grow up with? What are your favorite shows?

I'll start! My all time favorite Disney show is Even Stevens. Which you can probably tell by my username and icon, lol. I think it's criminally underrated and one of the funniest shows ever, honestly. It could compete with "adult" comedy shows today and possibly beat a lot of them in quality. (Shameless promo: I actually have a blog where I'm ranking & reviewing every episode of the series. It's extremely difficult to find hardcore fans of the show in 2017 or people who'd be interested in reading in-depth reviews. So, just thought I'd put that out there in case any of you are interested! haha.) I think Shia LaBeouf is a gifted actor and was such a natural at comedy! I mean, he won an Emmy for his role as Louis! It's a shame that the show is often forgotten/not celebrated as much as others in the nostalgia craze.

Another big one for me is of course Lizzie McGuire. In hindsight, it was actually a pretty flawed show with extremely dated clothes and pop culture references. But, still a classic in my book and gives me all the nostalgic feels! 

I've been dying to find a place online to discuss shows like this (which is obviously the main reason why I made my Even Stevens blog/decided to join this website) - So, please! Is anyone else in the same boat as me?! If so, let's get the ball rolling here! :)

Edited February 17, 2017 by evenstevensranked

[shantown]

I was probably a little bit too old for this show when it was on, but I was in love with Bug Juice. The DRAMA when Jen got kicked out of camp. It was all my friends and I talked about for weeks.

[evenstevensranked]

55 minutes ago, shantown said:

I was probably a little bit too old for this show when it was on, but I was in love with Bug Juice. The DRAMA when Jen got kicked out of camp. It was all my friends and I talked about for weeks.

"BUG JUICE! (It doesn't come in a jaaar) BUG JUICE comes from who you arrrre!" Haha. Funnily enough, I was never a fan of that show. Whenever it started I would turn it off, lol. I don't know why? I think the reality show aspect threw me when I was young. (Thanks for responding, btw! Yay!)

[methodwriter85]

I did like Even Stevens, although I'm contemporaries with Christy and Shia so I liked it enough to watch and reference it, but it wasn't quite a "heart" show.

I never had really consistent access to Disney when I was a child in the early/mid-90's, but when I did I really loved the MMC, Kids Incorporated, and The Road To Avonlea.

Late 90's/early 2000's I did, and I remember being pretty into the Original movies like Wish Upon A Star, 17 Again, Stepsister from the Planet Weird, and the Color of Friendship.

I would say I was more of a Nick kid though, the least of which reason being that Nick tended to be offered with most cable packages while Disney was a subscription channel for most of the 90's. (I think that changed by the late 90's.)

I do have young nieces and nephews and I've watched a good amount of contemporary Disney. The best show I think from the past decade are Good Luck Charlie.

[UYI]

The Disney Channel of the early to late 90's was the best: The Baby Sitters Club, Flash Forward, Adventures in Wonderland, Welcome to Pooh Corner, Under the Umbrella Tree, Dumbo's Circus, DTV videos, and classic Disney movies, including some of the more obscure live action ones of the 60's! So basically, when it was a premium channel/the very early days as a basic cable channel. After that period? HARD pass.

Yes, I am a crusty old woman...at 28. Oh well. -_-

[Just Here]

Found this New York Times article from March, which is mainly about the channel's new sitcom, Andi Mack (forum), but also talks about the channel's ratings issues and "new direction" of more mature programming.

Quote

While it is just one show, [Andi Mack] represents a startling new direction for the squeaky-clean network, whose ratings are decaying as children, reaching puberty earlier and raised on the oh-so-cool Netflix, gravitate to live-action programming with more edge and authenticity.

“I know I can’t go to the hugely dramatic space,” said Gary Marsh, president of Disney Channels Worldwide. “I can’t go to the sexual space. I can’t go horror. Where can I go that would elevate the content and get people talking about us in a way that is different from the way they talk about us normally?”

Sitting in his office here, amid mementos from glory-days hits like “High School Musical,” Mr. Marsh mused about breakthrough shows for adults like “Orange Is the New Black” on Netflix and “The Walking Dead” on AMC.

“There has to be an equivalent in our space,” he said. “Stories that matter, that deal with more complex issues, that are emotional, resonate longer. They stick to your guts.”

Quote

Disney Channel ratings have been sinking. In February, according to Nielsen data, standard viewership was down 18 percent among children 2 to 11 from the same period in 2016 — even as the rival Nickelodeon held steady. (Unlike the animation-heavy Nickelodeon, Disney Channel does not sell traditional ads, so ratings matter less. But it does sell sponsorships, and needs to keep viewership high to justify the fees it charges cable distributors.)

[Skyfall]

If only GMW was starting now, it would've been so so different...

[jumper sage]

I enjoyed Raven's Home - the reboot of That's so Raven.

[evenstevensranked]

On 2/18/2017 at 1:38 AM, shantown said:

I was probably a little bit too old for this show when it was on, but I was in love with Bug Juice. The DRAMA when Jen got kicked out of camp. It was all my friends and I talked about for weeks.

Did you hear that Disney Channel has rebooted Bug Juice?! This whole reboot craze is insane. Interested to see how this is gonna turn out. 

[evenstevensranked]

On 5/16/2017 at 5:14 AM, Just Here said:

Found this New York Times article from March, which is mainly about the channel's new sitcom, Andi Mack (forum), but also talks about the channel's ratings issues and "new direction" of more mature programming.

I freaking love Andi Mack! Disney has struck gold with that show. It definitely has much wider appeal and more mature themes. My mom and I are 24 and 56 years old and anxiously awaiting Season 2! They're so right about needing to find a program for their platform that will resonate and stick with you. I think they've achieved this with Andi. Lovely story, emotional weight, and so much heart. The nostalgia angle of it being created by Terri Minsky doesn't hurt either. 

Edited October 12, 2017 by evenstevensranked

[Terrafamilia]

Happened to catch a couple shows. A live action Kim Possible on Disney proper and a new episode out of nowhere of Elena of Avalor on Disney Jr.. The Kim Possible was pretty lame given they made Kim a simpering weenie though having Sean Giambrone as Ron was at least interesting. In Elena they had Mateo grow up a little and move into the palace's previously unheard of royal wizard official quarters. It was enjoyable but what is with the non-schedule schedule kid's networks have these days? It was only happenstance that I noticed it being on. In doing a little digging I see that I missed a new episode that came out last month.

[Terrafamilia]

I just became aware today that new episodes of Elena of Avalor have been running almost every day since the beginning of last week. It seems that when that sort of thing starts to happen the show is on its last legs and the network is just trying to fulfill its obligation to air it get it over with quickly as possible.

[Virtual]

Favorite modern day Disney show has to be Raven’s Home. It’s the show that most brings back nostalgia from my heyday of watching Disney.

One thing I wish Disney Channel could do is to dedicate one day a week to airing retro programs, from the 90’s and early 2000’s.

[chediavolo]

I also find it’s hard to find shows the way this forum is set up . Some are jumbled in with other headings. 
Has anyone watched She Hulk? I watched ep 1 and thought it was terrible.  Will watch one more just in case it gets better but I doubt it. It felt so off, even the sound. And the actress was really bad. 

[chitowngirl]

10 hours ago, chediavolo said:

I also find it’s hard to find shows the way this forum is set up . Some are jumbled in with other headings. 
Has anyone watched She Hulk? I watched ep 1 and thought it was terrible.  Will watch one more just in case it gets better but I doubt it. It felt so off, even the sound. And the actress was really bad. 

She-Hulk (a Disney+ show, not Disney) has a Forum here

[Aliconehead]

So I have been watching Ultra Violet and Black Scorpion. The actor that plays Black Scorpion was familiar after the first one. I looked it up and it’s the boy that befriends Akeelah in Akeelah and the Bee. I sometimes forget how old movies actually are. 

[Terrafamilia]

Third season of Secrets of Sulphur Springs has begun. Time travel, ghosts, young love in the offing - it's pretty good, IMHO.