A 21-Year-Old’s Take on Kids/Teen TV

Photo belongs to Aaron Escobar

This week, I found quite the entertaining post over at Television without Pity called, A 21-Year-Old’s Take on ‘90s TV by Andrea Cheng. Being 21 and a fan of ‘90s TV myself, it caught my eye right away. I also absolutely loved the idea of a TV-watcher reviewing series targeted toward a different generation – what a perspective! So I decided to give the idea a little flip and do the same thing myself, except on a slightly different TV topic – kids/teen TV. I grew up on it, I still watch it, and now, as a young adult, I’m going to tell you what I think of the pilots (first episodes) of some of the most recent popular series. Plus I’m 21, so I fit in with the theme.

1. Hannah Montana
It’s always fun to take a series and go back to the first episode that started it all, but it’s particularly fun with this one because of the entire hubbub surrounding Hannah Montana these days. Ordinary girl Miley Stewart lives an anything but ordinary life because behind the scenes of this normal, everyday life she leads, she’s…super-famous pop star, Hannah Montana! Except she hasn’t exactly told her best friend, Lilly yet, who’s not only her best friend but the ultimate Hannah fan…and their other best bud Oliver wouldn’t exactly understand, considering he’s hoping to be Mr. Hannah Montana one day. For a major first time performance, Miley Cyrus does a dynamite job, and her supporting cast is just as memorable, in my opinion. Not to mention Billy Ray Cyrus makes a pretty hilarious on-screen dad. Of course my favorite aspect of the show would have to be Miley’s older brother, Jackson…who wouldn’t want to use their sister’s pop-star popularity to their advantage? Oh, and that dressing room scene? Priceless.

2. iCarly
Five…four…three…two…one…! Carly Shay’s not your typical troubled teen, she’s just filling in for her best friend Sam in the principal’s office – who, by the way, is indeed a girl as she continues to insist to the rest of the student body. Then there’s next door neighbor Freddie, who’s content to love Carly from afar…well, if you consider an apartment keyhole away to be that far. Oh, and there’s also her “abnormal” twenty-six-year-old brother/guardian Spencer – the artist. Naturally he’s the character I relate to most out of the bunch because of the age similarity, which instantly makes me fall in love with, not only Spencer (and actor Jerry Trainor), but the series itself, because it’s one my younger sister and I can both enjoy at the same time. But what I love most about this episode in particular turns out to be the focus of the entire series, when Freddie accidentally turns a goofing-off session between Carly and Sam into a popular Internet video. This leads the three of them to create a web show where the ones who have the final word on what’s cool are not the adults, but the kids.

3. Zoey 101
As the first single-camera comedy (non-sitcom) to air on Nickelodeon in a while, Zoey 101 certainly brought something new to the network, and I must say, it’s as good as any of its sitcom rivals. Writing a show around a predominantly boy boarding school (that’s just starting to allow girls to attend) instead of your typical public one is definitely different, but it’s also what makes this series unique. The characters are also fresh – it doesn’t take excited newcomer Zoey long to make her first friend in welcoming, “nice guy” Chase and go head-to-head with self-centered, girl-prejudiced Logan of the boys basketball team. From challenging the boys to a guys vs. girls basketball game to turning the urinal in the girls’ restroom into a decorative fountain, Zoey’s certainly quick to prove that anything the guys can do, the girls can do better.

4. The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
Here’s quite a different setting than your typical family sitcom…a hotel. But that doesn’t mean these characters don’t know how to act like a family. Troublemaking twins Zack and Cody rampaging their hotel home…Maddie, the intellectual candy-counter girl tutoring London, the egocentric heiress to the Tipton fortune…and some hotel staff whose qualifications might be somewhat in question. Add in Carrie, the lounge singing mother and Mr. Moseby, hotel manager doing everything within his power to put a stop to said rampaging hooligans, and you’ve got the dysfunctional family made. But family is family, and just like with any other family, Zack and Cody have to learn the hard way that, unlike people who you think are your friends, real friends are always going to be there when you need them.

5. True Jackson, V.P.
As with iCarly, this was actually my first time watching this pilot, and boy was I impressed. One thing I really like about it is the whole tone and comedy of the show reminds me a lot of some of the old Nickelodeon shows that I grew up watching – really brought me back. The whole idea of taking a teen and plopping her in a grown-up’s world automatically creates conflict for our main character True as she dives into a fluke summer job as the new vice president of a high-profile fashion company; immediately you can tell she’s in over her head. After hearing True’s comment of distaste toward the Pinks clique in her high school early in the episode, we can see as the episode plays out why comparing the “cliques” in the working world to those of high school encourages True to overcome her problems. Because in response to “high school can be scary”, she just says, “Nah.”

6. Wizards of Waverly Place
I remember when I was little I used to love Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and after watching teenage wizard Alex Russo attempt to solve her problems with magic, her character does remind me a lot of novice witch Sabrina Spellman. Just like Sabrina’s counseling aunts Hilda and Zelda, Alex’s father Jerry teaches his three kids on how to handle magic, but his daughter Alex isn’t exactly your prize student. She’d much rather participate in more mortal activities, such as snubbing bratty mean girl Gigi and going to the Crazy Ten Minute Sale. Unable to skip her magic lesson on Thursday to go the sale, Alex sneaks off anyway, but just as with Sabrina, things are bound to go wrong for Alex. Not only does Mom show up at the sale too, but thanks to her brothers messing around back home, her spell backfires on her – and so does her plan. And also, just like Sabrina, Alex must learn not only magic lessons but life lessons to get her through the day. Though a little magic certainly helps, and not just for Alex but for drawing me to the series in the first place.