I recently rewatched the pilot episodes of all of the classic Disney shows that my friends and I spent the better part of our childhoods watching.
After rewatching the first episode of each series, I ranked the episodes considering three factors. The first factor is the “Funny Factor”: how good the humor is. The second factor is the “Wholesome Factor,” meaning how good the lesson of the story is. The third factor is the “Cheesy Factor”: the cheesier the show is, the lower it gets ranked. The theme song of the show was going to be a factor, but I figured it was pointless because all of the theme songs of Disney shows are fantastic. Each of these factors has 10 points. The show with the most points, wins.
Without further delay, let’s take a trip down memory lane.
- SHAKE it up
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Final Score: 10
While I have fond memories of this show and love Bella Thorne and Zendaya, this show simply did not stack up. This show got the lowest score for cheesiness, receiving a 1. This was the cheesiest Disney show by far, with the lessons being too forced. The big lesson of the show was that you should always support your friends, seen as CeCe and Rocky support each other through dance auditions. The theme is basic, overused, and poorly delivered. Finally, the humor was limited to little jokes between characters and CeCe’s mom being an aggressive cop. Overall, this proved to be the worst show of the list.
- wizards of waverly place
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Final Score: 13
Yet another show that I have fond memories of that does not stand up to scrutiny. The themes were that you should not let the popular kids be mean to you, and always keep promises to your parents. Again, these themes were forced, and the delivery was cheesy, resulting in a 3 for the Cheesy Factor and a 4 for the lesson. Finally, the humor was basic and not creative, resulting in a 6 for the Funny Factor. Final thoughts: not a great show.
- Liv and maddie
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Final Score: 15
This is a middle-of-the-road Disney show. The best thing about this show was the lesson: family will always be there for you no matter what happens. Unique and well delivered, this show received an 8 in that category. The humor in this show is pretty good, mostly centering around the big personalities of the siblings interacting, resulting in a 5. Finally, the thing that killed this show is how cheesy it was. “BAM, WHAT!” single-handedly gave this show a 2 for the Cheesy factor. In conclusion, this show had so much potential but did not deliver.
- Austin and ally
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Final Score: 17
Austin and Ally complement each other in the weirdest way, proving that people that are so different can be perfect for each other, giving this show a 7 for the lesson category. I have to admit Trish and her many jobs is a classic humor point, but other than that the humor is too juvenile, and I would rate it a 4. The characters in this show are overexaggerated, but other than that there is not much cheesiness in this show, so Austin and Ally gets a 6 for the Cheesy Factor. Final words: a classic in its own way.
- good luck charlie
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Final Score: 18
The theme of this show is unmatched in how applicable it can be to the audience. The lesson, “family might seem busy but they will always care about you” gives the show an 8 with an amazing delivery. The show is realistic, and the dialogue is “slice of life,” giving this show a 7 for the cheesiness factor (points knocked off for cheesy jokes). Finally, the humor is not creative, having the same “slice-of-life” feel, knocking this show down to a 3 for humor. All in all, Good Luck Charlie is iconic but is lacking the Funny Factor.
- Jessie
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Final Score: 19
Jessie was one of my favorites growing up and it stays great today. The show had the same theme as Good Luck Charlie, delivered in the same manner, resulting in both shows receiving an 8 for lessons. However, Jessie receives a 6 for the Funny Factor because the kids do wild things and have such polarizing personalities that the humor is zany. The show is middle of the road as far as Disney shows go in terms of cheesiness; it does not ruin the show. Final thoughts: Mrs. Kipling has my heart.
- Hannah montana
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Final Score: 20
The theme of the episode was to not be afraid to show your friends who you really are. A good lesson for blossoming young girls, Hannah Montana receives an 8 in this category. From Lilly’s big personality to Oliver’s absurd confidence to just Billy Ray Cyrus, this show does not fall short of things to laugh at, giving it a 7 Funny Factor. Lastly, most of the cheesiness comes from the premise that this random pre-teen is actually a massive pop star that somehow is able to hide her identity and be a normal middle schooler. All in all, Hannah Montana is and forever will be iconic.
- The suite life of zack and cody
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Final Score: 21
Zack and Cody are basically household names, mainly because of their clever antics, the funny “bimbo” personality of London, the hilarious foreign doorman, and of course Mr. Moseby. Obviously, this show receives an 8 for humor. The themes are pretty basic, don’t date a boy if you don’t like them and value your friends over being popular. Basically, be true to yourself. However, they were cleverly delivered resulting in a 6 for lessons. This show was less cheesy than most Disney shows, so I gave it a 7 for Cheesy factor. Love live Mr. Moseby.
- That’s so Raven
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Final Score: 26
This show was a complete wild card. I watched the reruns of it sometimes but looking back, it is for sure the best. The humor of this show was unmatched, so it received a 9. Raven and her family and friends constantly roast each other, and Raven got in a whole fat suit to trick her teachers and parents. The theme of this show was unique: “You don’t have to be perfect for your parents.” It was delivered in such an emotional way that I had to give the show a 9 for lessons. Lastly, this show’s cheesiness did not distract from its greatness at all, resulting in a 8 for the Cheesy Factor. This show came out of nowhere, but I am glad I included it in the ratings.
In my journey of rewatching old Disney shows, I realized that although Disney shows might be cheesy and overrated as a genre, they did a lot for us growing up. Though the characters were exaggerated, we still fell in love with them. I am sure that I have outgrown these shows, but it was nice to revisit the classics.