Disney Channel Corner
Where being normal is vastly overrated
Hall of Fame
Top 5 Live Action Series
1. Boy Meets World
Boy Meets World is my favorite show of all time, and I consider it the best show of all time. Boy Meets World centers on young Cory and his life with his best friend Shawn, love interest and later wife, Topanga, and the ever- famous Mr. George Feeny. Along for the ride are also his family- younger sister Morgan, older brother Eric, and parents Alan and Amy. There is no way that I could ever encompass what this show means to me, but it will always be the best show of all time.
2. Hannah (Freaking) Montana
This show was my life as a kid. It came out when I was 10 years old, and I was obsessed with it. I had all of her CDs, I knew all of the dances, I had all of her songs memorized- you name it, I was a Hannah Montana freak. Unfortunately, I was never allowed to go to a concert because I was “too young”. This is a funny, quirky show that has Billy Ray Cyrus in it, and has several notable guest stars appear throughout the show, including Miley Cyrus’ real life godmother, Dolly Parton.
3. The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody was a show I liked as a kid, but as an adult, I like it even more. I love seeing baby Cole and Dylan Sprouse being ridiculous and cute. I talk more about this show it in a blog post here, but I am surprised that this show stuck with me into adulthood when I only moderately liked it as a kid.
4. Life With Derek
For some reason that is unknown to me, people do not know about Life with Derek. It is hardly mentioned today at all, and I don’t remember any of my friends watching it growing up, either. This is a show about how a blended family adjusts to their new lives together. The two oldest characters- Derek & Casey- had been perfectly content with ruling over their own households until their parents fell in love. Casey is very Type A and is a straight A student, while Derek is more relaxed, a D student, and is constantly pulling pranks on Casey. Despite all of this, it is shown that these step siblings really care for each other, and possibly more than in just a brotherly and sisterly way. Yikes.
5. Phil of the Future
Phil of the Future is a show about a teenager Phil and his family who- you guessed it- are from the future. The family’s day to day life deals with the inconveniences of living in the past and coping with inferior technology. As far as adjustments go though, I think they did pretty well. Imagine going back in time a century and dealing with 100 year old technology. In the end, they return to the future right after Phil and his best friend turned girlfriend start dating, making the ending bittersweet.
Top 5 Animated Series
1. Kim Possible
As I mentioned in another post, Kim Possible is one of the best shows, not even just animated shows, of all time. It’s funny, ahead of its time, feminist, and it stands the test of time. If you want to read more about Kim Possible, click here.
2. American Dragon Jake Long
American Dragon Jake Long. What a throwback. ADJL is a story about how a half-Chinese thirteen year old can turn into a dragon and save the world. He hides this fact from the rest of the world except his mom, sister, and grandfather. Even his father doesn’t know! To complicate things even further, his true love is secretly one of the people that he has to constantly fight against. It’s such a great, funny, wholesome show that has different aspects of both Chinese culture and mystical elements that make it an overall awesome show.
3. Lilo and Stitch: The Series
Lilo and Stitch first came to us in the blessed form of a 2002 movie, then a spin-off series that was ACTUALLY GOOD followed. Like American Dragon Jake Long, it helps viewers look into a different culture they may not be experiencing. Lilo is a young girl whose best friends are aliens and she is raised by her 19 year old sister, Nani. In the original movie, she adopted Stitch as a pet, but he turned out to be more than she bargained for. But hey, Ohana means family, and family means no one gets left behind. This show is all about unconditional love between different species, but they are all the same family. It’s an uplifting and funny show that I still think of today.
4. Phineas and Ferb
Phineas and Ferb is a show about two young stepbrothers that create all sorts of amazing things in each episode. Their inventions vary from a rocket launcher to making clones of themselves to even making a cruise ship! Their journey creating their adventures serves as the A plot, while their pet platypus, Perry, is featured in the B plot. Perry is actually a secret agent, unbeknownst to his loving family, and has to foil the plans of the evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz. This was a perfect show to watch on a boring summer day, and its many catch phrases bring back so many positive memories.
5. Recess
Recess is a bit older than some of the other shows on this list, but that doesn’t make it any less worthy. Premiering in 1997, it is a show about six fourth graders who protect their playground and their friends from the playground bully. This show deals with the very real problem of schoolground bullying and shows how kids handle it. This show wasn’t one of the first ones I thought of in terms of favorites, but I realized that I have essentially been overlooking it as such a classic and quality Disney animated show.
