THAT’S SO RAVEN
(Disney Channel, January 17, 2003-November 10, 2007)
Created by Michael Poryes and Susan Sherman, That’s So
Raven (originally The Future Is on Me, and later Absolutely
Psychic before the lead was cast) focused on teenaged Raven Baxter (Raven-Symoné) who had something
special about her: she was psychic. Raven would receive random psychic visions
that she would misinterpret as bad, and tried to protect her friends and family
by taking steps to ensure the vision wouldn’t come true. Pratfalls ensued,
which often included costumes designed by her for herself and whatever friend
she roped into helping. Her secret was shared by her best friends Chelsea
Daniels (Anneliese van der Pol,
after Raven originally auditioned for it), an environmentalist, and Eddie
Thomas (Orlando Brown), a
girl-crazy aspiring rapper, and her family that included her father Victor (Rondell Sheridan), a chef that
would eventually open the teen hangout The Chill Grill, mother Tanya (T’Keyah Crystal Keymáh), a law
student, and brother Cory (Kyle
Massey), who had entrepreneurial ambitions.
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| The Baxter family. |
That’s
So Raven debuted on Disney
Channel on January 17, 2003, with reruns airing on Disney-owned ABC
starting that fall as part of the ABC Kids
programming block. Raven and Brown would perform the series’ theme, composed by
John Coda. It was the
network’s first multi-camera sitcom and the highest-rated
original series in its history; surpassing Lizzie McGuire and
earning numerous award nominations. It also became the first to break Disney’s controversial
65-episode rule,
running for 100 episodes. Originally planned for only 3 seasons like other
Disney shows, the series was renewed
for a 4th. That ended up costing them Keymáh, who had to leave
to care for her ill grandmother. Tanya’s absence was explained by her going to
England to study. Raven was promoted to a producer on the series at
19-years-old, giving her more input on casting, scripts and special effects;
although she declined
an offer to direct an episode. During this season, the series took part in
a crossover with fellow Disney shows The Suite Life of Zack & Cody
and Hannah Montana called That’s So Suite Life of
Hannah Montana.
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| Raven with her besties Eddie and Chelsea. |
Ultimately
Disney decided to end the show as the actors were aging out of their roles, and
a companion film slated for 2007 never saw production due to Raven’s
busy schedule. Instead, Disney commissioned its first Disney Channel
spin-off series Cory in the House, which would follow Cory and Victor to
Washington, D.C. where Victor served as the White House
executive chef. It lasted two seasons. An Indian version, Palak Pe Jhalak,
debuted on Disney
Channel India in 2015 and ran for a single season. 2017 saw the return of
Raven and van der Pol in Raven’s
Home, which initially followed the now adult friends that were both
divorced single mothers before a soft reboot sent Raven back to San Francisco to care for her ailing father. Her
son, Booker (Isaac Ryan Brown)
inherited his mother’s powers, creating a whole new generation of mishaps. It
lasted longer than the original series, running 6 seasons and 122 episodes.
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