TaleSpin is a half-hour American animated television series spin-off of The Jungle Book that first aired as

part of The Disney Afternoon. The name of the show is a play on “tailspin”, defined as “the rapid descent

of an aircraft in a steep spiral”. The “Tale” in the name originally referred to the series DuckTales,

because Launchpad McQuack from that show was originally going to be the star of TaleSpin, but was replaced

by Baloo.

Background

After a preview of The Disney Afternoon that aired on the Disney Channel in May 1990, the series began its

run in September of the same year. The original concept was embodied in the introductory television movie

Plunder and Lightning which was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (Prime Time

for Programming One Hour or More) in 1991 and was later re-edited into four half-hour episodes for reruns.

The show was often seen either on its own as a half-hour show, or as part of the two-hour syndicated series

The Disney Afternoon. TaleSpin ended on its 65th episode which ran in 1994. However, reruns continued to be

shown on The Disney Afternoon through late 1994 till 1996. Afterwards, it was moved into Disney Channel and

later into Toon Disney.

Several of the characters are loosely based on characters from Disney’s animated film version of The Jungle

Book: in particular Baloo, the hot-shot pilot hero of the series; Louie, the owner of Baloo’s favorite bar;

and Shere Khan, a business tycoon who appears in many episodes. Kit seems to be a stand-in for Mowgli,

since Baloo calls him by the same nicknames his Jungle Book counterpart called Mowgli, like “Little

Britches” and “Baby Bear”. Shere Khan’s soldiers are black panthers, resembling Bagheera.

Also, many of the series concepts seem to be based on the 1982 ABC series Tales of the Gold Monkey,

including the main concept of a cocky flying boat cargo pilot and his rocky relationship with his

girlfriend, his scatterbrained mechanic sidekick, the era and designs of the aircraft and costumes, the

Pacific Islands setting, the secondary character relationships, even the visual appearance of the lagoon.

Also, the protagonists of both series fly planes named for waterfowl (Cutter’s Goose and Sea Duck) and are

regular denizens of taverns named “Louie’s”.

The series was largely developed by writers Jymn Magon and Mark Zaslove, who were also the Supervising

Producers on the series as well as Story Editors. There were four production teams, each one headed by a

Producer/Director: Robert Taylor, Larry Latham, Jamie Mitchell and Ed Ghertner.

Synopsis

TaleSpin is set in the fictional city-state of Cape Suzette (a pun on the pancake dish, Crêpe Suzette), a

harbor town protected by giant cliffs through which only a small opening exists. The opening in the cliffs

is guarded by anti-aircraft artillery, preventing flying rabble-rousers or air pirates from entering the

city. Characters in the world of TaleSpin are anthropomorphic animals. The timeframe of the series is never

specifically addressed, but appears to be in the mid to late 1930s; the helicopter and jet engine are

experimental devices and most architecture is reminiscent of the art deco style of that period. “The Great

War” ended “nearly 20 years ago”, and radio is the primary mass medium.

The series centered on the adventures of bush pilot Baloo the bear, whose air cargo freight business is

bought out by Rebecca Cunningham, and renamed “Higher for Hire”. An orphan boy and former air pirate, the

ambitious Kit Cloudkicker, attaches to Baloo and becomes his navigator. He sometimes calls him “Papa Bear”.

Together, they are the crew of Higher for Hire’s only aircraft, a modified Conwing L-16 named the Sea Duck.

From there, the series follows the ups and downs of Higher for Hire and its staff, sometimes in the vein of

old action-adventure film serials of the 1930s and ’40s and contemporary variations, such as Raiders of the

Lost Ark.

Their adventures often involve encounters with a gang of air pirates led by the histrionic Don Karnage,

with representatives of Thembria, a parody of the Stalinist Soviet Union inhabited by anthropomorphic

warthogs, or other, often even stranger obstacles. In deference to contemporary sensitivities, there is no

equivalent of the Nazis in the series, although one story in Disney Adventures Magazine had the heroes

encounter “the Hausers,” a menacing militaristic nationality of dogs who wear uniforms that are clearly

based on German ones.

The relationship between Baloo and Rebecca owes something to the screwball comedy films of the 1930s. It is

even more closely patterned after the later years of the television sitcom Cheers—in both shows, a

buttoned-down businesswoman named Rebecca takes the reins of a struggling company, then hires its previous

owner (a fun-loving but irresponsible slacker) to do most of the work for her.

A video game by Capcom was also released on the NES and Game Boy. Sega produced a different version for the

Sega Genesis and Sega Game Gear. A third incarnation was produced by Hudson Soft for the TurboGrafx-16.

Famed Uncle Scrooge comic writer and artist Don Rosa contributed to episode 6 “It Came From Beneath the Sea

Duck” and episode 9 “I Only Have Ice for You”.

Characters and cast

Main article: List of TaleSpin characters

Episodes

Main article: List of TaleSpin episodes

DVD releases

Disney released the first 27 episodes (including the 4-part pilot) of TaleSpin on DVD in Region 1 on August

29, 2006. Volume 2 of the series was released on November 13, 2007, which includes the controversial

episode “Last Horizons”. Disney has yet to confirm a third volume with the remaining episodes, and there is

no word on whether the other controversial episode, “Flying Dupes” will be included, (see “Controversy”

below).
DVD Name     Release Date     Eps#
Volume One     August 29, 2006     23eps. with 4-part pilot.
Volume Two     November 13, 2007      27 eps.
Volume Three     TBA     11 eps.

Controversy

Banned episodes

Two episodes of Talespin drew varied amounts of controversy, enough for one episode to be temporarily

banned and the other to be permanently banned.

The first of these, the episode “Last Horizons”, was temporarily banned and taken off the air.

Investigation of the event has since revealed that the reason for its temporary removal was the alleged

stereotyping of Asians. The villain in the episode is an anthropomorphic panda Emperor named Wan Lo (voiced

by actor Robert Ito) living in a mock-pre-WWII Asian nation called “Panda-La”, who takes Baloo into his

country to exploit his naiveté and attacks Cape Suzette. There is a reference to how their lust for

conquest is not shared by all of their species with “Good Pandas especially dislike us.”

The fictitious nation may have been a take on Japan, which attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor,

Hawaii on December 7, 1941. That incident ushered America’s entry into the Second World War.

The second episode, coincidentally the last in the series, titled “Flying Dupes” was aired for the first

time on August 8, 1992 and was immediately pulled from the lineup afterward, not to be seen again for more

than ten years. It made a brief re-appearance on Toon Disney several years ago, possibly by mistake, and

has never been re-aired since. Considered by Disney to be a banned episode, the apparent reason for this

episode’s permanent removal from the airwaves is the terrorist theme associated with it. Despite this ban,

the episode was aired repeatedly by independent stations, including Seattle-based KSTW-TV and Family

Channel in Canada. They also get aired on German TV (dubbed) practically anytime the series gets broadcast.

The general synopsis of the episode starts with Baloo being asked to deliver a goodwill present (a cuckoo

clock he is told) to the High Marshall of Thembria from Cape Suzette. Baloo is unaware until the end of the

episode that the package really contains a time bomb planted by munitions manufacturers who wish to provoke

a war between Thembria and Cape Suzette in order to boost weapons sales.

Voice impersonation

A controversy related to TaleSpin involved the character Louie. In 2001, the widow of Louis Prima, who had

voiced the scat singing orangutan in The Jungle Book, filed suit against Disney for “breach of contract,

non-payment of royalties, unjust enrichment, fraud and negligent misrepresentation”. At issue were back

royalties owed for profits made from video and DVD sales of The Jungle Book and unauthorized use of her

husband’s voice and its likeness in shows like TaleSpin (Jim Cummings’s impersonation of Prima’s voice was

near-perfect). Although the case was eventually settled out of court, Disney has since chosen to avoid any

further trouble and has refrained from using the character in anything else. Illustrating this point was

the appearance of a Louie doppelgänger in an episode of the Disney’s House of Mouse, “King Larry Swings

In.” Here “Larry” was identified as Louie’s identical twin brother to avoid offending the Prima estate. It

was also due to this lawsuit that Louie was conspicuously absent from The Jungle Book 2 (2003); he is the

only major Jungle Book character who did not appear in the 2003 film.

Comics

A monthly comic book based on the show was published by Disney Comics in 1991, running for seven issues

(eleven, counting a four-issue mini-series based on the series premiere). Bobby JG Weiss was the writer for

issues 1-4 and 6-7. As issue 5 was adapted from the episode 41, “The Old Man And The Sea Duck”, Weiss only

is credited for adaptation.

The comic’s cancellation seven months later terminated several planned stories that would have revealed

pieces of background for the main characters. Issue 7 explored Kit’s past, and how he joined up with the

pirates. According to the letter page in #3, a planned story for the comic’s annual would have explored the

origin of the Iron Vulture. #4-7 would have letters ‘answered’ by the characters.

A collected edition called Disney’s Cartoon Tales featuring TaleSpin came out in 1991 (ISBN 1-56115-269-2).

It reprints #4 and 6 from the regular comic book series.

Subsequent comic stories were also printed in Disney Adventures from 1990 to 1995 then re-appeared in the

Summer 2006 Disney Adventures Comic Zone Magazine, as well as in the Disney Afternoon comic book published

by Marvel Comics.

TaleSpin #8

While issue #8 of the monthly comic series never made it to print, the end of issue #7 included a preview

for it:

“Spies in Cape Suzette?! There are some mighty mysterious folk sniffing around Shere Khan Industries. When

Special Agent Booker shows up to handle the problem he finds that battling foreign agents is easier than

dealing with Baloo as an assistant in… THE SPY WHO BUGGED ME!”

Relationship

At some point during the series, Baloo and Rebecca’s relationship matures into a strong friendship with

possible romantic overtones. Several episodes feature Baloo serving as escort to Rebecca for various social

occasions though often with a degree of reluctance from one or both. In “It Came From Beneath the Sea

Duck”, Baloo accompanies Rebecca on a shopping spree; in “Her Chance to Dream”, Baloo becomes slightly

jealous when Rebecca is courted by the ghost of a Victorian era sea captain; in the beginning of “A Star Is

Torn”, the two have a dinner date as “friends”. Baloo’s statement to Rebecca of “Remember the last time we

went out?” suggests that this is not their first date; In “Feminine Air”, when Rebecca reveals that she

could tell her co-pilot “Tan Margret” was really Baloo in drag, she calls Baloo her “best friend”; “Gruel

and Unusual Punishment” both Baloo and Rebecca ready themselves to go the annual Pilot’s Ball with her

getting a new dress (which is a leftover from “Her Chance to Dream”) and him losing weight when she

threatens to take someone else and they get just a little bit closer (but not a lot) in the closing moments

of “My Fair Baloo.” In addition, at the end of “Lost Horizons,” Rebecca clearly shouts with joy at Baloo’s

escape from certain death, “I love you, Baloo!”

Trivia

* Prior to Talespin, voice actors Ed Gilbert and R.J. Williams starred as father and son in the NBC

cartoon Kissyfur.

* Kit Cloudkicker’s first name is leftover from a never produced Disney TVA series called “Metro Mice”

which starred two mice detectives: Colt Chedderson and Kit Colby. Metro Mice eventually evolved into Chip

‘n Dale Rescue Rangers.

* Don Karnage’s massive airship, the Iron Vulture was originally going to be called the Sky Shark. It

also had a much more fishlike appearance in the early concept art.

* Baloo is the only character to appear in all 65 episodes

* In the show, Baloo would use recycled lines from previous Disney works. He often mentioned “bear

necessities” and called Kit “little britches”, both hand downs from The Jungle Book (1967 film). In Plunder

and Lightning he said “One more time.”, a line said by Louie in The Jungle Book. In A Bad Reflection on You

he said “This ain’t no hay ride, lets move it on out of here.”, said by Little John in Robin Hood (Disney

film). The latter was originally voiced by singer/voice actor Phil Harris who originally portrayed Baloo

for Disney.

* In one episode of the Aladdin cartoon the Genie, Princess Jasmine, Abu and Iago attempt to stop an

evil genie by flying a plane very similar in design to the Sea Duck. Genie is dressed as Baloo, and

resembles him facially; Jasmine is dressed like Rebecca, Abu like Louie, and Iago like Kit.

* The plot for episode 38, “The Time Bandit” was recycled from an episode of DuckTales, “Allowance

Day”, which premiered less than eight months earlier.
* This is the first Disney show to have a major use of CGI to create the perspective’s of the planes

and 3-D backgrounds. This is very noticeable on the pilot episode. This would be later used in Goof Troop.

* A smaller Sea Duck look-a-like appears in Total Drama Island.

Bookmark to:

So Weird is a television series shot in Vancouver, British Columbia that aired on the Disney Channel as a

midseason replacement from January 18th, 1999 to September 28th, 2001. The series at first centered around

teenage girl Fiona Phillips (Cara DeLizia) who toured with her rock star mom (Mackenzie Phillips),

encountering paranormal activity along the way. Acting as an X-Files for the younger crowd, the series took

a darker tone than other Disney Channel Originals. The third and final season saw the replacement of Cara

DeLizia with actress Alexz Johnson playing Annie Thelen in a revamped, lighter version of the show. After

65 episodes, Disney Channel halted production on the series.

Main cast

* Cara DeLizia as Fiona ‘Fi’ Phillips (Seasons 1-2)
* Mackenzie Phillips as Molly Phillips
* Alexz Johnson as Annie Thelan (Season 3)
* Patrick Levis as Jack Phillips
* Erik von Detten as Clu Bell
* Eric Lively as Carey Bell (Season 2-3)
* Belinda Metz as Irene Bell
* Dave Ward as Ned Bell

Plot

Season one

The season began with Fiona Phillips on tour with her famous rocker mother Molly, brother Jack (Scully to

her Mulder), bus driver Ned, his wife Irene, and their son Clu. Stringing together all of Fi’s paranormal

encounters was her search to communicate with her father, who died when she was three years old. Fi first

“encountered” her father in the second episode titled “Website” where an unknown force sent her internet

articles warning her of the future. From alien invasions, time warps, and ghosts, Fi faced 13 episodes

worth of paranormal activity. Also encountered: one powerful tulpa, a Bigfoot, angels, and more

significantly, the Will o’ the Wisp. The season finale featured Jack becoming possessed by an Irish Will o’

the Wisp, also known as Spunkie. Fi found the spirit’s true name - Bricriu - and saved her brother by

speaking it. Bricriu had offered to protect Fi, and while it is understandable that Fi initially believed

he was lying, subsequent events in the show proved that Bricriu may have been telling the truth. However,

this is questionable at best.

Season two

The second season was even darker than the first, playing out over twenty-six episodes. The premiere picked

up with Molly taking time off the tour to record an album. Fi and friend Candy meet a medium who is proven

to be a fraud. However, the one who uncovers the fake is actually a medium himself who aids Fi in

contacting her father through music on his old guitar. The episode ends in an emotional scene between Fi

and Molly revealing how Molly really feels about Fi’s search for her father.

The character of Clu was reduced during the season as he went off to college, and his brother Carey was

introduced to fill in the gap. Many classic beasts surfaced within the season, including vampires,

werewolves, banshees, trolls, sirens, and merfolk. In a pivotal episode, Fi learned that her father

investigated the same kinds of supernatural events that Fi did. In fact, this was exactly what killed him.

Upon learning this, Fi is angered by her mother’s deceit in covering up the truth about her father. Molly

was eventually possessed by the same Will o’ the Wisp as Jack was in season one, and Fi discovered that

Will o’ the Wisps or other dark powers, though not necessarily Bricriu himself, may have killed her father,

resulting in the motorcycle accident that police had assumed took his life. In this episode Bricriu used

Molly to try to kill a firefighter who had been present at Rick’s car crash and was aware that Fi’s dad had

been dead, with no apparent cause, before the car crashed. Following this episode, Fi had further contact

with her father, as the answer to a troll’s question - Faith - was revealed at the last moment.

The season ended with Fi discovering her father’s twin sister received messages from him in her sleep. The

messages led Fi to a rooftop where she was attacked by a demon and saved by the ghost of her father. He

left her with a message that the spirit world was angry with her and would try to stop her. At last, Fi got

the proper farewell to her father that she had been searching for. Many DeLizia fans consider this a

proper, if not entirely fulfilling, finale.

Season three

After skewing extremely dark and intricate in its second season, the show was forced into a lighter tone

for its final batch of episodes. Cara DeLizia left after the first episode, which introduced family friend

Annie Thelen. Fi had yet another encounter with Bricriu that ended with him convincing her to give up her

innate attraction to the paranormal in order to protect her family. Fi, unable for whatever reason to see

that Bricriu was acting in her best interests, trapped him in a floppy disk. The attraction, manifested in

the ring her father gave her, was passed on to Annie as Fi went to live with her aunt. Molly moved the

family to a new, brightly colored house.

Annie’s story arc was the mystery behind a spirit guide that followed her in the form of a panther. Her

character was also musically talented, and episodes featured more of her singing than that of the older

Mackenzie Phillips. The season’s stories were a far cry from previous episodes, playing such plots as being

sucked into a painting (which directly followed an episode of people being sucked into photographs) and a

detention class that never ended. Fi never reappeared in the season, not even the final episode, which was

a clip show of mostly the third season.

Cancellation

After 65 installments, Disney canceled the show as was standard practice at the time no matter how popular

a series it was. After the show ended, the series’ reruns were pushed further back on the schedule. Before

it was taken off completely, the show was airing at 3:00 AM in late 2001. Starting in 2002, Disney Channel

completely overhauled its line-up and So Weird re-runs were gone.

Unaired plots

Executive producers Jon Cooksey and Ali Marie Matheson had plotted out a very different and dark third

season. Season two would have ended with Rick being thrown off the roof rather than having a tearful

farewell with his daughter. Season three would then pick up with stories including Bricriu making a

reappearance, possessing Fi who would later be saved by Molly’s priest brother. Fi would have continued to

investigate the paranormal but the encounter on the rooftop would have made her more cautious; the Phillips

witch ancestry would be delved into; the alien thread from the past two seasons would have come full

circle; Jack would have been revealed to have lived a past life as a knight (subtly alluded to in past

episodes); Molly’s past alcoholism (the subject of “In the Darkness”) would have been addressed; and Rick’s

story would have continued through to the series finale of Fi going into Hell to rescue her father.

However, Disney would not allow the dark themes to be included in the show. They instead opted for a

lighter tone to dominate the final season. This led to executive producers Cooksey and Matheson leaving the

show. However, most of the planned plots would not have been possible because Cara DeLizia had already made

the decision to leave and pursue other projects.

The other known incidence of Disney rejecting proposed stories was the unproduced episode “Chrysalis.” The

episode would have featured Carey helping a friend who was a victim of addiction. The episode would have

also introduced the backstory of Molly’s alcoholism. The episode “Avatar” was aired instead of chrysalis.

Cast changes and guest appearances

Erik von Detten was snatched up by Disney when the show was in its second season. While he was used in two

network projects, sitcom Odd Man Out and fantasy series Dinotopia, von Detten returned in the third season

in several guest spots. Eric Lively meanwhile replaced him. The Disney movie The Princess Diaries also

featured von Detten.

Despite many rumors, producers confirm that Cara DeLizia left after season two to pursue other projects

before Disney had decided to revamp the show.

In the season three episode “Earth 101,” Fi’s cameo appearance was done through past vocal footage and a

look-alike stand-in. DeLizia had no part in the episode.

The Moffatts made a guest appearance in the episode “Destiny.” SHeDAISY made a guest appearance in the

episode “Listen.”

Mackenzie Phillips does not appear in two episodes of the series.

Music of So Weird

The series featured original songs sung by both Mackenzie Phillips and Alexz Johnson. Songs sung by

Mackenzie Phillips included the theme “In the Darkness”, “Another World”, “Rebecca”, “The Rock” and “Love

is Broken”. Each of the songs usually tied into the theme of the episode they were featured in. For

example, “Rebecca” was featured in the episode “Rebecca” which dealt with Molly’s former best friend of the

same name who vanished when she was 13 years old. A compilation of Molly’s songs was featured in the

episode “Encore.”

“Last Night Blues,” was the only occasion Cara DeLizia had to sing during her stint on the show. The song

was supernaturally transferred to the characters from a murdered blues musician.

Season 3 mainly used the music of Alexz Johnson. One of Johnson’s original songs, “Dream About You”, was

featured in the episode “Carnival.” A music video by Alexz Johnson, “Shadows”, was also featured near the

end of the show’s run on the Disney channel.

The following is an incomplete listing of music from So Weird. With the exception of “Lorena” and

occasional musical guest appearances, all music was original, created especially for the series.

Introduced in season one

* “In the Darkness”

Music by Annmarie Montade
Lyrics by Jon Cooksey
Sung by Mackenzie Phillips

* “More Like a River”

Music by Brent Belke
Lyrics by Jon Cooksey
Sung by Mackenzie Phillips

* “Rebecca”

Music by Annmarie Montade
Lyrics by Jon Cooksey
Sung by Mackenzie Phillips

* “She Sells”

Music by Annmarie Montade
Lyrics by Jon Cooksey
Sung by Mackenzie Phillips

Introduced in season two

* “Origami”

Sung by Mackenzie Phillips

* “New Math”

Sung by Mackenzie Phillips

* “The Rock”

Sung by Mackenzie Phillips

* “Love Is Broken”

Sung by Mackenzie Phillips

* “Last Night Blues”

Sung by Mackenzie Phillips and Cara DeLiza

* “Another World”

Sung by the fictional Phillips Kane Band, and by Mackenzie Phillips. Alternate version sung by David

Steele

Introduced in season three

* “One In A Million World”

Sung by Mackenzie Phillips and Alexz Johnson

* “To Dream About You”

Sung by Alexz Johnson

* “Never Give Up”

Sung by Alexz Johnson

* “What You Do (Voodoo)”

Sung by Mackenzie Phillips

* “Thinkin’ About Tomorrow”

Sung by Mackenzie Phillips

* “A Different Story”

Sung by Mackenzie Phillips

* “Push Me, Pull You”

Sung by Alexz Johnson

* “‘Cause You’re Watching Over Me (Shadows)”

Sung by Alexz Johnson

* “While I Stare”

Sung by Mackenzie Phillips

Other songs

* “Lorena” (folk song fragment)

Sung by Mackenzie Phillips

* “Star-Dot-Star” (fictional jingle)

Sung by cast (and by gremlins)

* “Jack’s Lullaby”

Sung by Patrick Levis

* “Questions”

Sung by Jewel Staite

* “Little Goodbyes”

Sung by SheDaisy

* “Misery”

Sung by The Moffatts

Episodes

Main article: List of So Weird Episodes

Fan reaction

So Weird was popular amongst older audiences, more so than most other Disney Channel Original Series. Most

fans had latched on to the first two seasons with its dark mythology, especially when led by central

character Fiona Phillips.

When the lighter tone of season three came around, it seemed to alienate most fans (many of which still

continued to watch). In fact, many fans separate the eras as two different series. However, as Disney had

hoped, younger audiences became attracted to the show in its final season, thanks to its lighter stories

and marketable new music talent Alexz Johnson filling in for DeLizia. However, many fans were also angered

by the fact that Disney seemed to completely ignore the show’s past in the final year, dropping all

previous threads and not including clips from seasons one and two in its finale clip show.

Bookmark to:

The Famous Jett Jackson was a Disney Channel Original Series coming of age television series about a boy

named Jett Jackson (Lee Thompson Young) who plays a teenage secret-agent on a fictional TV show-within-a-

show called Silverstone. Jett lives and films Silverstone in his fictional hometown of Wilsted, North

Carolina, where his father is the sheriff. However, the actual series, The Famous Jett Jackson, was filmed

in Brooklin, Ontario.

Plot

Jett Jackson previously lived with his publicist mother in Los Angeles, but missed his home and his

friends. Longing for a relatively normal life, Jett succeeds in getting the production of Silverstone moved

to Wilsted, North Carolina, thus providing jobs to townspeople while affording Jett the chance to live with

his father, Sheriff Wood Jackson, and his great-grandmother, Miz Coretta (whom Jett calls Nana).[1] Keeping

in touch with his mother Jules by video link on his computer (though by the third season she also moved to

Wilsted), Jett now spends part of his time with family, friends and school, and the rest living the life of

a working actor and celebrity. In doing so, Jett often ends up in sticky situations, usually aided and

abetted by his best friend, J.B., his not-quite girlfriend Kayla, and sometimes by Cubby, Silverstone’s

wacky special effects wizard. In the second half of the series, Jett’s new co-star, Riley Grant, is added

to the mix.

The show within the show, Silverstone, is about a spy who works for Mission Omega Matrix in order to save

the world from villains like Dr. Hypnoto and the Rat. In contrast to Jett, Silverstone has no family, only

his mentor, Artemus, and eventually his partner Hawk (”played” by Riley Grant).

History and related series

The Famous Jett Jackson is notable for being the first of the original series created by Disney Channel in

the late 1990s. Show creator Fracaswell Hyman reportedly devised the character before casting Lee Thompson

Young for the role. Like Jett, Young was raised in a single parent home in the South, and decided on an

acting career at an early age. Young went on to write one of the episodes produced for the series.

The series included both young guest stars such as Hayden Christensen, Britney Spears and Destiny’s Child

and veteran stars such as Eartha Kitt, the latter of whom played the new coach of Wilsted’s minor league

baseball team in one episode.

The relative realism of Jett’s home life sometimes gave way to fantasy or paranormal elements, such as one

episode in which Jett learns about a shameful incident in Wilsted’s history with a little prodding from the

ghost of a key figure in the buried scandal. Other episodes dealt with issues in a more realistic and

contemporary way, such as when J.B.’s father’s family-owned store is threatened by the arrival of high-

powered, “big box” competition, and another in which Jett’s English teacher, Dr. Dupree, runs afoul of

local attempts at censorship of a class reading assignment. Other episodes dealt with such topics as

bulimia and the question of whether Jett, with his relatively sheltered and pampered home life, can truly

understand or cope with the problems of other African Americans.

Although it was well-received and regarded as a success, the series ended on June 22, 2001, allegedly due

to Disney’s unstated policy of making only 65 episodes per series. It was followed by a Disney Channel

movie in which Jett finds himself trapped in Silverstone’s world, and vice versa. In that movie he takes on

Silverstone’s role for real and is able to muddle through while Silverstone does the same thing in Jett’s

world until Miz Coreta finds out the truth and he returns home and sends Jett back as well. The movie ends

with Jett returning to Silverstone’s world and helping him complete his mission by rescuing Silverstone

from Kragg and then defeating Kragg alongside his hero alter-ego. The series was in re-runs on Disney

Channel throughout 2002 at 12:30 AM eastern/Pacific.

Many of the regular and recurring cast members from The Famous Jett Jackson have since appeared in another

Canadian television series, Strange Days at Blake Holsey High, as stars or guest stars. The most obvious

examples of this are Jeff Douglas (Cubby) as Professor Noel Zachary, a.k.a. Professor Z., Lawrence Bayne

(Dr. Hypnoto) as Victor Pearson, Tony Munch (The Rat) as The Janitor, and Valerie Boyle (Vice Principal

Niad) as Principal Amanda Durst.

Director Shawn Levy (Cheaper by the Dozen, The Pink Panther, Night at the Museum) did a few episodes of the

series and has since then cast members of the cast in minor roles in his big-budget films.

Critical reaction

Response to the show was generally positive. Laura Fries of Variety, the Hollywood trade paper, noted in

her review of Jett Jackson: The Movie that “Young serves as an appealing role model, much like Sarah

Michelle Gellar’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer –someone who can fulfill young, action craving audiences

without the gratuitous violence. There’s a sense of empowerment associated with these sort of roles, and

handled correctly, they function as an excellent allegory for the confusing teenage years.” Although she

mentions “contrived plot devices”, she also refers to the series as “clever” and “an extremely entertaining

concept”.

Film

Jett Jackson: The Movie

Awards and nominations

The series The Famous Jett Jackson and its young cast were nominated for Young Artist Awards, presented by

the nonprofit Young Artist Foundation, in several categories in the course of the show’s run:

1998-1999 (21st Annual Young Artist Awards)

* Lee Thompson Young, BEST PERFORMANCE IN A TV COMEDY SERIES: Leading Young Actor (nominee, lost to

Thomas Dekker)
* Ryan Sommers Baum, BEST PERFORMANCE IN A TV COMEDY SERIES: Supporting Young Actor (nominee, lost to

Andrew Ducote)
* Kerry Duff, BEST PERFORMANCE IN A TV COMEDY SERIES: Supporting Young Actress (WINNER)
* The Famous Jett Jackson, BEST FAMILY TV COMEDY SERIES (nominee, lost to Freaks and Geeks)

1999-2000 (22nd Annual Young Artist Awards)

* Lee Thompson Young, BEST PERFORMANCE IN A TV DRAMA SERIES: Leading Young Actor (nominee, lost to

Robert Clark)
* Ryan Sommers Baum, BEST PERFORMANCE IN A TV DRAMA SERIES: Supporting Young Actor (nominee, lost to

Miko Hughes)
* Kerry Duff, BEST PERFORMANCE IN A TV DRAMA SERIES: Supporting Young Actress (nominee, lost to

Michelle Trachtenberg)

2000-2001 (22nd Annual Young Artist Awards) (for Jett Jackson: The Movie[7]

* Kerry Duff, BEST PERFORMANCE IN A TV MOVIE (Comedy or Drama): Leading Young Actress (nominee, lost to

Kelsey Keel)

In addition, the Parents’ Choice Foundation presented a “Silver Honor” medal to The Famous Jett Jackson as

part of its 2001 Parents’ Choice Awards.

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