I'd figure to start this topic soon because the new Disney Channel show's starting in October. The new sitcom is basically "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" mixed in with Harry Potter. A family moves to New York, but has a huge secret. They're actually a family filled with wizards dealing with magic. The three siblings are a younger brother, middle sister, older brother. I think it kind of resembles the "Even Stevens" family.

They started taping this show a year ago and from what I heard from those that went to the show tapings, the show's worth watching. I just hope the show will bring back the laughter on Disney that's been kind of stale with a few shows (looking at Cory In The House).

I saw a promo for this the other day during a Hannah Montana marathon (I have a 10 year old daughter...). Was that a DeLuise I saw?

Meh. Even for a kid's show, you'd think the special effects (that were present in the promos) wouldn't be so hokey. Then again, the show itself doesn't look too bad. I just hope they don't phone it in, hemhem, Cory in the House.

Yep - David DeLuise plays the father. One thing I think is interesting about the premise is that only one of the kids will get to remain a wizard. They're basically in competition until that happens. I'm sure it'll wind up Disney-fied in the end, but it'll make for some interesting plots.

Here is some information on Wizards of Waverly Place.

Wizards of Waverly Place

Overall, I will probably watch this show, but I have no idea who Selena Gomez is & she isn't very pretty.
Hopefully, there won't be an annoying character (Chelsea-That's So Raven, Cody-The Suite Life, & Newt-Cory in the House) on the show.

Don't You mean London from the Suite Life?

London can be grating at times, but she isn't as dumb & annoying as Cody. At least London can be somewhat likable at times.

She guest-starred as Hannah Montana's popstar rival Mikayla in the "I want you to want me to go to Florida" episode.

She annoyed me.

Plus, the annoying little kid from "Johnny Kapahala Back on Board" is on this too.

Well, at least DC will be able to fill more slots on Disney Channel Games teams next year.

Isn't her older brother the kid from How I met Your Mother? And the Cory's friend Larry on That's So Raven? He's a good actor and all, but I seriously don't like it when Disney "recycles" actors. It confuses me in the reruns.

Yep, his name is David Henrie.

Oh, goody! The mom is Latina, and you know what that means, right? She speaks in Spanglish, and was part of an all girl mariachi band! Ugh, why does every person who is from Latin America have to be the same thing? They can be normal, you know!


I don't think I'll be watching this. It looks wicked annoying.

Of the kids the oldest boy is the one I like the most.

Might check this out. I like magical stories.

If anybody is wondering, Wizards of Waverly Place will air on October 12th after that god-awful Twitches 2 movie.

Hey, I started a topic like this weeks ago.

On the 20th viewing of the promo for this show, I realized that Alex's spell to make a duplicate of herself was "Edge-Bono-U2osis"

Nothing like the feeling somebody in the writer's room said "Hey, you know what would be hip?" Ugh!

ETA: O.K., another behind the scenes promo. Justin uses the same spell for something different. Still not seeing anything too compelling about this show.

The pilot is available on iTunes. From what I know, it's typical Disney fare. Like HM, and Cory In The House.

LOL! at the "peeing on pants" scenes.

O.K., the theme song was pretty good. The segues between scenes of the kids jumping around is so very That 70's show. Oldest brother, pretty good. Selena (Alex), getting there. I kept thinking that her as Mikayla would have Gigi and her little minions for breakfast. Little brother, somewhat annoying but not in a "Rico" way. Harper has some potential but she seems to be borrowing from the "Chelsea" playbook from "That's So Raven." Nice to see the Deluise son working again. It seems like his wife on the show could be his mom. And note to the hairstylists...bangs for Alex. Selena Gomez has way too much forehead.

Its not surprising that the debut episode got around 6 Million viewers.

As for the show, it was OK, but it didn't "wow" me. Max is kind of cool. At least, he's more likable that Justin. Justin is very annoying & he bores me to tears. His annoyance reminds me of another loser, Cody (The Suite Life).

As for Alex, she is really ugly. She's very irritating & I can't find anything to like about her. Its bad enough that she had to sing the theme song to the show. Why does Disney Channel think that Selena Gomez is remotely attractive & can sing?

As for their mother, All I can say is, Zzzzz..... She has no personality what so ever.

As for Mr. Russo, I might like him. But his voice is kind of grating.

As for Harper, why would anyone name their kid, Harper? Even though she has a horrible name & I don't think she is very bright, she is somewhat attractive (unlike Alex). BTW, Harper is definitely smarter & more likable than Chelsea (That's So Raven).

Amusing references to earlier Disney Channel series in last night's episode.

The "New York Mets Mets Mets ..." guy who was so enthusiastic about the sandwich was played by Jim Wise, who played Coach Tugnut on Even Stevens. He didn't have the beard then, though.

The girl whom Alex's older brother wanted to kiss was named Miranda. Selena Gomez (who plays Alex) played Miranda Sanchez's little sister Stevie in a pilot that was for a spinoff of Lizzie McGuire.

Kind of refreshing to see someone older than 14 who admits to having never been kissed.

As for naming a girl Harper, the book To Kill a Mockingbird was written by a woman named Harper Lee.

I honestly tried to get into this show, but I just cant. The worst show on Disney, bar none. Even worse than Cory In The House. Looking at previews for season two of CITH, at least THAT show seems to be improving. "Wizards" is just laziness from Disney.

Does anyone remember when Friends was popular, most everybody would enjoy that show and whatever NBC would put on afterwards was just not funny, but you watched 'cause you didn't have the remote? That's kinda how I feel with Cory in the House and this show. I laugh hard at Hannah Montana, and I try to watch this afterwards, no comparison.

How creative is the writing on this show? The closest thing they have to a catchphrase is the youngest saying "That is so cool!"

I tried to like Selena Gomez in this show, maybe its hard to compare her to Miley Cyrus. Miley comes across as someone who can be anyone's friend, a girl next door type. Selena's Alex comes across as somewhat smug. Honestly, I think she's better off playing characters like Hannah's rival Mikayla.

Popstar with a secret, easier to relate to than teen wizards.

From the little I saw I have to disagree. I actually find coming out of the gate it is one of the better Disney Channel shows. It's already better than the completely ludicrous Cory In the House and I also think it's better than Suite Life.

I'm not saying the actors are about to go off winning awards, but Selena Gomez and company are fine. I actually found myself pretty impressed with Selena's skills out of the gate. Both comedically and otherwise. She's doing a great job and will only get better. I like the older brother character as well.

As for comparisons to Miley, well, Miley was rather rough out of the gate and got better with time.

Of course the computer graphics are pretty bad, but they always are on these shows.

At least this kept my attention without making me feel dumber for having watched. The only other current DC show I can say the same about is Hannah Montana.

Wow I feel the complete opposite, I enjoy Cory and Wizards far more than I enjoy Hannah Montana. Why does the girl that plays Hannah shout all the time?

Are you watching the early, first season episodes? The kids don't yell anymore on the show.

It was nice to see Taylor Negron on WOWP. Only he can play everything from a Psychopathic villain in a Bruce Willis movie to The Olsen Twins' nanny.

The later episodes, like the one where her grandmothers are fighting and brooke shields is her mother and heather locklear is lily's mum. Miley is the only one that shouts.

I've watched an episode or two of this show but I didn't really enjoy it. The whole magic gimmick seems really out of place and a lot of the humour on the show is really contrived. Of course, what humour isn't contrived on a kid's show? Still, didn't really like it. Also, I found the female lead really annoying.

I know what YesYesNo means about Miley shouting all the time. She definitely sounds like it sometimes. There is just something annoying about her voice, like she sounds like she has a retainer in or something like that and also sort of yells.

I enjoy this show in the same way I enjoy Hannah Montana. It's a guilty pleasure and not actually a GOOD show, but there is something innocent about it that I enjoy. I completely disagree about Alex being unattractive, I think she is very pretty and I like her a lot in this role.

I only caught this show because Maria Canals who plays the mom did the voice for Hawkgirl on Justice League. I remember seeing a behind the scenes featurette for the DVD and I was like "Dang, she's just as hot as the character! But in a different way because Hawkgirl has red hair and green eyes. Anyway she was way prettier than the actress who does the voice for Wonder Woman!" I agree with the posters here though on this show. Not that great.

How could anybody compare Selena Gomez to Miley Cyrus? Selena Gomez will never reach Miley Cyrus status.

And her music video debut on Disney Channel is downright laughable. I don't know who is the creator of 101 Dalmations, but that person should be disgusted by this. What was Disney Channel thinking? Does they really think that Selena will be as talented & popular as Miley Cyrus or the cast of High School Musical?

Selena Gomez - Cruella De Vil


I've been seeing the same woman on a couple of occasions on the show & she is very irritating. She played the owner of Gert Barn where Harper worked & she worked at the hotel where GiGi (Gertrude) had her tea party. Her voice is very creepy & she needs to go away.

I also don't like Justin's girlfriend, Miranda. She looks awful, she's not pretty, & she bores me to tears.

I wouldn't say I'm a fan of Serena's music video, but it is certainly no worse to me than most of the other Disney Channel videos that air. It's about right on par with the cheesiness that is generally in display.

I don't think Serena is going to Miley status, but I do see her as being Disney Channel's next go to girl. I don't know how the ratings for this show, but it already seems like she's rather popular.

I am genuinely surprised anyone can say that about any live action kiddie show when they are over the age of eleven. Zoey 101, this crap, iCarly, Naked Brothers, Suite Life, Hannah Montana, etc. ... all of it is just so incredibly bad: the acting, the writing, the concept. It is all bland and definitely makes me feel silly for having watched it.

And they all shout. On every. Single. Show.

That said, I'm a little interested to see how this show actually panned out. I came across a commercial once and it looked like a tacky Harry Potter ripoff.

I don't think that's true at all. I think most of the above mentioned are pretty horrible and they aren't things I enjoy, but if others do than so be it. Same as I think there are several adult oriented shows that I find silly, but others love. And vice versa. Acting and writing can suck whether it be a live action childrens show or a show geared towards adults.

I don't put Hannah Montana into the same category though. I know it's not everybody's cup of tea, but I actually find the writing quite smart and most of the acting isn't half bad. Is it groundbreaking? No. Is the premise silly? Sure. But that is part of the fun.

This show? I'm not sure I'd call it a Harry Potter rip off as there have been books, tv shows and movies about witches and teen witches long before Harry Potter became a phenomenon. I would put this more into a Sabrina the Teen Age Witch category. The effects are bad and the acting is mediocre, but I've seen far worse offenders in childrens programming than this show.

That's what I thinking,too! Is it me or does Ms. Gomez's head seem kinda big or something?And I say 'or something' because she seems not to be out of proportion or anything for her age,maybe slightly taller than average,and she does have a lot of hair on her head as well,but sometimes it looks like her whole face/head area is just out-of-whack somehow.That being said,I do think she's very pretty and that she should go on to be a big DC star,so please don't hate on me,WWP fans!

As for the show itself,it's pretty good,safe DC fair (with heavy Hannah-Cory-Raven overtones) and best of all,no trolls!

That just reminds me of the episode where her head got bigger every time she said something vain. Lol

I watched this show at first cause I really like Maria Canals' VA work and I like it. I think it's average Disney Channel sitcom. Find Alex a little bit annoying and Max too.

The only DC show I watch with any regularity is Hannah Montana. I do think it's a step above most of the DC shows. Not that it's groundbreaking or anything. It just seems slightly smarter, and funnier, and better written than your average "kiddie" show.

As for WoWP, I've caught about 3 or 4 episodes. And, while it's not horrible for a show like this, it just seems to be missing something. I just find it very flat.

Of course, I was never a big Sabrina fan, either. Maybe teen-aged witch/wizard sitcoms just aren't my thing.

WoWP also seems very generic to me. When I've watched it, I always imagine someone at Disney going down a checklist.

Arrogant, rule-breaking sibling who pulls her other siblings into her wacky schemes. Check.

Overly-cautious, by-the-book sibling who gets pulled into wacky schemes. Check.

Cute kid who's, well, outrageous and cute, and loves being included in wacky schemes. Check.

Loud, over-the-top parent who's driven crazy by his kids' wacky schemes and yells a lot. Check.

Serene, understanding parent who is the voice of reason and who's job every week is to explain that the other parent only yells because he cares. Check.

I'm sure every "kiddie" show goes through such a checklist. But, with WoWP, it's just seems more blatant.

But I've seen much worse, and I can see how the show would be appealing with kids, with the magic and all.

You forgot:

Wacky clueless best friend who gets pulled into said schemes. Check.

Theme song sung by lead actress. Check.

Group of popular kids who harass female best friends. Check. (However, this is the only part of the show I find funny because the sidekicks of the mean girl are so outrageously stupid. They got nose jobs to look more like her!)

A weird handshake/saying the best friends do together all the time. Check.

I watched this show the other day, just for the fact that the actress who plays the mother voiced Shayera/Hawkgirl from the JL/JLU show and wanted to hear her voice and watch it come from watching the actual actress on screen.

Oh, man, that song! I don't even get it. What is it supposed to mean, anyway? "Yeah you're wearing a cool hat, but it's probably because you're having a bad hair day?" As insults go, it's kinda weak, and certainly doesn't deserve a song.

However, Disney seems to be pushing it. There's a promo on DC where SG basically teaches us in the audience the song.

I guess they really want it to catch on.

Maria Canals has done a lot of cartoon voice work - she's also the voice of "Paulina" on the Danny Phantom series.

I think this show is okay, actually. Sometimes it's a bit weird (like how the dad seems to favor Alex), but Justin is so sweet and normal. I love all the scenes he's in.

I think everybody has made valid points about how formulaic the show is, and/or how irritatingly derivative of Harry Potter it is and how they are trying to capitalize on that.

But I also think Selena has some really strong acting chops and comedic timing. And the writers do a reasonably good job of providing material that play to her and David Henrie's (superb comedic timing by DC standards) strengths.

I think being a distant second banana to Miley Cyrus might turn out to be a good thing in the end, since Selena may be able to parlay a successful post-Disney career like Hayden Panettiere managed (although that story has not been completed...obviously). Miley might never be able to escape the Hannah Montana image in the end, and that won't translate well in her 20s.

I was actually watching an episode late, late last night (thanks to a bit of insomnia) and was actually thinking SG does have good comedic timing. (Along with DH.) I think her delivery is great.

Unfortunately, she's playing the kind of character I find annoying in general. And the show overall just feels blah.

I would say they should dial down the 'mischief' factor on her character, at times it seems she is going well out of her way to be troublesome. But I doubt that will happen since it is about y'know...magic and other wacky elements that require a great deal of suspension of disbelief.

Your list is great though, I think it should be used going forward for any Disney/Nick tween vehicle. If it doesn't meet a certain score the show gets kicked over to ABC Family or Discovery Kids.

"If you guys would just add a 'wacky handshake/dance ritual between main character and best friend' we would be more than happy to air [New Show] after The Suite Life..."

Honestly, I get a kick out of the show. I like most of the character (the mom is a bit bland, and the dad could maybe shout less), but for a kids show, I don't mind it at all. Of course, I'm 30, so I should probably be watching something else, but whatever!

I think Selena's delivery is pretty good, and I get a kick about how unabashedly selfish/self-centered her character is. And thanks for pointing out that Justin plays the son on HIMYM. I knew I'd seen him somewhere before.

The show's been growing on me. At first, I was thinking, "Eh, so over the wizard thing," but Selena does have very good timing. I actually think that she's a better actress than most of the kids on Hannah Montana or The Suite Life, not that the bar's been set too high. She doesn't overact as much and her lines aren't as shouty in their delivery. Her voice is much less annoying in general -- thinking mainly of Miley and Emily right now.

(Now if I could just forget that she has a creepy resemblance to Rachel Bilson, not to mention an apparently growing ego, if her comments about taking on "serious" projects are any indication.)

I would've thought having a resemblance to Rachel Bilson would be a good thing. :)

As for the ego thing, I suppose it depends on the context of the comments. WOWP is clearly a 'low-end of the tween spectrum' show and she isn't going to be the right age to do those wacky kids shows (or really any Disney shows) until she can play the Mom roles...which will be anywhere from 20-25 years from now.

Eventually, she'll have to do something else. Will she translate well into 'serious' drama work? That's anybody's guess. She's still got a fair amount of learning to do. But I think she's got a lot of raw talent to make it work.

Joe Normal, here is Selena's comment, which I ganked from the DCOM thread (thanks to Augurey):



It seems like she's looking down her nose at Disney. Now I'll be the first to say that being a cog in the Disney Channel machine doesn't say much about your acting skills, but she should still show some respect. She could have just said, "It wasn't the right role for me." She's still a kid so maybe she'll grow out of it (typical teenage hubris?) -- but it's annoying to read about anyway.

Its that smugness that I believe makes Selena Gomez more of a character actor. As Alex Russo, its hard to buy her as a goody-two-shoes (although she is a bit of a smart-ass). When she's Hannah's rival Mikayla, she really seems to sink her teeth into that role, IMHO.

tip and fall:I don't see this as Selena "looking down her nose" at Disney. She passed on HSM3 because it wasn't for her. She even said it would be great for someone else. If she wants to be taken seriously as an actress when she's old enough to vote, she'll have to show she can do things other than what Disney [Channel] can offer her, and she knows it.