Jessie (2011 TV series)
Jessie is an American comedy television series created by Pamela Eells O'Connell that aired on Disney Channel from September 30, 2011 to October 16, 2015. The series stars Debby Ryan, Peyton List, Cameron Boyce, Karan Brar, Skai Jackson, and Kevin Chamberlin.
Jessie
- Toby Gad
- Lindy Robbins
"Hey Jessie" performed by Debby Ryan
- John Adair
- Steve Hampton
United States
English
4
98 (list of episodes)
- Pamela Eells O'Connell
- Adam Lapidus
22–25 minutes
September 30, 2011 –
October 16, 2015
Plot[edit]
The series follows Jessie Prescott, a young woman from a small town with big dreams who, rebelling against her strict father, decides to leave the military base in Texas where she grew up and moves to New York City. She accepts a job as a nanny and moves into a multimillion-dollar penthouse on the Upper West Side, Manhattan with the wealthy Ross family which includes jet-setting parents Morgan and Christina Ross and their four rambunctious children: Emma, Luke, Ravi, and Zuri, along with the family pet, Mr. Kipling, a seven-foot Asian water monitor lizard, that is later revealed to be a female. With a whole new world of experiences open to her, Jessie embarks on new adventures in the big city as she grows to rely on the love and support of the children in her care. Assisting her are Bertram, the family's lazy and sarcastic butler, and Tony, the building's 20-year-old doorman.
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
The series was created by Pamela Eells O'Connell, who had previous experience with the "nanny" sitcom formula, starting her career as a writer on the series Charles in Charge and serving as co-executive producer on The Nanny, before working with Debby Ryan on The Suite Life on Deck.[1][2][3] O'Connell is said to have developed Jessie specifically to showcase Ryan's talent.[4] In an interview with the Star-Telegram, Ryan explained how the concept originated: "(O'Connell) and I were throwing ideas back and forth when The Suite Life was coming to an end, and she came up with this. I was absolutely captivated. Then Disney looked at the script and the show runner (O'Connell) and myself and they were like: 'Awesome. We like it. You're on in the fall'".[4] In interviews with Variety, Disney Channel President Gary Marsh spoke of working with Ryan again: "It's been thrilling to watch Debby grow from an unknown actress to one of our top stars. Debby is a talented young actress who connects to a wide fanbase because she's genuine, relatable and aspirational all at once. Our viewers have followed her from The Suite Life on Deck to 16 Wishes, and we're pleased to be working with her again."[5][6] Jessie was the first main character to be engaged on the Disney Channel. There was a four-part episode about the engagement.[7]
Controversy[edit]
Disney Channel did not broadcast "Quitting Cold Koala" on its originally scheduled date of May 17, 2013, and showed a rerun of "Kids Don't Wanna Be Shunned" instead. The episode did, however, appear on the Disney Channel website, "WATCH Disney Channel", and on "Disney Channel on Demand", the channel's video-on-demand service. On Facebook, Disney Channel announced, "We are removing this particular episode from our regular programming schedule and will re-evaluate its references to gluten restrictions in the character's diet".[28] The edited version of "Quitting Cold Koala" aired on July 5, 2013, as part of a two-episode spectacular, with all gluten jokes having been removed in the revised version.
Spin-off and foreign adaptation[edit]
On February 25, 2015, Disney Channel announced that a Jessie spin-off titled Bunk'd would begin production in the spring. The series would star Peyton List, Karan Brar, and Skai Jackson.[22][23] The show premiered on July 31, right after the Disney Channel Original Movie Descendants.
In India, a Hindi-language adaptation of the show, titled Oye Jassie, premiered on Disney Channel on October 13, 2013.[29] Like most adaptations, the episodes and characters are similar to the original.[30]
Release[edit]
The pilot episode of Jessie was released as a free download via the iTunes Store one week prior to its Disney Channel premiere. Making its official debut on the Disney Channel on September 30, 2011, the series became the network's most-watched premiere on a Friday since September 2008, when The Suite Life on Deck debuted.[31][32] The premiere of Jessie ranked as the number-one telecast at 9:00 PM with a total of 4.6 million total viewers in the target demographics, scoring 2.3 million viewers among kids 6–11, 1.8 million viewers among tweens and teens 9–14, and 887,000 viewers among adults 18–49.[31][32] The most watched episode of Jessie is "Star Wars" with 7.32 million viewers total and the least watched episode is "Basket Case" with 1.38 million viewers total.
Broadcast[edit]
The series airs worldwide on Disney Channel. The series premiered on September 30, 2011, in Canada,[33] on November 25, 2011, in Australia and New Zealand,[34] and on December 17, 2011, in Singapore.[35] It previewed on January 29, 2012, and premiered on February 17, 2012, in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[36] It premiered on April 1, 2012 in South Africa.[37] In Canada, the series premiered on Disney Channel on September 1, 2015, and was one of two series that Peyton List introduced along with Bunk'd.[38]