I'll start by saying I'm an adult who enjoys a few Disney shows because they are more entertaining than pretty much anything else on TV. I came here to look up some info on the show, and see all of these negative reviews, some of which seem to forget this is Disney, know what the target audience is, or don't even have facts about the characters straight, and I feel like I need to add my voice as someone who enjoys the show for what it is, and doesn't expect it to be more than that.
"Jessie" isn't the best show on Disney, but it's far from the worst. I have some news that I think will shock some reviewers, but Disney shows don't deal in reality. "Jessie" isn't a documentary about nannies in NYC. It's also not supposed to take the place of parenting; i.e., if your complaint is what kind of role models the characters are, that's because they aren't role models, they are silly TV characters. I also watch a show about a talking dog that has a blog, it doesn't make me think my cats are losers because getting on the computer to them means laying on the keyboard.
In fact, once I get to thinking about it, the whole plot of the show is that a young Texan girl just out of high school moves to NYC to follow her dreams of being an actress, but like most aspiring actors, she has to take a non-acting job until she makes it, so she got a job as the nanny for a bunch of spoiled rich kids. That is what the show is about. If that isn't your idea of funny, don't watch it.
If you are looking for role models, Disney isn't doing them right now, they are doing silly, flawed characters. Look what happened with Hannah Montana - supposedly a role model, Miley Cyrus became inseparable from the character, and when Miley grew up and cast off her Disney persona, people wondered what happened. Disney is probably trying to avoid that ever happening again by making their characters overtly silly, also doing commercials where the actors say their real names. But, getting back to my point, the entire plot of this show is that these are spoiled rich kids. Even Jessie isn't a role model. Some of the characters don't make sense, like Zuri – again, with Disney you have to suspend disbelief. I thought people knew that about Disney?
"Jessie" is about as silly as a TV show that's not a cartoon or puppet show can get, it's not intended to be intelligent humor. It mocks the ultra-rich and this new adopt-a-menagerie of kids pursuit, and also the idea that the nanny sees the kids grow up, and knows more about them, than the parents. The target audience isn't too young, it has to be about 12-16, or thereabouts, because even Zuri acts more like an adolescent than a child. Despite being a self-absorbed rich kid raised in a very sheltered, privileged, and indulgent lifestyle, Emma is surprisingly likable. Other than the typical Disney-kid hijinks, there seems to be honest affection, not just among the kids, but with Jessie and even Bertram. In that respect, the show demonstrates cooperation and making the best of a situation you didn't create, you were just thrust into. A little bit of sibling rivalry is present as important to the plots, but as in any Disney family, it would never threaten their relationships with each other. As the series progresses, the characters seem to become more like their own little family, the usually-absent Ross parents being left out and replaced by the butler and the nanny.
Someone made a comment about the "romances" and seems to think this is new to tween or teen TV shows. It's not. When I was a little girl in the '70s, romantic relations were just as popular a topic as they are today. Crushes and adolescent dating were on our minds, we just didn't have 5 channels of TV devoted to us (we didn't have 5 channels of TV, period). If there weren't TV shows devoted to it, we had to read it in books and magazines, and many stories I read that I remember now were very similar to "Jessie."
Debby Ryan is adorable. I think she's great for this role. In fact, I think Disney's hitting it out of the park with casting their TV shows lately. I would love to see her in more work outside of Disney, especially featuring her musical talent. Cameron Boyce has great dancing talent, not just the break dancing he displays on the show but also in the PSA where he does some Broadway moves - I could see him do theater. In fact, he seems to be the most versatile actor of this ensemble other than Ryan.
I will never understand this idea of bashing a show when no one is forcing you to watch it. If you don't like "Jessie," that's your prerogative, but don't expect it to be things it's not: it's not reality, it's not preachy, it is Disney and it's just silly entertainment. Well, at least some of us like to watch the TV and laugh at silliness that makes no statement other than sit back and enjoy the crazy. I just wish there were more new episodes than one per month, that seems to be a Disney thing right now. I still watch the same episodes over and over. At least until my cats get their own Instagram accounts and Tyler teaches them to take selfies.
"Jessie" isn't the best show on Disney, but it's far from the worst. I have some news that I think will shock some reviewers, but Disney shows don't deal in reality. "Jessie" isn't a documentary about nannies in NYC. It's also not supposed to take the place of parenting; i.e., if your complaint is what kind of role models the characters are, that's because they aren't role models, they are silly TV characters. I also watch a show about a talking dog that has a blog, it doesn't make me think my cats are losers because getting on the computer to them means laying on the keyboard.
In fact, once I get to thinking about it, the whole plot of the show is that a young Texan girl just out of high school moves to NYC to follow her dreams of being an actress, but like most aspiring actors, she has to take a non-acting job until she makes it, so she got a job as the nanny for a bunch of spoiled rich kids. That is what the show is about. If that isn't your idea of funny, don't watch it.
If you are looking for role models, Disney isn't doing them right now, they are doing silly, flawed characters. Look what happened with Hannah Montana - supposedly a role model, Miley Cyrus became inseparable from the character, and when Miley grew up and cast off her Disney persona, people wondered what happened. Disney is probably trying to avoid that ever happening again by making their characters overtly silly, also doing commercials where the actors say their real names. But, getting back to my point, the entire plot of this show is that these are spoiled rich kids. Even Jessie isn't a role model. Some of the characters don't make sense, like Zuri – again, with Disney you have to suspend disbelief. I thought people knew that about Disney?
"Jessie" is about as silly as a TV show that's not a cartoon or puppet show can get, it's not intended to be intelligent humor. It mocks the ultra-rich and this new adopt-a-menagerie of kids pursuit, and also the idea that the nanny sees the kids grow up, and knows more about them, than the parents. The target audience isn't too young, it has to be about 12-16, or thereabouts, because even Zuri acts more like an adolescent than a child. Despite being a self-absorbed rich kid raised in a very sheltered, privileged, and indulgent lifestyle, Emma is surprisingly likable. Other than the typical Disney-kid hijinks, there seems to be honest affection, not just among the kids, but with Jessie and even Bertram. In that respect, the show demonstrates cooperation and making the best of a situation you didn't create, you were just thrust into. A little bit of sibling rivalry is present as important to the plots, but as in any Disney family, it would never threaten their relationships with each other. As the series progresses, the characters seem to become more like their own little family, the usually-absent Ross parents being left out and replaced by the butler and the nanny.
Someone made a comment about the "romances" and seems to think this is new to tween or teen TV shows. It's not. When I was a little girl in the '70s, romantic relations were just as popular a topic as they are today. Crushes and adolescent dating were on our minds, we just didn't have 5 channels of TV devoted to us (we didn't have 5 channels of TV, period). If there weren't TV shows devoted to it, we had to read it in books and magazines, and many stories I read that I remember now were very similar to "Jessie."
Debby Ryan is adorable. I think she's great for this role. In fact, I think Disney's hitting it out of the park with casting their TV shows lately. I would love to see her in more work outside of Disney, especially featuring her musical talent. Cameron Boyce has great dancing talent, not just the break dancing he displays on the show but also in the PSA where he does some Broadway moves - I could see him do theater. In fact, he seems to be the most versatile actor of this ensemble other than Ryan.
I will never understand this idea of bashing a show when no one is forcing you to watch it. If you don't like "Jessie," that's your prerogative, but don't expect it to be things it's not: it's not reality, it's not preachy, it is Disney and it's just silly entertainment. Well, at least some of us like to watch the TV and laugh at silliness that makes no statement other than sit back and enjoy the crazy. I just wish there were more new episodes than one per month, that seems to be a Disney thing right now. I still watch the same episodes over and over. At least until my cats get their own Instagram accounts and Tyler teaches them to take selfies.