One of Disney Channel’s most successful series of all time, Wizards of Waverly Place, ran for four seasons from 2007 to 2012, yielding 104 episodes, a made-for-TV movie, and an hour-long special. Centered around a family of wizards in Manhattan who run a sandwich shop, the series found a magic formula in slapstick visual comedy and heartfelt stories about teenage outcasts with a secret. It was an instant hit, one that made stars of Selena Gomez, David Henrie, and Jake T. Austin, and Disney hopes to recapture the magic with the October 29th premiere of the new sequel series, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place.
(Disney/Eric McCandless)
Justin Russo (David Henrie) is living a normal life on Staten Island as the Vice Principal of his kids’ middle school, a life that doesn’t have room for magic. But when his sister Alex (Selena Gomez) shows up at his door with a talented, rebellious teen in need of a tutor, Justin is tasked with teaching Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown) the magic arts and about blending in with the mortal world. At the same time, he will have to navigate his wife, Giada (Mimi Gianopulos), and kids, Roman (Alkaio Thiele) and Milo (Max Matenko), who now have a ton of questions about the wizarding world.
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place stays close to the formula of the series that inspired it. Justin Russo essentially ages up into his father’s role, and Giada becomes a fill-in for his mom. The three juvenile characters are also made in the image of the three teens from the original series, with Billie giving off the same rebellious energy that made Alex Russo a strong central character in the original series (Janice LeAnn Brown also carries forward the tradition of singing the show’s theme song, a cover of “Everything Is Not What It Seems" by Selena Gomez). Justin’s sons, Roman and Milo, also draw many similarities to Justin and Max. And a quirky friend, Winter (Taylor Cora), rounds out the ensemble as a fill-in for Harper.
Like Disney Channel’s other successful sequel series, Raven’s Home, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place strives for a mix of nostalgia for parents who grew up with the original series while trying to keep the family sitcom genre relevant for kids today. It succeeds in its mission, with the show’s first four episodes feeling like a fresh take on a familiar formula. Although time will tell if Wizards Beyond can successfully transition from the slapstick episodic comedy into the more serious, story-driven plot drivers that helped Wizards of stand out in Disney Channel’s landscape of tonally similar shows. And aside from a meta Selena Gomez joke, the show doesn’t do much to keep a childless fan of the original series engaged in the same way that Disney’s ill-fated attempt at a Lizzie McGuire sequel series intended to.
(Disney/Lara Solanki)
Executive produced by David Henrie and Selena Gomez, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place sets out to prove that lightning can strike twice. It debuts at a time when the linear cable TV model that helped Wizards of Waverly Place become an overnight success is declining, with so many shows competing for children’s attention on streaming platforms. Today’s generation of kids are used to shows with more continuity, available en masse at the touch of a button. While the quality of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place successfully regurgitates what fans loved about the original series, time will tell if that translates for today’s youth.
I give Wizards Beyond Waverly Place 4 out of 5 wands.
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place premieres Tuesday, October 29th, at 8/7c on Disney Channel. The first 8 episodes will be available to stream on Disney+ beginning Wednesday, October 30th.