That's So Raven made its Disney Channel debut in 2003. The show starred Raven-Symoné as Raven Baxter, a young teenager with psychic abilities and a flair for fashion design, living in San Francisco with her parents and brother, Cory (Kyle Massey). The show also co-starred Orlando Brown and Anneliese van der Pol as Eddie and Chelsea, Raven's best friends. That's So Raven was a big hit for the Disney Channel, and in its four year run pulled in higher ratings than any other Disney Channel show. It was nominated twice for the Outstanding Children's Programming Emmy Award, and also prompted a spinoff, Cory in the House, which ran for a little over a year.
That's So Raven's success, coupled with the current trend for resurrecting or rebooting shows, has prompted news of a new spinoff, announced by Disney. The as-yet untitled show will feature Symoné, who will reprise her role and also serve as an executive producer on the show. Now an adult, Raven is a divorced mother of two pre-teen children, one of whom has inherited her psychic abilities. Scott Thomas and Jed Elinoff will serve as showrunners; the pair have already seen success with the Disney Channel as creators of the popular tween-aged show, Best Friends Whenever.
Adam Bonnett, executive vice president of original programming at Disney Channel Worldwide issued the following statement about the news:
“Raven’s brilliant style of fearless comedy was a driving force for Disney Channel’s success around the world. Her performance in That’s So Raven is timeless. We now have our eyes on the future with her, and we’re looking forward to telling more stories for a new generation with an adult Raven Baxter raising her young family.”
Many people hold a wide range of opinions on spinoffs, reboots and returns to shows that were once the height of popularity, but the news about That's So Raven coming back (or a version of it), has been well received on social media, and why not? Firstly, That's So Raven was a thoroughly entertaining show, which preached a really positive message of acceptance and understanding among young teenagers. Raven was taught by her parents to always stand up for what she believed in - and one very memorable episode had her refuse to let a fashion company use her designs because they wouldn't use her as a model, saying she wasn't thin enough. It was this kind of positive self-image that Raven held, which pleased parents of younger viewers, and encouraged the target demographic, which was primarily impressionable young girls, to love themselves.
Another reason to welcome the spinoff, is the continued success of the Disney Channel's other notable spinoff show, Girl Meets World. Following on from Boy Meets World, which was a massive '90s hit, Girl Meets World sees Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel reprising their roles of Cory and Topanga Matthews. Childhood sweethearts, the pair have gone on to marry and have two children, and Girl Meets World primarily follows their eldest daughter, Riley, as she navigates Middle School and subsequently High School. Girl Meets World has given the opportunity for many previous Boy Meets World cast members to reprise their roles in a guest capacity, too, and these episodes have proven to be consistently popular with whole families.
As yet, no other cast members are confirmed for the That's So Raven spinoff, but it could well be that the show will follow a similar pattern as Girl Meets World by welcoming original cast members back as regular guest stars. Given that the show is a Disney Channel project, the focus will be on Raven's children, but it'll still be a nostalgic treat for fans of the original. One important question though; will Raven still use her catchphrases? Oh snap!
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We will keep you updated with news of the That's So Raven spinoff as it develops.
Source: Oh My Disney