Hilary Duff got her big break with Lizzie McGuire. The series ran from 2001 to 2004 on the Disney Channel, and it marked the end of an era. With its end, the network stepped away from sitcoms about average families and focused on singers, magic users, and actors. Lizzie McGuire remains beloved by all ages thanks to its reruns for years after it ended.
As Disney+ prepares to bring an adult Lizzie to the screen, take a look back at some of the best episodes of the series.
Election S1.E09 (7.5)
You know you’re watching a show about teenagers when specific things happen: first love, school dances, sneaking out of the house, and school elections. Most of those teen TV milestones occur in the top ten Lizzie McGuire episodes. “Election,” unsurprisingly, features a school election.
When Lizzie heard the only candidates running for school council were popular mean girl Claire Miller and king of the nerds Larry Tudgeman, she became upset that the election was a popularity contest. She was inspired to run as well. Lizzie learned that the position was harder than she thought because she couldn’t make every student in school happy, no matter how badly she wanted to.
Bad Girl McGuire S1.E11 (7.5)
Every squeaky clean protagonist has to flirt with the wild side at least once, right? Before Lizzie skipped out on a field trip for pop stardom in her movie, she landed in detention in seventh grade — and tried to turn herself into a bad girl.
The episode saw Lizzie in detention after a classmate tried to cheat off her math test. Though initially terrified of detention, Lizzie ended up enjoying herself, and tried out a more rebellious personality. Of course, being a bad girl is hard work for someone like Lizzie McGuire, and it created distance between her friends. By the end of the half hour, Miranda and Gordo convinced her to return to her old ways.
Dear Lizzie S2.E22 (7.5)
Throughout the show, there were plenty of hints that Gordo might have a crush on his best friend Lizzie. Fans finally got concrete information about how Gordo felt in this episode.
Lizzie wrote an advice column for students on the school website. While she tried her best to help, a lot of her advice backfired. One letter, however, featured someone (Gordo) admitting they had a crush on their friend, but didn’t know how to tell them. In an inspired bit of filming, the letters weren’t anonymous to the audience, as we got to see each character recite their letter into the camera.
The Gordo reveal paid off a lot many set-ups at the beginning of the season, and was the catalyst for the the next string of storylines.
Pool Party S1.E04 (7.5)
Though it was the fourth episode of the series to air, “Pool Party” was actually the very first episode of Lizzie McGuire filmed. It’s fascinating that it ranks so highly among the 65 episodes produced, because it largely served as a way to introduce all of the characters. It was, however, a great snapshot of what the show would be.
The episode saw Lizzie upset that Miranda was going to Danny Kessler’s pool party without her. Lizzie’s mother wanted her to spend time with her grandmother, while Miranda’s mother was painting temporary tattoos on kids at the party. When Lizzie vented her frustration to Gordo, he revealed he knew exactly how she felt since he wasn’t even invited, but his best friend was. The episode provided the audience with all the signature moves of the series: Lizzie getting advice from her friends, coming into conflict with her family, and learning a lesson in the end.
Inner Beauty S2E16 (7.6)
One of the few episodes to tackle a serious topic instead of simply teach kids a morality lesson, “Inner Beauty” was a hit with the audience, critics, and parents.
In the episode, Gordo filmed a music video with Miranda and Lizzie. When Miranda saw how she looked on camera, she couldn’t get past it. In an effort to appear “prettier,” Miranda began dieting, then restricting her food intake completely. When Lizzie and Gordo realized what she was doing, Lizzie encouraged her friend to be more comfortable with herself.
While the Disney Channel never went all-in on eating disorder topics, this episode came close, giving important insight to the young kids watching.
Magic Train S2.E34 (7.6)
The last episode of Lizzie McGuire to air on the Disney Channel, “Magic Train” acted as a reminder that you never really outgrow the things you love as a child, which provided for a fitting end to a series aimed at tweens.
The episode saw Lizzie, Miranda, and Gordo decide to attend a taping of one of their favorite children’s shows. When Kate spotted them while she was babysitting two kids, she quickly told the entire school. While Miranda and Lizzie were intensely embarrassed, Gordo didn’t care what other people thought. He helped remind Lizzie, and later the entire school, that sometimes just because something was aimed at children didn’t mean there wasn’t value in it.
A good lesson for anyone watching television.
Bye, Bye Hillridge Junior High S2.E24 (7.8)
The last episode of the series produced, it aired out of order as Lizzie and her friends finished eighth grade with ten more episodes of their year still to air. Fans and critics still loved the send-off.
Miranda was absent for the last batch of episodes, so this one focused on Lizzie and Gordo as they said goodbye to their middle school days. Lizzie was frustrated that no one was writing anything meaningful in anyone’s yearbooks, while Gordo struggled with the perfect message for Lizzie since he still hadn’t told her how he felt about her.
It would have acted as a great series finale — or a lead in for high school adventures if the show had continued.
Just One Of The Guys S2.E33 (7.9)
Throughout Season 1, Lizzie was always portrayed as a girly-girl, interested in clothes and makeup more than anything else. With Season 2, her interests expanded. Near the end of the season, the boys discovered how strong she was in gym class and invited her to play flag football.
Lizzie was excited to get the chance to spend more time with her longtime crush Ethan Craft. Unfortunately, he called her “dude” during flag football, and she became obsessed with the idea that he saw her as “Just One Of The Guys.”
Ideas of perception and self-image were always handled very well on Lizzie McGuire, and this episode was no exception.
Rumors S1.E01 (7.9)
It’s unusual for fans and critics to rank the first episode of a series favorably. Many times, the first episode provides a lot of set-up for a series, but not always enough story for fans to love it. That’s not the case with Lizzie McGuire, as “Rumors” was the first episode to air on Disney Channel (though it was the third episode filmed).
The episode saw Lizzie attempt to join the cheerleading team. When Lizzie’s former friend Kate became cheer captain and denied Lizzie a spot, the title character wanted revenge. She spread a nasty rumor about Kate, but her best friend Miranda took the blame. It provided the audience with a kid-friendly lesson about rumors and lies, but it also entertained the adults.
First Kiss S2.E01 (8.0)
Lizzie McGuire fans clearly love their first episodes. The premiere of Season 2 earned the top spot in the series.
In “First Kiss”, Lizzie had her first boyfriend, Ronnie. Ronnie happened to be the local paper boy, but he went to a different school than Lizzie and her friends. Though Gordo and Miranda got tired of Lizzie’s obsession with her new boyfriend fairly quickly, they were still there for her when he broke up with her. Gordo cheered Lizzie up after she cried in the library.
The episode gave fans a first love milestone, but it also set the tone for Gordo and Lizzie becoming closer throughout the second season.