MovieChat Forums > Even Stevens (2000) Discussion > One quick and easy way to know that a sh...

One quick and easy way to know that a show is quality...

posted 16 years ago by junk-349
2 replies | jump to latest

It doesn't need a gimmick to serve as a backbone for every single episode plot. You can tell Disney has become trash now because every show it has aired recently has some stupid ongoing gimmick that "makes up" for the script-writer's lack of creativity.

Back in early 2000, shows like Even Stevens and Lizzie McGuire relied mostly on the actors' talent to bring to life the characters' daily, quirky lives. And if you look at the IMDB rating for those shows, it seems like audiences liked them without the added gimmicks.

Since roughly 2003, Disney seems to be, for the most part, unable to make good shows without heavily relying on an ongoing plot gimmick. For example:

-That's So Raven: Can see into the future
-Phil of the Future: Is from the future
-The Suite Life of Zach & Cody: Live in a hotel
-Hannah Montana: Is a secret superstar
-Cory in the House: Lives in the President's House
-Wizards of Waverly Place: Wizards...

Now that is not to say that shows with gimmicks can’t be quality (Ex: Smart Guy). In fact, it can often give the show a really nice extra boost. But you know something is wrong when the show can't captivate you without resorting back to mentioning the main gimmick every few minutes.

Opinions?

[–] ocdparame 16 years ago

While I do agree that the shows currently polluting Disney Channel are complete trash, one exception comes to mine. So Weird was a fantastic show, but used the "gimmick" of Fi/Annie having an affinity for run-ins with the supernatural.

Interesting theory though.

[–] mrjgman 16 years ago

I thought TSR was the last good quality show until the last season. Every other show that premiered on Disney channel after that was trash.