For us late 90s babies and early 2000s, our childhood was marked with funny 22-minute sitcoms like "Lizzy McGuire," "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody," "Hannah Montana" and other shows we seemed to idolize before puberty set in.
Thanks to Disney+ the newest streaming service, all our childhood favorites are brought back right onto our screen. When I heard about the new site, I was psyched, mainly because it would house the Lizzie McGuire revival, and that really is "what dreams are made of."
But here is the thing, watching these shows as someone getting close to her college graduation made me realize why my parents always smirked at the television before shaking their head to leave the room, the acting was horrible.
Yep, I said it. Although I remember looking fondly at the TV with my friends and screaming our heads off when Troy and Gabriela finally kissed at the end of "High School Musical 2," the shows I thought I loved so much just aren't the same.
Recently, I was watching an episode of "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody," and although I thought the plot was funny, I couldn't stop critiquing the Sprouse twins and their childhood acting, plus the laugh track was painful. I kept asking myself, how and why did I ever think this show was good?
We have all seen those memes comparing the old Disney shows to the new Disney shows. Recently it occurred to me, maybe the shows haven't degraded, but perhaps we have just become more critical.
We are comparing shows we used to love as children to shows we think are immature because we are adults. Do I still think "Kim Possible" beats out "Liv and Maddie" yes any day, but I wonder if I would still love the Disney shows I grew up watching as much today as someone in my 20s versus when I was watching them while in elementary school?
Am I still happy Disney+ is around to show this new generation known as Generation Alpha (2010-2025) what actual television is- absolutely? Am I happy to see all Disney Channel Original Movies available at my fingertips, you know it.
Still, am I worried rewatching them will knock them off the pedestal I put them on in my head- unfortunately, yes. Does that still mean I am going to watch it, particularly the Lizzie McGuire revival, of course! Having fun watching the Disney Channel.