YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW EXCITING THIS IS.
I watched "That's So Raven" so much as a kid that my grandpa thought it was the only thing I watched on TV. I grew up with Raven, Chelsea, and Eddie; I was there for all the struggles, laughs, and heartfelt moments; I jammed out to the theme song every time it came on.
Watching the pilot of "Raven's Home", which kept the same feel-good tone and ridiculous schtick, was epic.
Raven and Chelsea's new family defies societal norms by leaving fathers out and putting women at the fore. Raven Symoné reprises her role as the strong, independent, endlessly hilarious woman she is, and Annalise van der Pol steps back into the lovable, goofy Chelsea we all know and love. The casting of Isaac Brown as Booker and Navia Robinson as Nia is already incredibly promising as well. And not that I would forget, but Jason Maybaum ROCKS as Levi, the reason of the bunch and Chelsea's little caretaker. Leslie David Baker's appearance as the principal (calling all "The Office" fans!) was also too precious.
Nostalgic millennials across the country seem to agree with the hype as well, with #ravenshome blowing up on Twitter.
Some fans noted the absence of Eddie on the new show:
I'm mad Orlando Brown ruined his chance to be on #RavensHome as Eddie. We're never going to get the trio reunion we deserve.
— Devin 🐺 (@GeauxDevin) July 22, 2017
while others brushed off restrictive viewing norms.
me making my grand return as a disney channel viewer, after years of not watching, just for #RavensHome tonight pic.twitter.com/EnpJ3QorCz
— Semaj 🤑 (@yaboy_neutron) July 22, 2017
Still others called for reboots of other classic Disney Channel Golden Age shows, like "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody", "Hannah Montana", "The Proud Family", and more. Fingers crossed!
The themes of the new show seem to center more around Booker getting used to his newfound psychic powers, which brings to mind some questions as well. It will be interesting to see how Raven reacts when she finds out—which, let's be honest, she inevitably will—given that there already seems to be tension between Nia and Booker surrounding who the favorite child is. Folks are also wondering if past cast members will be making appearances, since we now know that Raven's mom, Tanya, is still alive and well.
The dialogue is solid, many jokes are whip-smart, and the chemistry between Chelsea and Raven is as strong as ever (Hello, Nostalgia!). Raven proves that she is just as good a mom as she is a leading lady, with spunk to boot. And Chelsea—well, Chelsea is trying her best, and it's endearing. There were cringey moments, not gonna lie—not helped by the "live studio audience" either—but all in all, it was a great 24 minutes.
I am confident that the show will appeal to long-time "That's So Raven" fans and newcomers alike, and I cannot wait to see what it the creators and the cast have to offer next Friday night.
Watch out, world. Raven's home.
You can watch the full first episode here.