Sonny with a Chance

**Sonny with a Chance** is a live-action television series created by Steve Marmel. The series premiered on February 8, 2009 and aired for two seasons until January 2, 2011.

## Plot

Sonny Munroe is a cheerful and ambitious fifteen-year-old from Wisconsin who has experienced success uploading comedic videos to the internet. After she is discovered in a nation-wide casting call, she moves to Hollywood, Los Angeles to join the cast of a popular sketch comedy series for teenagers entitled So Random!. The series centres on the life of Sonny working on the program as well as her home life. Sonny comes to terms with the imperfections of working on a television set with her fellow cast members, in particular the self-centred Tawni Hart, who is unkind to Sonny as a result of her jealousy. The So Random! cast also includes the suave Nico Harris and his best friend Grady Mitchell, as well as the quirky Zora Lancaster. Comedy sketches from So Random! are included within the series. The cast of So Random! work at the same television studio as their rival television program, Mackenzie Falls, a drama series which stars the teen idol Chad Dylan Cooper.

The series explores the portrayal of a teenager with an ambitious dream, in the same style as other teen series Hannah Montana and iCarly. The theme of following dreams is recognised as a prominent attribute of shows produced by Disney Channel.

## Episodes

See Also: List of Sonny with a Chance Episodes

 2 | 26

## Cast and Characters

### Main

* Demi Lovato as Sonny Munroe
* Tiffany Thornton as Tawni Hart
* Sterling Knight as Chad Dylan Cooper
* Brandon Mychal Smith as Nico Harris
* Doug Brochu as Grady Mitchell
* Allisyn Ashley Arm as Zora Lancaster

### Recurring

* Michael Kostroff as Marshall Pike
* Nancy McKeon as Connie Munroe
* Daniel Roebuck as Mr. Condor
* G. Hannelius as Dakota Condor
* Vicki Lewis as Joy Bitterman
* Steve Hytner as Murphy
* Devaughn Nixon as Trevor
* Ashley Jackson as Chloe
* Leslie-Anne Huff as Penelope
* William Georges as Devin
* Jillian Murray as Portlyn Maddison
* Andrew Parker as Bart
* Lanny Horn as Howie
* Preston Jones as Grant Mitchell
* Skyler Day as Mel Winters

## Production

### Development

The series was officially announced in May 2008 as an upcoming half-hour live-action comedy entitled Welcome to Mollywood to premiere within the 2008–09 television season, in which the title character would be called Molly. Gary Marsh, the president of Disney Channels Worldwide, cited the idea of "following your dreams" as a core attribute of Disney Channel, which would be present in the series. He also described the series as a "hybrid show"; fully-produced comedy sketches from the show-within-a-show So Random! would also appear. The final title, Sonny with a Chance, makes reference to the phrase "sunny with a chance of rain".

Sonny with a Chance was created by Steve Marmel, who had previously written for and produced cartoons including The Fairly OddParents. Brian Robbins served as an executive producer on the series; he was the co-creator of the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series All That, and produced The Amanda Show. Sharla Sumpter Bridgett, who also worked on All That, joined the series as an executive producer; Robbins and Bridgett's joint production company, Varsity Pictures produced the program alongside It's a Laugh Productions in association with the network. Michael Feldman, a writer for Disney series That's So Raven was an executive producer. The premise of the show was also influenced by 30 Rock.

### Casting

Demi Lovato portrays the central character of Sonny Munroe; the character was named Molly when the series was first announced. Lovato's affiliation with the network began with her breakout role in the musical made-for-television film Camp Rock, which debuted in 2008, and was originally designed as a vehicle for the Jonas Brothers. Lovato had auditioned for Disney Channel in the summer of 2007, for both Camp Rock and Sonny with a Chance simultaneously and secured both roles; Marsh described them as a "gifted comedian". Lovato's work in the company continued with her debut album Don't Forget, released to the Disney-owned label Hollywood Records in 2008. She also filmed the television film Princess Protection Program alongside fellow Disney Channel star Selena Gomez, and toured with the Jonas Brothers before Sonny with a Chance premiered. Lovato's cross-promotion within the network followed that of predecessors Cyrus and Gomez, but differed in that her movie and album came before her leading role in a sitcom. Lovato sings the series' theme song, "So Far So Great".  Fellow Disney actor Bridgit Mendler had also auditioned for the role of Sonny before Lovato won the role.

The remaining main cast members were revealed in May 2008; Tiffany Thornton as Tawni Hart, Brandon Mychal Smith as Nico Harris, Doug Brochu as Grady Mitchell and Allisyn Ashley Arm as Zora Lancaster. The series also stars Sterling Knight as Chad Dylan Cooper. Nancy McKeon, who was a teenage actor herself, recurs as Sonny's mother, Connie Munroe.

### Writing and Filming

Production of the series was first scheduled to begin in September 2008. Marmel and Feldman wrote the original unaired pilot, which was directed by Lee Shallat Chemel, who also directed the pilot of Hannah Montana. The series debuted on February 8, 2009.

Sonny with a Chance was renewed for a second season on June 1, 2009. Marsh stated that the episodes would include more comedy and the addition of music.

### Lovato's Departure

In November 2010, Disney Channel indicated that production on the third season, which was scheduled to begin in January 2011, would be dependant on Lovato who was reported to be undergoing "mental health issues". This followed them withdrawing from a Jonas Brothers tour and entering a treatment facility for "physical and emotional issues". Later that month, the network made public their plan to begin production on the season without Lovato, reworking the premise to focus on the So Random! sketches. Writers of the series planned for the third season to focus on sketch comedy, musical performances, and include guest stars, as a temporary solution until Lovato returned. The style of standalone So Random! episodes had been trialled within the show's second season, and network executives were pleased with the performance of these episodes, which led to the decision to rework the program for its third season. In April 2011, People reported that Lovato would not be returning to Sonny with a Chance, and that So Random! would continue, which had been in production for months. Lovato stated that she would be focusing on her music career as well as her recovery; the network supported the decision. The episodes which had been produced during this time formed the first season of the spin-off So Random!, which premiered in June 2011.

## Reception

Sonny with a Chance experienced high viewership in the United States on broadcast television. Demi Lovato also won two awards for her performance: the ALMA Award for Favorite TV Actress – Leading Role in a Comedy in 2011, and the Teen Choice Awards for Choice TV: Breakout Star Female in 2009.

The series did not receive wide critical coverage. The Los Angeles Times's Robert Lloyd describes the show-within-a-show So Random! as possessing an authenticity with Sonny with a Chance does not achieve. Lloyd described the set as "violently designed" and with "riots of colour", and praised Lovato's acting ability as "very good". Kelvin Cedeno from DVDizzy.com said that the series has an "outrageous tone" and feels more like a Nickelodeon show. He wrote that the series does not feature a lesson in each episode, and that it isn't funny.

## Merchandise

Walt Disney Records released a soundtrack album for the series on October 5, 2010, including songs from, and inspired by, the series. Disney Interactive Studios released a video game based on the series for the Nintendo DS, Sonny with a Chance, in 2010. A DVD compilation entitled Sonny's Big Break was released on August 25, 2009.