That's So Raven

**That's So Raven** is a live-action television series created by Michael Poryes and Susan Sherman. The series premiered on January 17, 2003 and aired for four seasons until November 10, 2007.

The Walt Disney Company created the series as the first multi-camera sitcom for its television network after experiencing success with its earlier single-camera comedy series.

## Plot

Raven Baxter is a high school student who has a secret psychic ability which allows her to experience visions of future events in short flashes. Often, she finds herself miscalculating the events that she sees which results in trouble for herself as well as her friends and family. Raven keeps her supernatural ability a secret, with only her close friends and family aware. Raven attends school alongside her best friends Chelsea, who is described as "ditzy", is an environmentalist and an artist, and Eddie, who is athletic, on the school basketball team, and an aspiring rapper. Raven lives with her younger brother Cory, an aspiring businessperson, and her parents, Victor and Tanya. Victor initially works as chef in a restaurant, and in the second season, opens his own restaurant called "The Chill Grill". Tanya halted her studies to raise her family, but decided once the children were older to continue studying law; after the third season, she leaves the family to study in England. An aspiring fashion designer, Raven frequently creates her own costumes in order to disguise her identity; she often implements schemes to rectify a situation or fix her own mistake. In the fourth season, the show's format is slightly revised when Raven works as an intern for the famous fashion designer Donna Cabonna.

The series explores the fantasy that children may experience of wanting a supernatural power. It shares similarities with series such as Sabrina the Teenage Witch and other fantasy television programs in which adolescents experience and learn to deal with miraculous abilities. Disney Channel president Rich Ross stated that Raven's powers aren't "dark", but rather, a metaphorical representation of how the future is unpredictable. The series does not explore how Raven's powers originated or were discovered; however, Raven's grandmother, Vivian, also has psychic powers. Raven often intervenes in order to prevent a vision from coming true, but does not regularly try to control her ability or take advantage of her power. Her visions often represent a self-fulfilling prophecy. Many of the program's stories take place in the high school setting.

## Episodes

See Also: List of That's So Raven Episodes

 2 | 22
 3 | 35
 4 | 22

## Cast and Characters

### Main

* Raven-Symoné as Raven Baxter
* Orlando Brown as Eddie Thomas
* Anneliese van der Pol as Chelsea Daniels
* Kyle Massey as Cory Baxter
* T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh as Tanya Baxter (Season 1-3)
* Rondell Sheridan as Victor Baxter

### Guest Stars

* Bobb'e J. Thompson as Stanley
* Rose Abdoo as Señorita Rodriguez
* Lil' J as Devon Carter
* Ashley Eckstein as Muffy
* Andrea Edwards as Loca
* Jordyn Coleman as Cindy
* Anne-Marie Johnson as Donna Cabonna
* Judy Shilling as Tiffany
* Haylie Duff as Katina
* Wesley Mann as Mr. Lawler
* Ernie Sabella as Mr. Petrachelli
* Amy Hill as Mrs. DePaulo
* Adrienne Bailon as Alana Rivera
* Drew Sidora as Chantel
* Dan Mott as The Juicer
* Joshua Harto as Ben Sturky
* Rhyon Nicole Brown as Madison
* Mary Jo Catlett as Mrs. Applebaum
* Sydney Park as Sydney
* Karly Rothenberg as Mrs. Valentine
* Rachel G. Fox as Buffy
* Brian George as Dr. Sleevemore
* Stuart Pankin as Mr. Grabinsky
* Michael Copon as Ricky
* Ryan Hansen as J.J.
* Columbus Short as Trey
* Erica Rivera as Bianca
* Giovonnie Samuels as Cousin Betty Jane
* Kym Whitley as Aunt Vicki
* Steve Hytner as Dr. Stuckerman
* David Henrie as Larry

## Music

* That's So Raven
* That's So Raven Too!

## Spin-offs

* Cory in the House
* Raven's Home

## Production

### Development

In the early 2000s, The Walt Disney Company found success with its pay television network Disney Channel through single-camera comedy series for a preadolescent audience such as Even Stevens and Lizzie McGuire. That's So Raven was designed to be another sitcom that would appeal to a family audience, while featuring a female in the role of the comedy lead. The series was created by Michael Poryes and Susan Sherman. Sherman first conceived the idea of a buddy comedy for a preadolescent audience, and the pair decided to base it around the idea of being able to see the future, which they thought would interest the young viewers. The pair then pitched the concept to network executives under the title The Future is On Me, and later, Absolutely Psychic. Poryes explained that Raven-Symoné read for the role of the lead as well as the comedic best friend Chelsea during her audition, and that she wanted to play the role of the friend. Subsequently, a pilot was filmed in which she starred as the best friend rather than in the central role, but after the test audience responded well to her and producers were impressed, the program was re-tooled to include her in the main role. Test audiences also responded favourably to the supernatural premise of the show and its comedy. The series was retitled as That's So Raven along with the casting change. Poryes also served as an executive producer alongside David Brookwell and Sean McNamara, who concurrently produced Even Stevens for Disney Channel. Their joint company, Brookwell McNamara Entertainment produced the program in association with the network. That's So Raven became Disney Channel's first multi-camera sitcom. The series centred on an African American family in a deliberate attempt to represent the diversity of the network's audience.

The series was publicly announced in November 2001 with a press release announcing Raven-Symoné's involvement as the titular character Raven. Twenty-one episodes were ordered for the first season, which began filming in Los Angeles, California, in the same month. The series was initially expected to premiere in early 2002, however, the whole first season was filmed before it aired on television. The premiere broadcast of That's So Raven, containing the first four episodes of the series, was in effect aired on Friday, January 17, 2003.

### Casting

The program and its primary cast were announced in November 2001; Raven-Symoné was revealed to be portraying the titular character Raven. She had previously worked as a child actor on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show. Raven-Symoné was reported to be Disney's first African American female star, and the first African American woman to have her name in the title of a comedy series. Joshua Alston of The A.V. Club called her role on the show her "most successful phase" and praised her physical comedy. Marsh cited her humour and commitment to comedy as a reason for her success. She is credited as Raven throughout the series.

The supporting cast was also first announced in November 2001. Orlando Brown portrays one of Raven's best friends Eddie, while Anneliese van der Pol plays Chelsea, another of Raven's friends. Tricha Dixon was originally listed in the casting announcement before van der Pol joined the cast. Kyle Massey portrays Raven's younger brother, Cory. Rondell Sheridan portrays Raven's father, Victor.

T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh plays Raven's mother, Tanya, for the first three seasons; she departed the program since she had initially expected to only work on three seasons of the show. Keymáh was also unable to continue as she was required to provide full-time care for her ailing grandmother. Within the show's storyline, it is explained that Tanya has travelled to England to pursue higher education.

Guest stars in the series include Jenifer Lewis as Vivian, Raven's grandmother, and Anne-Marie Johnson, who plays famous fashion designer Donna Cabonna in the show's fourth season.

### Writing

Poryes believed that it was important to write the scripts with honesty rather than talking down to the young audience. The writers endeavoured to present meaningful stories to children, including lessons about friendship, but tried not make the messages too "preachy". The series was written with the aim of reflecting life as a typical teenager, while also incorporating comedy, particularly through its central focus on physical humour. Van der Pol explained that the actors typically weren't permitted deviate from their scripted lines; however, Ross stated that Raven-Symoné would improvise "comic bits". Alston described the show's nature as "goofy", with a "kid-friendly" comedy style, but also noted its complex stories revolving around "ethical challenges". The episodes did not typically air in the order of their production, due to the lack of serialization in their stories.

### Filming and Conclusion

That's So Raven was recorded in front of a live studio audience in a set, on a sound stage in Los Angeles. The first season began filming in November 2001. The series would be filmed over two days each week, while the child actors would also attend school on set. Prior to filming, the weekly schedule would also consist of read-throughs of the script, rewrites and rehearsals. A stunt coordinator was present for Raven-Symoné's slapstick and physical stunts.

The series was renewed for a second season in April 2003. Prior to the renewal, a musical episode of Even Stevens was aired in 2002; the success of the episode among the show's audience led to network executives asking Brookwell and McNamara to also produce a musical episode of That's So Raven. The musical episode of That's So Raven, entitled "The Road to Audition", aired as part of the second season in July 2004. The success of the musical format on both Even Stevens and That's So Raven gave executives confidence in the appeal and interest of the musical genre, and inspired the development of the television film High School Musical.

While it was originally planned that a maximum of three seasons would be produced, That's So Raven was renewed for a fourth season in June 2005, which would consist of 22 episodes and bring the program's total number of episodes to 100. The announcement marked the first time an original Disney Channel series would surpass three seasons and the first to reach the milestone of 100 episodes for syndication. A film adaptation was also ordered to debut in 2007. Ross called the program the network's "most successful series". Production on the season was expected to begin in July, and the episodes would be aired over the following two years. Raven-Symoné became a producer on the series for the fourth season at the age of 19. Her roles included having input towards casting, scripts and special effects; however, she turned down the offer of directing an episode. Brookwell and McNamara departed the series at the end of the third season, with their company being replaced by Warren & Rinsler Productions. The series also filmed an episode which aired as part of a network crossover special. That's So Suite Life of Hannah Montana aired in July 2006 as a crossover featuring The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and Hannah Montana.

The series finished production in January 2006, and by August, then-president of Disney Channels Worldwide Gary Marsh stated that it was unlikely that any further episodes would be produced. Due to the heavy focus on high school stories depicted in the series, once the characters were beginning to age beyond their teenage years, the network decided to end the show.

### Cancelled Film

A film adaptation of That's So Raven was ordered by Disney in 2005 alongside the program's fourth season renewal, which was planned for a 2007 release. van der Pol explained in 2010 that a script for the film had been written, but that Raven-Symoné was too busy to be involved at the time of development. The plot would have depicted Raven starting a fashion line in France alongside Eddie and Chelsea. The film did not enter production.

## Reception

That's So Raven was reported to be the highest-rating original program in the network's history. The success of the program also led to two nominations Primetime Emmy Awards nominations for Outstanding Children's Program, in 2005 and 2007. Alston said the success of That's So Raven led to Disney Channel changing its approach to original programming. He praised the chemistry between Raven-Symoné, Brown and van der Pol and attributed this to their real-life friendships. Alston cited the episodes "A Goat's Tale" and "Out of Control" as the episodes which best represent this dynamic. Raven-Symoné was widely recognised for her charisma and physical comedy in the series; Massey's "knack" for physical comedy was also praised.

Jack Seiley from DVDizzy.com said that the series adhered to the format of previous sitcoms on the network such as Lizzie McGuire, but does so with lower quality; he called it their worst show. Aaron Wallace also called the show "weaker" than Lizzie McGuire in a similar DVD review. Seiley criticized the show's concept, and the actors' "over-acting". The structure of the episodes was noted by Wallace for being repetitive and rigid.

## Merchandising

That's So Raven became a successful merchandising franchise over the duration of its run, with items including a novel series, dolls, board games, lunch boxes, jewellery, a fragrance and a clothing line. A line of video games was also developed; two were released on the Game Boy Advance, while That's So Raven: Psychic on the Scene was released on the Nintendo DS on November 2, 2006. Two soundtrack albums were released; That's So Raven (2004) and That's So Raven Too! (2006), featuring recordings by some of the program's actors as well as other guest performers. By 2006, the merchandise based on the series had grossed over $400 million.