So Random!
So Random! is an American Disney Channel sketch comedy series that premiered on June 5, 2011. It was announced as an independent series after Demi Lovato left the parent series, "Sonny with a Chance". The series features the actors who acted in "Sonny with a Chance", besides Lovato: Tiffany Thornton, Sterling Knight, Brandon Mychal Smith, Doug Brochu, and Allisyn Ashley Arm along with other featured actors who recur in the series. The series premiere was watched by 4.1 million viewers. On May 2, 2012, Tiffany Thornton indicated that the series had not been renewed for a second season . Concept, production and premise. In "Sonny with a Chance", Demi Lovato plays the title character, Sonny Monroe, a new member of the cast of the sketch comedy show "So Random!", which is presented as a show-within-a-show. The series follows the experiences of Sonny, and the rest of the cast. The full length sketch comedy episode format was played within "Sonny with a Chance" during season 2 of the series for the Christmas and Halloween episodes. In November 2010, Lovato underwent treatment for "physical and emotional issues," and in April 2011, they confirmed that they would not be  returning to "Sonny with a Chance" for its third season. They stated that returning to acting immediately wouldn't be healthy for their recovery. Following Lovato's departure from the series, "So Random!" was introduced as its own series that focused more on comedy skits than "Sonny with a Chance." Filming for the season began on January 30, 2011. Each episode features sketch comedy skits with the "So Random!" cast, as well as a musical performance by a guest star. Originally intended to be a third season of "Sonny with a Chance", Disney began to describe the show as a  separate series following Lovato's confirmed departure. Each episode typically consists of five or six sketches. Though it is formatted as a sketch comedy series, "So Random!" retains the fictional universe style of the sitcom it spun off from, with the main cast members playing both the characters they originated on "Sonny with a Chance", in addition to playing the characters appearing in each of the sketches. Such a reference to "Sonny with a Chance" was made when Grady kept hitting the applause button while trying to open a pickle jar, and Zora goes offstage to tell him to stop . She asks what he's doing, and he tells her that he always has a pickle before the show and can't open the jar. Zora opens the jar without difficulty, horrifying Grady. However, the episode "Miss Piggy" would be the first and only episode to feature backstage scenes where Grady, Zora, and a couple other cast members visit Miss Piggy in her dressing room. Each episode is typically written by two writers (whereas opening segments and sketches in a traditional sketch comedy series are written by a team of up to twelve writers). Cast. Main. Except for Demi Lovato , the main cast of "So Random!" is identical to that of its parent series, "Sonny with a Chance". Broadcast. The series premiered on Disney Channel on June 5, 2011 and on Family Channel on June 10, 2011. It premiered on July 27, 2011 on Disney Channel (Australia and New Zealand) and on October 31, 2011 on Disney Channel (UK and Ireland). Video on demand. The series became available to stream on Disney+ on April 3, 2020, however it was listed as "season 3" of "Sonny with a Chance", instead of as a separate series. On July 14 of the following  year, both series were separated on the platform. Critical reception. The series's premiere earned mixed reviews. Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media gave the series four out of five stars, writing, "Sonny spin-off offers family-friendly sketch comedy, an excellent choice for families".