Disney is so forward-thinking it's almost mind-boggling that it's taken them so long to realize fans of Disney Channel TV shows want complete seasons, not random three- or four-episode samplers. Given the enormous popularity of "Hannah Montana," it's a no-brainer that their first full-season offering of a contemporary kids show would also be the one that's their runaway hit, featuring a star and a character who've caused children and their parents all over the country to do nutty things.
And boy, has Hannah Montana slash Miley Cyrus grown over the past two years. I mean physically, not necessarily professionally, because even as a 14 year old in her debut 2006 season Cyrus had the poise of a veteran, the comedic sensibilities of a Lucille Ball, and the musical talent of her country-singer dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, who also plays her TV father. This kid is a major talent, and you can see it in every scene. But boy, does she look little this first season.
Call me old school, but I liked the old (ancient?) Disney TV shows that featured relatively smart adults and equally smart kids. The trend these days is to dumb everyone down and to inject every show with a large dose of sass. The kids talk to adults the same way as they talk to their peers, and so the attitude gets piled higher than a Seventies' hairdo. And every character is played so broadly for comic effect that I hope kids who are watching know that real people don't (or shouldn't) act or talk this way.
But I have to admit that "Hannah Montana" is the sweetest of the Disney shows that are currently airing. Maybe it's the daughter-father combination of Miley and Billy Ray, the latter best known for his mega-hit "Achy Breaky Heart." Or maybe it's the way that reality imitated art, with the real Miley Cyrus suddenly playing Hannah Montana concerts all over the country and reaching a level of fame that her father never enjoyed.
There's a poignant subtext that you can feel in each episode, with just enough real daughter and dad to make this show toe a narrower line than the rest of the Disney line-up. Back-talk is kept to a relative minimum, and TVpre-teen Miley Stewart--who leads the life of a normal, brunette schoolkid by day and becomes the blonde wig-wearing Hannah Montana pop star by night, seems to listen to her dad more than most kids. The acting also isn't as consistently over-the-top as it is with other Disney sitcoms, and the implied lessons behind every episode are more wholesome as well. But the big difference is that while it'd be a stretch to call the writing intelligent, it's certainly clever and the scripts are well constructed. There's more artistry here than most teen/'tween shows that rely on stale formulas.
When the series first aired, Miley was an 8th grader. She's aged considerably, but probably not nearly as much as her father. This past year, parents did all sorts of crazy things to try to get their teens and tweens tickets to the hottest concert tour in America, a 56-city grind starring Miley/Hannah. She's on a roll, because in 2007 she also earned the Best Actress Comedy Award in the Teen Choice Awards, and "Hannah Montana" was the Number 1 cable program.
The show's premise is simple. Miley lives with her musician father/manager and brother Jackson, all of whom have just moved from Tennessee to Malibu. Miley's brother (Jason Earles) plays it the broadest, except when he has a tender moment with Sis. But the best scenes come with Miley and her best friend, Lilly (Emily Osment), who have as much chemistry together as Hilary Duff and Miranda Sanchez did on that the previous hot-ticket Disney diva sitcom, "Lizzie McGuire." Through no coincidence, the show was created by Terri Minsky, who wrote for "Lizzie McGuire" from 2001-04. But as much as "Lizzie," the model here is clearly "I Love Lucy," because Miley and Lilly could pass for a much younger Lucy and Ethel.
They have the same dynamic, they get into the same sticky (yes, often slapstick or undercover) situations based on Miley's jealousy or errant schemes, and they shift gears from normal to exaggerated dialogue and expressions as quickly as Lucy went from wide-eyed stupefaction to tears. Like Ball, young Cyrus also seems willing to "uglify" herself if it means milking a scene for laughs. When you see Miley with a blackened tooth or crazy hair, for example, you can't help but think of Lucy before her. It's to Miley's credit that she's more dedicated to getting the show's comedy right than she is protecting her evolving image. This kid's got great comic chops.
I have two children who watch the show regularly on the Disney Channel, which means I do to, to some extent. They couldn't wait for this full-season set to come out, and I have to confess that I enjoy it too. Just as "I Love Lucy" was aimed at adults but was loved by children as well, this show might be aimed at the allowance set, but parents who grew up with "I Love Lucy" may also appreciate it. Compared to the rest of the kid-oriented sitcoms on TV these days, it's really well done, especially this first season. But a word of warning about the "Hannah Montana" theme song: Once you hear it, you're not going to lose it any time soon.
Here's a rundown on the 27 episodes which are presented on four single-sided discs that unfortunately overlap in a cardboard single-fold box. All of the titles, you'll notice, are puns and twists on pop songs:
1) "Lilly, Do You Want to Know a Secret?" The opener has Miley reluctant to let best friend Lilly learn about her secret life, but the truth slipping out after a concert. Look for "HSM" star Corbin Bleu, too.
2) "Miley Get Your Gum." Miley's other best friend, Oliver (Mitchell Musso), has the hots for Hanna and does everything to try to win her over, almost as much as Miley (Hannah) tries to figure out ways to get him off her back. In the end, it's friend number two who learns Miley's secret.
3) "She's a Super Sneak." Miley and her friends will do anything to meet Ashton Kutcher at a movie premier, even sneaking out of the house. But Dad also neglected to tell the truth, as Miley finds out when she sees him and a new woman at the movies. Is he trying to replace their late mother?
4) "I Can't Make You Love Hannah If You Don't." Miley's new boyfriend hates Hannah Montana, and that complicates her life. Jackson (Earles), meanwhile, is having his own weird triangle.
