The Top Ten BEST Disney Channel Shows
Disney Channel, for better or worse, has become a cornerstone for American childhoods for the past twenty years, and they’ve produced a great many TV shows of varying quality. While some were…not good, some have stood the test of time. This is MY list of the top ten BEST Disney Channel shows.
Friendly Reminder: this list is 100% OPINION.
10. The Famous Jett Jackson
During the late 90’s to early 2000’s, Disney Channel produced a wide variety of different TV programs, not just tween sitcoms with high concepts. In fact, some of the channels early programming were actually more akin to dramas or slice of life live action shows. One of their more notable shows was The Famous Jett Jackson, a TV show about a high school kid who’s also a TV star.
This show was unlike anything on TV at the time; it had great characters, it was brilliantly cast, and it talked TO, not AT, its audience. It was a show that was unafraid of tackling big issues like racism, government censorship, and the perils of celebrity. It was also one of the few, FEW shows on kid’s TV whose protagonist had DIVORCED parents, a HUGE deal at the time!
The show had moments of humor here and there, but I’d scarcely call it a sitcom; it was more like a light hearted drama than anything. It lasted the full 65 episodes, getting a TV movie for its grand finale. This was a FANTASTIC series, and it’s a shame it’s not (yet) available on Disney+.
However, a sad note must be shared; the lead star, Lee Thompson Young, sadly took his own life in the year 2013. He was twenty nine years old.
9. The Proud Family
SO THIS SHOW’S THEME SONG IS SANG BY DESTINY’S CHILD! For those too young to remember them, that’s Beyonce’s old band from before she went solo. That alone is noteworthy.
OK, OK, more reasons. This show hosts the voice talents of Kyla Pratt, JoMarie Payton, Tommy Davidson, list goes on and on. This animated sitcom was one of the best ever shown on the Disney Channel, what with its memorable cast of characters and actually solid animation and character designs.
Two characters that I feel steal the show are Suga Mama and Oscar Proud, the grandma and dad respectively. Both are a HOOT to watch!
You can catch this show on Disney+; if you don’t, you’re gonna be mad cuz you missed out!
8. Hannah Montana
AKA the show that made Miley Cyrus a household name. AKA the show that pretty much DEFINED Disney Channel from the late 2000’s to the early 2010’s. You’ve definitely AT LEAST heard of it.
This show was so popular, it actually saw a movie released INTO THEATERS! That’s just not something that happens to any show; that’s how BIG Hannah Montana was in its day!
And let’s not even get into the soundtrack; it’s no exaggeration to say the show’s music was, at times, better than the show itself. It helps that Miley Cyrus herself actually has some singing talent, and that she’s the daughter of a seasoned singer. Honestly, even if the plots could be wonky and the jokes could be lame (and sometimes offensive), there was still PLENTY to love about this series.
7. Good Luck Charlie
For most of the 2000’s, Disney Channel’s programming veered onto the fantastical and high concept. Every sitcom HAD to have some twist to it, a hook that set it apart: be it that the main protagonist is a psychic, or is from the future, or is secretly a pop star. Good Luck Charlie, however, steered away from that and focused strictly on the family dynamics of the Duncans.
This show wasn’t just popular during its run, but its popularity helped pave the way for more Disney Channel shows to go back to simpler concepts and not depend on gimmicks to stand out. One of those shows will even be on this list later!
But make no mistake: this is a show that’s all about familial love. It’s about a girl who makes videos for her sister, who starts off as a baby but gradually grows older as the series goes on. It’s a good, healthy show that doesn’t deserve to be slept on.
6. Kim Possible
THIS, boys and girls, is how you do a show with a female lead that can appeal to EVERYONE! It’s action packed, it’s got beautiful animation, it’s got unforgettable characters, it’s writing is crisp, the cast is phenomenal…the list goes on and on!
Fun fact: this show originally ended with its sixty five episodes and a TV movie, but fan demand was so high for a new season that, three years later, A FOURTH SEASON WAS RELEASED! This was a first for Disney Channel! That’s how good this show is; GO WATCH IT!
5. Phineas and Ferb
This show. This goddamned show. This is the ONLY Disney Channel show to have done a Star Wars special, a Marvel crossover, a TV movie, AND A Disney+ movie, all during its EIGHT YEAR RUN! For a cartoon to last EIGHT YEARS on TV is nothing short of fantastic.
That’s not even mentioning the absolute bangers that this show put out. You go to TikTok, and you’ll see many, many videos using the song “Fabulous” from this show. Or how about “Squirrels in my Pants?” If you didn’t dance to these songs, you’re lying!
4. That’s So Raven
OK, the writing on this show’s great, the cast is fantastic, and the theme song is a banger. But the question is: can Raven Simone carry a show? The answer: hell yeah she can. Everyone else is great on this show, but Raven is the one who MAKES the show! That girl can seriously entertain!
Its sequel series, Raven’s Home, is just as good, but honestly? You can’t top the original. This is a show that belongs among the greatest ever!
3. So Weird (Seasons 1 and 2)
This is the kind of show that would never, not in a million years, be made today. This show was dark, it dealt with some pretty heavy themes, and it went places no kid’s show outside Cartoon Network would DREAM of going today! Heck, the first episode alone dealt with the ghost of a boy who drowned! Where are you gonna see that today!?
Sadly, the show’s third season went on a lighter and softer direction, so the quality really dropped. Honestly, season 3 is OK at best; but compared to the brilliance of the first two seasons? Not even close. Catch this show on Disney+; no excuse not to.
2. Andi Mack
At the day of her thirteenth birthday, Andi Mack discovered a shocking secret: the woman she thought was her older sister was actually her MOTHER! This is one of those shows that you just can’t believe got made by Disney Channel. It was a show that dared to go places that kid’s TV just wouldn’t dare to go. Teen pregnancies, death, bullying, Judaism, Cantonese culture, this was a show that wasn’t afraid to get real, yet it never lost its charm.
It was also the first Disney Channel show with an LGBT protagonist. An OUT LGBT protagonist! The character of Cyrus was a real trailblazer for children’s entertainment, one who was multidimensional yet grounded. Once he confesses to being gay, and he in fact uses that PRECISE word to describe himself, this show became one for the history books.
The show’s humor might not be for everyone, but it still remains one of the best to ever grace the Disney Channel.
Honorable Mentions before we get to Number 1.
Sweet Life of Zack and Cody- Pretty good, but I felt it didn’t deserve to be top 10.
Even Stevens- Funny show, launched the career of Shia LaBeouf, but otherwise not Top Ten worthy. Still worth checking out.
Wizards of Waverly Place-the show that put Selena Gomez on the map, but otherwise it’s too snarky for me. Still, it’s a show that undeniably got better with each season. It started good, it ended GREAT!
Gravity Falls- ALMOST made it to the list, ALMOST!!!
- Lizzie McGuire
OK, so you know how sometimes a single TV show comes to dominate a channel’s airwaves? Well, that’s not the height of what a show can become. Now and then comes a show that just hits SUCH a sweet mark, becomes such a HUGE hit, that the channel that aired the show continues to try to replicate its success for DECADES to come. Lizzie McGuire was that show for Disney Channel.
The show became the channel’s first true franchise: make up, clothes, dolls, books, you just couldn’t escape it. It even have a theatrically released MOVIE! What other show has ever done that!?
And OF COURSE it was popular! The show was funny, sweet when it needed to be, well acted, brilliantly cast, perfectly scored…there’s no shortage of praise for this show! And who DIDN’T have a crush on Hillary Duff back in the day!? The show made her a household name! And thankfully, unlike many of her peers, she kept her head and remains a bright, vibrant, beautiful woman with plenty of acting chops! Her future is bright!
