*full reflections on each episode coming soon(:
Welcome Back to Disney!👋😊🎉I hope you enjoyed my last post on A Definitive Ranking of Every Song from You’re Invited to Mary-Kate & Ashley’s, because today we’re taking a little break from the Mary-Kate and Ashley content, and the music from Disney Channel stars, and talking all about one of the BEST, NOSTALGIC, and one of the MORE ICONIC shows from Disney Channel, Even Stevens.📺👦👩👨👩👨 Not only because today marks 25 YEARS since the FIRST episode premiered, but also just because it was time to finally talk about this GREAT Disney Channel series.💙💜
As I’ve mentioned before, in one of the FIRST posts that I ever did for this blog, where I listed and ranked my MOST FAVORITE and the TOP 10 BEST Disney Channel Shows of all time, Even Stevens was included on that list.✔💜💙So, this post is a continuation of a series of posts I’ve been doing for the past few years, where I’ve been going back and rewatching EVERY show that I included on my Top Ten Disney Channel Shows post, in the order that I ranked them, from beginning to end, and picking the BEST episodes (my MOST FAVORITE episodes) from each season of each of those shows that I mentioned in that earlier blog post.👍😊 Therefore, since my last post of this little series of posts, was all about Good Luck Charlie (my #8 favorite Disney Channel show according to my Top Ten Disney Channel Shows post, here) it was now time to rewatch, rank, and discuss all the BEST episodes from my ninth favorite Disney Channel show, Even Stevens. So, of course, that is finally what I did this month. Well, I actually rewatched this whole series in April of this year and decided to wait to post it now. Not only because I was too busy with other things to post this right away after I finished it, but I also just thought it would be a good time to finally post this now, on this day, for the show's 25th anniversary.😊🎉
Having said that, I’m SO EXCITED to finally get to share my thoughts and opinions about this UNFORGETTABLE and pretty ICONIC Disney Channel show with you here today! But, as always, I like to first give a brief history about the show, then mention some of my first memories of it, and then get into the ranking. So, that’s what I’m gonna do now. And if you don’t care for the background or history of this show you can just go on ahead and skip to the episodes ranking part.😊👍🏻
Even Stevens is a Disney Channel original 22 minute, coming-of-age, comedy series that ran for three seasons, consisting of 65 episodes, from June 17, 2000 to June 2, 2003.💙💜📺 I know, I know. The show definitely deserved to last longer, but unfortunately, Disney Channel had a 65-episode limit at the time.👎😞 However, Even Stevens was one of Disney Channel’s FIRST and very few single-camera shows.👏👏Something which makes it more UNIQUE and SPECIAL compared to other Disney Channel shows. Especially Disney Channel original series that came after it. Even Stevens is also the only Disney Channel show where fast motion photography was used in every episode.👏 And the ONLY Disney Channel show to feature claymation for its theme song, which is played at the very beginning of every episode. The show follows the life of a family living in suburban Sacramento, California, the Stevens family, mainly focusing on the clashing personalities of its two younger children, Louis (played by Shia LaBeouf) and Ren (played Christy Carlson Romano).👦👩The show also spawned a pretty ICONIC, definitely UNIQUE, and UNFORGETTABLE feature-length Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) based on the series, appropriately titled, The Even Stevens Movie. Which premiered on June 13, 2003.🎉 A movie that I will be mentioning more about later.😉😊
Although, Louis (Shia LaBeouf) and Ren (Christy Carlson Romano) are the bread and butter of this show, other notable main and reoccurring characters include: Ren and Louis’ athletic older brother, Donnie Stevens (played by Nick Spano); the state senator and matriarch of the Stevens family, Eileen Stevens (played by Donna Pescow); the lawyer and patriarch of the Stevens family, Steve Stevens (played by Tom Virtue); Louis’ closest guy best friend, Alan Twitty (aka “Twitty”) (played by A.J. Trauth); Louis’ female best friend and eventually girlfriend, Tawny (played by Margo Harshman); Louis’ very scientific, philosophical, and “nerdy” best friend, Thomas “Tom” Gribalski (played by Fred Meyers); the Stevens’ bacon-loving, sometimes annoying little neighbor, and Louis and Twitty’s sidekick for schemes, Bernard “Beans” Aranguren (played by Steven Anthony Lawrence); and Ren’s equally popular, know-it-all rival in school, Lawrence Anthony “Larry” Beale (played by Ty Hodges).
There aren’t any facts about how many viewers the show garnered when it first premiered, but there are some other fun, interesting facts about Even Stevens that I found during my research. This one I already knew, but did you know that the show’s original title was Spivey's Kid Brother? Yes, in fact, a pilot was filmed in July 1999, and was later picked up by Disney Channel as Even Stevens. And in the last aired episode of season 1, "A Weak First Week", you can see that the original pilot was repurposed as flashback sequences. ‘Cause when you watch that episode you’ll notice that Disney had to dub out the name "Spivey" to "Stevens". You can also see during the gym class scene of that episode, a banner being visible in the background that reads, “Home of Spivey and the Wild Wombats."
Another fact that I didn’t know, because I’ve never seen Star Wars, but did you know that in the theme song of Even Stevens, that when the clay animations of Louis and Ren turn their remote controllers into lightsabers, apparently they were alluding to Star Wars, several years before Disney would purchase the franchise? Prior to that little moment from the theme song, Ren also reads a TV guide with live-action photos of Christy Carlson Romano and Shia LaBeouf on the cover. Which I actually need to go back and look at because I never pay too much attention to the theme song. Did you also know that Shia LaBeouf and Christy Carlson Romano are the only two actors that appeared in ALL 65 episodes of the show? Yep. And in 2002, the musical episode "Influenza: The Musical" that aired as part of the show’s second season, was viewed favorably by audiences and network executives. But, an Even Stevens executive producer, David Brookwell cited the "musical episode" as a TV convention. As Brookwell once stated, the network executives were initially unsure that a musical episode would be successful and were uninterested in the subgenre, but the idea ultimately got approved. In fact, the success of the musical format led to the idea being adopted on Brookwell and McNamara's other Disney Channel original comedy series That’s So Raven. It also apparently inspired the development of the ICONIC (and, in my opinion, the BEST DCOM musical) 2006 DCOM High School Musical, which then-president of Disney Channels Worldwide, Gary Marsh, said would not have been possible if not for the success of that Even Stevens episode.😲And, just another little fun fact about that episode according to my research, several of the cast members actually had backgrounds on Broadway as well as in professional dance training. Executive producer, Sean McNamara had even done musical theatre in high school and he directed the episode.
Even Stevens is definitely one of the more very underrated Disney Channel shows.😞 At least, I don’t hear or see a lot of people talking about it. And if they are, then apparently it’s not enough. That’s why I’m here to give it all the LOVE and APPRECIATION that I think it deserves, because it actually is a REALLY GOOD show.💜💙Especially when it comes to Disney Channel, because I know Disney Channel shows are meant more for kids, even older Disney channel shows, like the ones that aired during the time of Even Stevens. But I actually think Even Stevens is one of those very few Disney Channel shows that people of all ages can enjoy watching. I mean, just for Louis and his hysterics alone. If you LOVE comedy, like I do, then this show is definitely for you.
Speaking of Even Stevens being a very underrated show, I would know that to be true a little bit, because I was one of those people to underrate it. To not like it at all. In other words, this is actually a Disney Channel show that I didn’t watch as a kid/tween/teen, and I never really loved it until just a few years ago (in 2021 when I watched the whole series for the FIRST TIME). 'Cause I was WAY MORE of a Lizzie McGuire fan as a kid, but I do remember my older sister (Ariel) watching a little more of Even Stevens when we were kids. She didn’t watch it a lot, but a little more than me and our little sister. I mean, Ariel was definitely more of a Lizzie McGuire fan, too, when we were kids watching these shows. But, I remember at the time (in 2003/2004) that if Even Stevens was playing on the channel, she would sit and watch it. Unlike me and our little sister (Amber).😊
So basically, because this show came out when I was only three years old, and I don't remember anything that I watched when I was three (except for Barney and the Teletubbies😊🤣), it wasn't until late 2003 that I even started watching live-action Disney Channel shows. At least, my earliest memory of watching Disney Channel shows were just the cartoon shows, and whatever would play on Playhouse Disney in 2002 and early 2003. So, I guess that means my sisters and I were just watching reruns of Lizzie McGuire and Even Stevens in 2003. We never saw those shows when they were airing live. Having said that, I just remember when I was a kid, that whenever Even Stevens would be playing on Disney Channel, I wouldn't sit there and watch it. I just remember seeing bits and pieces of certain episodes when my older sister (Ariel) would be watching it or the TV was on in our family living room and I would pass by it going to another room in our house or something like that, because for some reason I was creeped out by the show when I was younger. And I’m sure it was the theme song that really turned me off from this show when I was a kid, because I can definitely see how the Even Stevens theme song would have scared me a little and would not have made me want to watch the show. 'Cause it’s still a little weird and creepy to me even now as an adult. Let's just say it's not one of the best Disney Channel theme songs. Although, I do know (now) that the theme song must have taken a lot of work. So, I do give it props for that. For being different.👍👏😊 But, all in all, I can understand why I didn’t vibe with this show as a kid. Though, I definitely didn’t give it a good enough chance then. Well, a chance at all really, because I just always thought it was a weird, and out-there show. But that’s actually what I LOVE the most about it now watching it as an adult. It's interesting and funny how things change sometimes, isn't it?😊🤣
I’ve now seen this whole series twice in like the last four years, and it’s GREAT. I don’t like all the characters in this show, but majority of them are fine and good. Obviously, Louis is my FAVORITE, but Ren is important to the show too, and she’s funny at times as well. I even found a new love and appreciation for Twitty, Beans, and even Tom. 'Cause the first time I ever watched this series, the whole way through, was with my little sister just a few years ago, in 2021. She had started watching it by herself because she had never watched the whole series, except for a couple of the holiday themed episodes, which is also all the episodes that I had really seen from it at the time. And so it was then (in 2021) that I also decided to watch it with her for the first time, too. Although, I did miss a few episodes from the first season since I came in a little late watching it with her.
But, I remember us actually really liking it and laughing out loud a lot. And I’ll never forget that time of us watching this show together, because it was a good time and it was like we were watching a new Disney Channel show for the first time even though it wasn’t new because it was an old Disney Channel show, but it was new to us because we had never seen it before. It even became one of my little sister’s TOP 3 favorite Disney Channel shows. Something she told me after we watched it and she has still said since then. Which I, myself, still wouldn’t say it’s in my TOP 3 favorite Disney Channel shows, but it’s definitely higher up there in my TOP 10 favorite Disney Channel shows of all time.
After that time in 2021, I continued to watch other shows, and watched only the holiday episodes of Even Stevens when it was the holidays, and therefore I hadn’t rewatched the whole series again until this year. Even after watching this show all over again by myself, although it wasn’t as fun as when I watched it with my sister, I still gained even more of a LOVE and APPRECIATION for this show.💙💜 And, like I briefly mentioned before, I gained even more of an appreciation for some of the other characters besides Louis and Ren. For instance, for some reason when watching this series for the FIRST TIME with my sister in 2021, I loved Louis and Tawny but I didn’t really care for Twitty as much. Which is crazy, because this time around while rewatching the show, Twitty is like even funnier to me than Beans, and an even more important part of the show than Beans. During my FIRST full watch of this show with my sister in 2021, I thought Beans was one of the funniest characters, and he is, but for some reason this time around when rewatching the show I didn’t really think he was as funny as much as I thought he was the FIRST TIME I watched Even Stevens. Again, don’t get me wrong, Beans is still funny and a stand-out character, but Twitty is even funnier and more of my favorite character. Even Tom I noticed more during this rewatch. He cracked me up a lot, too. But Louis is definitely still the FUNNIEST, and he’s what makes this show what it is for me. He’s THE BEST character, and not only one of the FUNNIEST characters from this show but he’s one of the FUNNIEST, if not, THE funniest character from a Disney Channel show EVER.👦💜💙
What's interesting is that I actually also really liked and noticed Donnie more the FIRST TIME I watched this whole series with my sister, but he kind of faded to the back for me this time when rewatching the show. I guess because he wasn't in as many episodes as I thought or they just didn't utilize his character good enough. And I also use to not really care for the parents or pay much attention to their characters, but I actually did pay attention and care a little more for them this time around during my rewatch of the show. In other words, I didn't find them as dumb or invisible as I used to think they were. I mean, the parents in Even Stevens aren't shown a ton and they're still not some of my most favorite characters, but they're certainly not the worst either.😊 Overall, I did see, understand, and appreciate more of the Stevens family as a whole this time around when rewatching the show. I didn't see this show quite as I did before, which was more of a friends, sibling-type show. Which it kind of mainly is, too. but the whole family aspect is present as well.
All in all, after having now watched Even Stevens twice in the past few years, I would definitely rank it higher on my Top Ten Disney Channel Shows list. It shouldn’t have gone as low as it did. It's just when I made that list I was going more-so on NOSTALGIA and what I LOVED ever since I was a kid/tween/teen. Which is kind of different from the Disney Channel shows I like and prefer now as an adult. But what makes Even Stevens SO SPECIAL and a STAND-OUT among many other Disney channel shows is, for one, how weird it is. The characters are weird, some of the storylines are very random and weird, etc. etc. but I really do LOVE that about it.💙💜I also LOVE, as I briefly mentioned earlier, that this is one of the very few Disney Channel shows that didn’t have a laugh track, because it was single camera with no audience. Because a lot of times the laugh track just ruins a show for me. Okay, it doesn’t ruin it, but it can get very, VERY annoying. So Even Stevens not having a laugh track in any episode just makes it seem more real and authentic and easier to watch. Plus, it just adds to that simplistic, early 2000s vibes, which is something else that I absolutely LOVE about this show. I also LOVE how the show is set more outdoors. The characters are more outdoors, and REALLY outdoors, not just a fake set to look like the outdoors. As like in other Disney Channel shows they are just on a set (that you can tell is a set) with four walls, which can feel claustrophobic at times. What else do I LOVE about Even Stevens?…three words…Louis, Louis, and EVERYTHING Louis.👦💜💙🤣😊He’s just SO FUNNY and he makes this show one of, if not, THE FUNNIEST Disney Channel show EVER. I mean, Even Stevens is definitely one of the FUNNIEST shows I've ever seen. And that's not just including Disney Channel shows.💙💜😊
Even Stevens isn’t perfect, because no show is, but it’s definitely still one of the BETTER shows to come from Disney Channel.💜💙The only thing I didn’t like about this show when watching it again for this post was the principal (Mr. Wexler), the gym coach (Coach Tugnut🤔👎), and Nelson that they bring in at one point during season 2.👎👎👎I felt like the relationship with Ren and the principal was a little weird. Too close for comfort at times. No student should be that close to a teacher. It was kind of giving Girl Meets World (cough, cough, Cory and his students) vibes.👎Coach Tugnut I’ve never really liked. I'm sorry but his character weirds me out. And his name….I mean, come on Disney.👎😞Speaking of names, I also just don’t like the fact that I feel like there were some dirty, inappropriate innuendos in some episodes of this show, especially with one of the recurring characters names being like what I just mentioned. And I felt like Nelson was inappropriate at times and would speak such dirty innuendos. So, any episodes with those three characters in them a lot I didn’t usually like.👎In fact, those characters and the dirty innuendos present throughout this series are the only DOWNFALL of Even Stevens. But, other than those things I still LOVE this show for the main other more important characters and clean, funny, just weird, interesting storylines. Like I said before, I really enjoyed my time getting to watch this show again from beginning to end, and for the FIRST TIME in production order, which made it even more interesting. That’s why I can’t wait any longer to talk about what I think are the BEST episodes of the show. So, what are we waiting for? Let’s get into the Top 12 BEST Episodes from Even Stevens!🎉💜💙📺
Just a brief note before we begin: Since there are 3 seasons of this show, to make it a fair and even total number of episodes, I decided to choose 4 episodes from each season that are my MOST FAVORITE and ones that I truly believe are the BEST. So, 4 episodes for each season to make twelve total BEST episodes. I could have just chosen the TOP 3 BEST from each season, but only choosing 9 total episodes from the show wasn’t enough. The seasons are also not going in any particular order of what I like LEAST or MOST BEST, only the episodes in each season. In other words, the seasons themselves are not ranked in any particular order. You will just see season 1’s episodes first, but then the episodes for that season, and for each season after that, are ranked from my LEAST to MOST FAVORITE. I will just tell you my favorite seasons in order at the very end of this post. Now, for real this time, let’s get into the Top 12 BEST Episodes from Even Stevens!!🎉💙💜📺
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EVEN STEVENS: SEASON 1
(from LEAST to MOST FAVORITE)...
#4 "Movie Madness" S1E18 - Premiered January 26, 2001
#3 "Battle of the Bands" S1E14 - Premiered November 24, 2000
#2 "Get a Job" S1E17 - Premiered January 5, 2001
#1 "Easy Way" S1E10 - Premiered September 30, 2000
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HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order):
*S1E1 "Swap.com"
*S1E6 "Louis in the Middle"
*S1E8 "Family Picnic"
*S1E21 "Strictly Ballroom"
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EVEN STEVENS: SEASON 2
(from LEAST to MOST FAVORITE)...
#4 "Love and Basketball" S2E6 - Premiered August 31, 2001
#3 "Starstruck" S2E1 - Premiered June 15, 2001
#2 "Secret World of Girls" S2E7 - Premiered July 20, 2001
#1 "Influenza: The Musical" S2E16 - Premiered January 25, 2002
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HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order):
*S2E8 "Wild Child"
*S2E3 "Broadcast Blues"
*S2E18 "The Thomas Gribalski Affair"
*S2E22 "Ren-Gate"
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EVEN STEVENS: SEASON 3
(from LEAST to MOST FAVORITE)...
#4 "Stevens' Manor" S3E18 - Premiered October 28, 2002
#3 "Leavin' Stevens" S3E22 - Premiered June 2, 2003
#2 "Close Encounters of the Beans Kind" S3E8 - Premiered June 14, 2002
#1 "Where in the World is Pookie Stevens?" S3E2 - Premiered March 1, 2002
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HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order):
*S3E4 "Your Toast"
*S3E10 "Hutch Boy"
*S3E11 "Hardly Famous"
*S3E16 "Snow Job"
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THE EVEN STEVENS MOVIE (June 13, 2003)
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Well, that concludes my ranking of the Top 12 BEST Episodes from Even Stevens (in honor of the show’s 25th Anniversary)!😊🎉💜💙I enjoyed getting to go back and watch ALL the episodes from this show through an adult lens and after a few years of just having watched it for the VERY FIRST TIME, and I hope that you enjoyed reading my thoughts on this show and these episodes, as well. ‘Cause like I mentioned before, this wasn’t a childhood favorite Disney Channel show of mine, but it’s definitely a more STAND-OUT FAVORITE of mine now as an adult. In other words, I definitely found a new LOVE and APPRECIATION for Even Stevens. And as I also said before, it’s definitely one of the better shows to come from Disney Channel. Again, I don't like every episode of this show, but no show is perfect and I don’t like every episode of any show. But I enjoyed all three seasons of this show and the movie was GOOD, too. Not the best DCOM, but still a great movie for this series. A very fitting wrap up to Even Stevens. Even though I still wish the show would have lasted a little bit longer. Having said all that, I would definitely watch this show again, and the movie. At least, all the episodes I do like. Especially whenever I just need a GOOD LAUGH.
After rewatching this show from beginning to end, it’s still in my TOP 10 list of the BEST and my MOST FAVORITE Disney Channel shows of all time, but like I also mentioned earlier in this post, it would also rank a lot higher than I initially had it on my Top Ten Disney Channel Shows post. 'Cause it has pretty much everything a good show should have family, friends, life lessons, comedy, drama, and romance. Even Stevens is definitely a must-watch for anyone who hasn’t seen it. So, if you haven’t watched this show in a while, or ever, go watch it now because I promise you you won’t regret it.😊👍
Before I sign off, I know I mentioned at the beginning of this post that I would let you know my favorite seasons from MOST FAVORITE to LEAST FAVORITE, so I will do that now. The seasons of Even Stevens go like this for me (again, from most to least favorite): Season 1, Season 3, then Season 2. So, there you have it. Let me know in the comments below what your favorite season or episode is from Even Stevens, and come Back to Disney soon for more!!🎉✌👋💜💙😊
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