Zoey 101: Season One

I have to admit that I had a little trepidation when I was asked to review one of Nickelodeon’s flagship series, ‘Zoey 101’. After all it has been more decades than I want to consider since I was part of the target demographics for this series. Besides, when I had to undergo that tumultuous transition into the teen years I did so from the male point of view. I do, however, remember my daughter in this age and that did give me some insight into what this series is about. So right up front I have to issue the disclaimer that this review is more from the parental point of view. I openly confess that I can not disassociate myself from being the father of a daughter when I was watching the screener for the first season DVD release of this show. While this vantage point may not be fully appreciated by the usual audience of the series it is the only one that I can offer. With that said this is an excellent series. I hope having an adult praise the show does not deter the young viewership but I wish that this series was around when my daughter was that age.

Since its initial charter the well regarded private boarding school, Pacific Coast Academy, has been exclusively male in its student body. Because of changes in the social environment and a need to increase funding and tuitions the decision was made to allow girls into their hallowed halls. One of the girls due to start eight grade is Zoey Brooks (Jamie Lynn Spears). Zoey is an extremely well balanced girl with interest that range from fashion to sports. She is an accomplished basketball player as well as designing backpacks and many of her outfits. Not one to shy away from her personal problems or even those of her friends, Zoey is quick to rise to most occasions. Not only is Zoey one of the first female students are PCA but she brings more attention to herself by demanding a chance to try out for the school’s basketball team. In true after school sitcom tradition the girls challenge the boys to a game. Although the girls lose at the last minute by a slim margin Zoey and one her the other girls do make the team. The established male student body is divided about the addition of girls on campus. Sure, it greatly increases the chance of getting a date but there seems to be something intrinsic in wanting to maintain the male only tradition.

Zoey is not alone in her new surroundings. Her younger brother Dustin (Paul Butcher) is also attending PCA. Dustin has been skipped a couple of grades and now shares classes with his sister. Zoey also has a pair of roommates; Dana Cruz (Kristin Herrera) and Nicole Bristow (Alexa Nikolas). Dana is a bit full of herself and usually fearless. She is the other girl that makes the basketball team along side Zoey. In contrast Nicole is a down home girl from Kansas. She quickly becomes Zoey’s best friend and pulls Zoey into the almost constant arguments with Dana. Of course there are boys in Zoey’s new environment. Chase Matthews (Sean Flynn) is one of the first boys that Zoey meets at PCA. He and his roommates Michael Barrett (Christopher Massey) and Logan Reese (Matthew Underwood ) are also on the basketball team. Chase is Zoey’s best male friend and is secretly has a major crush on her.

Each episode shows how Zoey has to learn to cope with living away from home. In one episode the boys give the girls a big stuffed bear to keep in the new girl’s lounge in order to spy on them. This naturally results in the girls thinking that one of them is blabbing their secrets. In another episode Dustin begins to resent his big sister looking out for him. He wants to be more on his own but she is concerned since Dustin is significantly younger than his classmates. There is always some life lesson to be learned each week but they are provided in an always entertaining fashion.

Looking at this from a parental viewpoint I found that I was not only delighted that there is some source of wholesome entertainment but that the series is actually something enjoyable enough for a stray parent to sit and watch with their kids. I could also relate to some degree since I attended an all male high school and two girls were admitted during my senior year. This helped in understanding why a group of teenaged boys could harbor any degree of resentment over the addition of girls to the school. There is no problem with the language or situations presented here. They are all family friendly so you can let the kids watch on their own without worries. The music is modern but strays away from anything that may be considered objectionable. The topics range from budding romance to trying to fit in and in every case the stories work in a positive way.

The National Institutes of Health should send a team to investigate the town of Kentwood, Louisiana. I have a suspicion that the Spears family has been engaging in human cloning experimentation. Jamie Lynn Spears looks and sounds just like older sister during her Mickey Mouse Club days. Jamie Lynn has a natural, outgoing personality that shines off the screen. She is great for young girls to watch, polite, self assured and well balanced with her activities. She also plays Zoey as a girl who is true to her friends and unwilling to engage in the back biting that is so common on the television series featuring older teens. She carries herself professionally but always seems to have fun. Jamie Lynn has a natural sense of humor and great comic timing. Kristin Herrera avoids being the one dimensional girl jock and works well with her fellow castmates. Alexa Nikolas gives some nice depth to her role as a girl somewhat out of place who needs a friend to help her fit in.

Paramount does an excellent job with the DVD release of the first season of this series. The video is full screen with bright, natural colors. The Dolby 2.0 audio gives a nice channel separation and good sound field. There are also some thoughtful extras included. There is a full complete episode ‘Quarantine’ that was not part the 13 season episodes. There is also a blooper reel that shows just how much fun these kids had making the series. There is also a look at the cast before the series. It is getting increasingly rare for a show aimed at the younger set to be done so well but this was is.

Posted 02/06/07