That’s So Raven is still (almost) perfect on rewatch

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It’s unfortunate to share this, but after revisiting some Disney Channel originals from the 2000s, not all have aged well for adults. However, there’s some great news – ‘That’s So Raven‘ is one of the series that still shines brightly!

Upon revisiting the show recently, I found myself astonished to realize not only had I watched almost all episodes back then as a child, but I could recall many of them vividly, even remembering the jokes. This series was revolutionary at the time of its release and was also ahead of its era in tackling “controversial” subjects within its narratives. As a kid, I knew about racism, but that particular episode made me ponder deeply on what it truly signified and how it affected the people around me in real life.

The one aspect of the series that still bothers me after all these years is that the writers turned an intriguing character, Chelsea, into a dull stereotype that was often cringeworthy. By the end of the show, she was mostly used as a joke rather than having her own narratives and personal development.

In the early seasons of the show, I didn’t notice as much when I was younger, but Chelsea’s character is portrayed as intelligent, kind, and a good friend. However, as the series progresses, her character seems to develop into a frequent target for jokes. By the start of Season 3, Eddie even treats her like an inconvenient sidekick he can’t shake off. It feels like they asked her to act less intelligent, which becomes more obvious in Season 3. Every other character begins to speak to her condescendingly, as if they’re ashamed to be around her, and that bothers me a lot. I find myself constantly thinking about it.

In many contemporary comedies, there’s often a character whose intelligence or perceived lack of it is emphasized for humor. However, this trope can be problematic, especially when it’s used for female characters, particularly when they weren’t initially written that way. The show “That’s So Raven” was funny without resorting to making Chelsea a target for laughter. Instead of introducing a dumb character to make the show funnier, it might be more effective to focus on enhancing the humor in other ways. For instance, we could develop more hilarious situations or dialogues for Raven, as she didn’t typically make many mistakes, but this one stands out negatively.

As a dedicated fan, it’s still astonishing to me that even in a series so forward-thinking for its era, they opted to reduce humor by writing out one of their characters. To make matters somewhat less disappointing, they chose to simplify one of the relatively few white characters on the show in later seasons, although it was far from ideal. I haven’t had the pleasure of watching Raven’s Home, but I hope they provided Chelsea with opportunities to shine when appropriate. Even in a virtually flawless production, there will always be aspects that don’t hit the mark. However, I’ll never forget or condone one of the rare instances where they got it so very wrong.

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2025-06-05 17:14