Disney Channelshows were an essential part of so many childhoods. From wishing you could have psychic visions like Raven to belting it out into your pretend microphone with Hannah Montana, these shows were staples of children’s television and offered heartfelt and comedic takes on thestruggles of growing up.
RELATED:Actors Who Starred In More Than One Disney Channel Show
Still, not every show expected to air on the network got as lucky asThat’s So RavenandHannah Montana.Several sitcoms were scrapped before they ever got a chance to air, and were set to star the channel’s rising talents long before they scored their breakout roles.
Smack-dab betweenSuite Life of Zack and Cody’send andWizards of Waverly Place’sbeginning, theSuite Lifespin-off was originally supposed to focus on The Tipton’s cooky engineer Arwin Hochauser in the self-titled sitcomArwin!
The show was set to seeBrian Stepanekreprise his loveable role of Arwin while also starringSelena Gomezas the character’s niece Alexa. When Disney Channel didn’t pick up the series, Gomez went on to star inWizards,now as a character named Alex.
The Odd Cousins
While sister duoAlyandAJhad their fair share of the Disney Channel spotlight — Aly starring inPhil of the Futurebefore she and AJ starred together in theDisney Channel Original MovieCowbells— the actresses were supposed to have another project with the network.
The Odd Cousinscentered around a Southern Californian cheerleader and her emo, northwestern cousin who got in one little fight and her mom got scared, so she was sent to live in SoCal with her cousin. ThisFresh Prince of Bel-Air-style series was to also star futureHigh School Musicalalum,Vanessa Hudgens,but the show never saw the light of day.
Madison High
In an effort to keep theHigh School Musicalfranchise going, Disney Channel planned to have a spin-off series titled Madison High withHSM’sAlyson Reedreprising her role as Ms. Darbus, as well asLuke BenwardofMinutemenandG. HanneliusofDog with a Blog.
The show was canceled before it ever aired, and theHigh School Musicalspin-off series later turned into what is nowHigh School Musical: The Musical: The SeriesonDisney+.
Forever Boys
When the boy band Forever In Your Mind caught the minds of Disney Channel execs in 2016, the band not only was a part ofHigh School Musical’s10th anniversary special and guest-starred onGirl Meets World,but were set to star in their very own sitcom.
RELATED:Boy Bands Who Guest-Starred On TV Shows
Forever Boyswould star the three band members as vampire brothers in this supernatural comedy, but the band later revealed the show was not picked up because the channel was looking to go in a younger direction with their shows.
Keke And Jamal
Just before herAkeelah and the Beesuccess,Keke Palmerwas set to star in a new Disney Channel comedy loosely based on her own life.Keke and Jamalwould follow Keke and her dreams of being an entertainer.
When Palmer shared clips of the show’s unaired pilot on Instagram, fans got a glimpse of what would have been for the actress, along with another one of the show’s stars, Vanessa Hudgens as mean girl Camille, long before herHigh School Musicalsuperstardom.
Zombies And Cheerleaders
Sometime betweenTeen Beach MovieandFreeform’sThe Fosters,Disney Channel snaggedMaia MitchellandJohn DeLucafor a pilot calledZombies and Cheerleaders.The show’s plot focused on Mitchell’s character Addison as a newbie cheerleader who meets a fellow student played byLuke Benward, who also happens to secretly be a zombie.
The show’s concept was later reworked and turned into the Disney Channel Original MovieZ-O-M-B-I-E-S,which even kept the same character names for their zombie and cheerleader leads, Zed and Addison, now played byMilo ManheimandMeg Donnelly.
Bits And Pieces
Before pulling double duty on Disney Channel’sLiv and Maddie,Dove Cameronwas cast as Alanna in a show calledBits and Piecesabout a blended family who tells their story through short vignettes, similar toDemi Lovato’sDisney Channel debut inAs The Bell Rings.
Once the show was picked up, the entire concept switched gears into being centered around a family who share their thoughts inThe Office-esque segments throughout the episodes. In the series finale, the show gives a nod to the scrappedBits and Pieces,saying that was the title of Liv’s reality show the family were filming for all along.
Growing Up And Down
In 2014, Disney Channel greenlit a pilot titledGrowing Up and Downabout parents who get transformed back into teenagers and must navigate high school alongside their teenage children.
Little is known about the canceled show except that it was set to star a slew of Disney Channel vets;Raini RodriguezandNoah CentineofromAustin and Ally,Adam IrigoyenfromShake It Up,andCeci BalagotfromGirl Meets World.
Better Days
WhenAlyson Stoner guest-starredon Season 3 ofThat’s So Raven,the episode was actually treated as a test pilot for a new Disney Channel sitcom calledBetter Days.The show would star Stoner as Ally, a child actress who needs to navigate her life between starring in a sitcom and going to high school.
RELATED:Why ‘Sister, Sister’ Is the Perfect Hit of 90s Nostalgia
Co-stars includedAlly Grant, who later appeared in a recurring role onSuite Life of Zack and Cody,andJackee HarryofSister, Sister,but the show’s concept was found to be similar toHannah Montana,which inevitably beat outBetter Days.
Lizzie McGuireReboot
Almost 20 years aftertheoriginal series' success,Disney announced plans to reboot one of Disney Channel’s biggest sitcoms:Lizzie McGuire.The series would now stream on Disney+, and was set to revive the original cast, including showrunnerHilary Duffas Lizzie,Adam Lambergas Gordo, and a possible Ethan Craft shakeup featuringClayton Snyder.
While the show planned to follow Lizzie and her friends as they navigate life in their 30s, Duff and the Disney+ execs had much different visions for the series, ultimately halting production and scrapping the entire show before it even aired.
