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Good Luck Charlie

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Good Luck Charlie
File:GoodLuckCharlie-titlecard.jpg
Series title card
Created byPhil Baker
Drew Vaupen
StarringBridgit Mendler
Jason Dolley
Bradley Steven Perry
Leigh-Allyn Baker
Mia Talerico
Eric Allan Kramer
Theme music composerJeanne Lurie, Chen Neeman
and Aris Archontis
Opening theme"Hang In There Baby",
performed by Bridgit Mendler
ComposerStephen R. Phillips & Tim P.
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10 (aired) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersPhil Baker
Drew Vaupen
Dan Staley
Production locationsDenver, Colorado (setting)
Sunset Bronson Studios,
Hollywood, California (taping location)
Camera setupVideotape (filmized);
Multi-camera
Running time22–24 minutes
Production companiesIt's a Laugh Productions
Disney Channel Original Productions
Original release
NetworkDisney Channel
ReleaseApril 4, 2010 (2010-04-04) –
present

Good Luck Charlie is an American television sitcom airing on Disney Channel in the United States. The series was created by Phil Baker and Drew Vaupen, who wanted to create a program that would appeal to entire families, as opposed to children only. It revolves around the Duncan family as they try to adjust to the birth of their fourth child, Charlotte "Charlie" Duncan (Mia Talerico). In each episode, Teddy Duncan (Bridgit Mendler) creates a video diary containing advice for Charlie about their family and life as a teenager.

Among other decisions, executives included adult-centric scenes and changed the series' title from Love, Teddy to Good Luck Charlie in order to ensure the series would appeal to all family members. Good Luck Charlie premiered on Disney Channel in the United States on April 4, 2010. [1] It premiered in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand on May 14, 2010.

Premise

The series centers on the Duncan family, who are still adjusting to the surprise birth of their fourth child, Charlotte "Charlie" Duncan (Mia Talerico).[2] When parents Amy (Leigh-Allyn Baker), a nurse, and Bob (Eric Allan Kramer), an exterminator, return to work, they ask their three older children—PJ (Jason Dolley), Teddy (Bridgit Mendler), and Gabe (Bradley Steven Perry)— for help raising their little sister. At the same time, Teddy, PJ, and Gabe try to deal with school and typical social challenges in their life.[3]

The events of each episode become material for a video diary Teddy is making for her younger sister. Teddy hopes the videos will provide useful advice for Charlie after they have both grown up and Teddy has moved out. The series begins when PJ is 17,[4] Teddy is 15,[5] Gabe is 10[6] and Charlie is nine months old.[1]

Cast

Main article: List of Good Luck Charlie characters

Main characters

Recurring characters

Episodes

Main article: List of Good Luck Charlie episodes
Seasons Episodes First air date Last air date
1 21 April 4, 2010 TBA

Creation

Development

"A lot of the high-concept shows have kids in an extraordinary situation where the parent or adult takes a backseat, and sometimes the adult isn't as smart as the kid, or it's all about the kids putting one over on the adults. But we have a new show called "Good Luck Kid" that has a very different kind of concept. It is very grounded, very relatable, and it's not about the parents being dumber than the kids. We try and mine as much comedy out of the parents as possible, but it doesn't mean the kids can't learn from the parents and get guidance from the parents."

Adam Bonnet, senior Vice President of original programming for Disney.[8]

Good Luck Charlie was created by Drew Vaupen and Phil Baker, who have been writing together since 1993 on shows ranging from Suddenly Susan to Sonny With a Chance.[9] The pair aspired to create a program that would appeal to entire families rather than simply kids. Inspired by the success of reruns of shows such as Full House and George Lopez with young audiences, Vaupen and Baker turned to family sitcoms. "We wanted to do a show about a family, to bring back a family sitcom and make it about a real family, not wizards, nobody's a pop star, nobody has a TV show," said Vaupen.[9] refering to Wizards of Waverly Place, Hannah Montana and Sonny with a Chance.

Good Luck Charlie's central family, the Duncans from Denver, Colorado, was carefully crafted for broad appeal. While the series is still told primarily through the view point of the Duncan children, the children's parents, Amy and Bob, are less on the periphery and writers attempt to add scenes that adult viewers can relate to. For example, in one scene in the pilot episode Amy confesses to Bob that she is overwhelmed with becoming a working new mother again. "She's not sure she can pull this off," says Bonnet. "And just playing that scene the way we did, a very real scene between husband and wife, kind of makes this show different."[2] The writers also try to include jokes for adult viewers while remaining chaste enough for their young target audience.[2] Unlike some previous Disney Channel series like Sonny with a Chance, Hannah Montana, or Cory in the House, both parents are present in the Duncan family. "It felt like the right time to have a show with two parents, to debunk the myth that Disney never has the mom in the picture," says Adam Bonnet, Senior Vice President of original programming for Disney Channel. "Because it is a myth."[10]

Because a series about the rich and famous might alienate viewers in a troubled economy, the Duncans were made middle-class. According to Gary Marsh, Entertainment President of Disney Channel Worldwide, "We want[ed] to do is acknowledge the reality of the times in which we live, where two parents work, where kids are expected to help out around the house in meaningful ways. Real-life issues happen. Everyone isn't living The Life of Riley all the time."[2]

Naming

Broadening Disney Channel's appeal was also a concern while choosing the character's names and the show's title. "You want a title that says, a) this is a sitcom and, b) this is something that will interest the main demographic but also we're trying to expand the Disney brand beyond just girls," Vaupen commented.[9] The series' title was originally "Love, Teddy", the phrase Teddy had used to end her video diary entries during development. However, "[Love, Teddy] feels immediately feminized and almost excludes boys," Vaupen said. "We also didn't want to have the word 'baby' in the title because that would exclude certain people."[9] The Duncan baby was originally named "Daisy" during development, but executives thought "Charlie", usually a boy's name, might attract more boys. In addition, the family's surname changed from "Holliday" to "Duncan" and the elder brother's name changed from "Casey" to "PJ".[10]

Casting

Because Good Luck Charlie is low concept and character-driven, "the actors not only had to carry the show, they also had to have 'pitch-perfect' chemistry with each other to make the family dynamic believable."[11] Bonnet says Disney Channel executives "just fell in love with" Bridgit Mendler, who stars as the series' protagonist, fifteen-year-old Teddy Duncan.[10] "She has all the attributes of a Disney star," said Bonnet.[10] Mendler first heard about Good Luck Kid in late November 2008. After several rounds of auditions and cast reads, she secured the part in January 2009.[12] Both Mendler and Jason Dolley, who plays Teddy's older brother PJ, have starred in previous Disney Channel series; Mendler had a recurring role on Wizards of Waverly Place while Dolley starred in Cory in the House and several Disney Channel television movies. Variety magazine's Brian Lowry says their careers "[reflect] the Disney Channel's knack for identifying young performers and rolling them from one project to the next, in a fashion reminiscent of the old studio system."[3] Eric Allan Kramer, who plays Bob Duncan, and Leigh-Allyn Baker, who plays Amy Duncan, have also guest starred on other Disney Channel shows. Baker says Disney had been "courting [her] for awhile to play a mom", but she had always felt too young. "I kind of feel like hey, you know what? When I'm done with this stint, I'll actually be the age everyone thinks I am to be able to play the part."[13] Baker, a new mother herself, was nine months pregnant when she auditioned for the role.[14]

Like most series involving baby actors, producers of Good Luck Charlie had originally searched for twins to play Charlie Duncan, the titular character and the Duncan's new baby.[9] Hiring two babies would allow for longer work days without violating child labor laws as well as the ability to substitute one child for the other if one was unavailable. However, the show makers were unsuccessful in finding an appropriate set of twins and decided to cast Mia Talerico.[9] Marsh says hiring Talerico, who was ten months old when she was cast, was their biggest risk while creating the show: "It's like flying without a net. She may have a bad day and we can't shoot and it'll cost us tens of thousands of dollars. But so far, so good. She's the most obedient actor I've ever worked with."[11]

Production

The Good Luck Charlie pilot, entitled "Study Date", was shot in February 2009,[12] and the series was picked up later that year.[15] The show's production takes place at Sunset Bronson Studios in Hollywood, California and operates on a weekly schedule.[16] On Mondays, the cast goes through the script as a table read. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, they rehearse before the series' producers and executives.[12] On Thursdays and Fridays, the series is shot using a multi-camera set-up before a live studio audience.[14] According to Mendler, occasional "episodes are too big to handle with a live audience [... and are] taped without an audience, but mostly they’re live."[17]

Each episode involves Teddy, as played by Mendler, speaking into her camera while recording her video diary.[3] The show's theme song is titled "Hang in There, Baby" and is performed by Mendler.[18] It was written by Jeanne Lurie, Chen Neeman and Aristedis "Aris" Archontis.[19] The music cues, which signal scene changes and commercial breaks, were composed by Stephen R. Phillips and Tim P.[19]

Reception

Critical reception

The series' premiere earned mixed reviews. Robert Lloyd of The Los Angeles Times described it as a "professional sitcom from sitcom professionals" with efficient jokes and typical sitcom characters, and situations which are "willfully arranged".[2] However, Lloyd praised the series for offering a "contextually novel picture of a teenage girl taking care of her baby sister with a persuasive nonchalance and practical ease that transcends the strenous comedy that surrounds it."[2] Neal Justin of the Star Tribune said the "slapstick heavy, laugh-track fueled sitcom" had no redeeming qualities other than "keeping your 11-year-old sedated for a half hour".[20] Rob Owen of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said Good Luck Charlie would appeal to kids, but not adults. "Parents have seen the same sort of show done before and better in ABC's 1980s-era TGIF lineup," wrote Owen.[21] Contrarily, Brian Lowry of Variety magazine said Good Luck Charlie was "a surprisingly refreshing throwback to ABC's "TGIF"-style sitcoms".[3] He commented that while the series did not "push sitcom boundaries", it was "sprightly" and "pleasantly handled".[3]

Viewership

The series premiered to 4.6 million viewers, making it the highest-rated series premiere for a Disney Channel Original Series since The Suite Life on Deck in 2008, and the week's highest-rated cable program.[22] Maclean's reported that overall, the first season "has been doing about as well as Disney’s more successful shows – The Suite Life and so on."[17]

International release

Country / Region Channel Series premiere Title in country
 United States Disney Channel[1] April 4, 2010 Good Luck Charlie
 Canada Family Channel[23] April 5, 2010 (Sneak Peek)
May 14, 2010 (Premiere)
 Australia Disney Channel Australia May 14, 2010 (Sneak Peak)
June 12, 2010 (Premiere)
 New Zealand
 United Kingdom Disney Channel UK and Ireland
 Ireland
 Germany Disney Channel Germany[24] May 7, 2010 (Sneak Peak) Meine Schwester Charlie
 Austria
 Poland Disney Channel Poland[25] June 5, 2010 (Sneak Peek)
June 19, 2010 (Premiere) 		Powodzenia Charlie!
 Greece Disney Channel Greece[26]
 France Disney Channel France June 9, 2010 (Sneak Peak) Bonne Chance Charlie
 Argentina Disney Channel Latin America July 2010 ¡Buena Suerte, Charlie!
 Chile
 Mexico
 Venezuela
 Brazil Boa Sorte, Charlie!
 Spain Disney Channel Spain July 2010
 Portugal Disney Channel Portugal
 Italy Disney Channel Italy July 2010

References

  1. ^ a b c "Disney Channel, Disney XD Present Programming Plans for 2010-11". Disney Channels Worldwide. 3 March 2010. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Chmielewski, Dawn C. (31 December 2009). "A new Disney Channel niche: adults". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Lowry, Brian (4 April 2010). "Good Luck Charlie". Variety. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
  4. ^ "Good Luck Charlie - Disney Channel". Tv.disney.go.com. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
  5. ^ "Dish Of Salt: On The Set Of Disney's 'Good Luck Kid' With Bridgit Mendler | Access Hollywood - Celebrity News, Photos & Videos". Access Hollywood. 2010-04-26. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
  6. ^ "Good Luck Charlie - Disney Channel". Tv.disney.go.com. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
  7. ^ "Good Luck Charlie's Jason Dolley: It's Time to Bring Back the Family Sitcom - Today's News: Our Take". TVGuide.com. 2010-04-02. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
  8. ^ Bond, Paul (30 March 2010). "Q&A: Adam Bonnett". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Owen, Rob (4 April 2010). "Tuned In: Disney Channel hopes "Good Luck Kid" will appeal to both kids and parents". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
  10. ^ a b c d Bond, Paul (14 July 2009). "Disney eyes another teen star". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
  11. ^ a b Kinon, Cristina (3 April 2010). "Disney Channel's 'Good Luck Kid' harks back to traditional family sitcoms". Daily News (New York). Retrieved 7 April 2010.
  12. ^ a b c Rosenberg, Alex (March 2010). "Former Tam student turned starlet". Tamalpais High School. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
  13. ^ Arbios, Traci (4 April 2010). "Interview with TV Mom Leigh-Allyn Baker". News & Observer. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
  14. ^ a b Bergstrom, Elaine (31 March 2010). "'Good Luck Charlie': Leigh-Allyn Baker stars in a family-friendly winner". Zap2it. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
  15. ^ Gonzalez, Maria (16 July 2009). "Bridgit Mendler Bites Back on 'Wizards of Waverly Place'". BuddyTV. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
  16. ^ "TV Pilot Production Listings". Backstage.com. 2010-04-01. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
  17. ^ a b Weinman, Jaime (2010-05-21). "Disney Channel News, In Which The Name "Jonas" Is Rarely Mentioned - TV Guidance, Uncategorized". Macleans.ca. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
  18. ^ "Good Luck Charlie A Sitcom For Everyone In The House, Premieres April 4 On Disney Channel - TV Ratings, Nielsen Ratings, Television Show Ratings". TVbytheNumbers.com. 2010-03-08. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
  19. ^ a b Episode 1
  20. ^ By neal justin television (2010-04-01). "TV critic's picks: Friday". StarTribune.com. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
  21. ^ "Owen-TV: Good luck finding parents to watch 'Charlie'". ScrippsNews. 2010-03-31. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
  22. ^ Kissell, Rick (7 April 2010). "'Idol,' Fox top week in demos". Variety. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
  23. ^ "FAMILY CHANNEL | Family Channel welcomes its newest addition: Disney Channel's Good Luck Charlie". Newswire.ca. 2010-05-28. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
  24. ^ "Meine Schwester Charlie: Infos zur TV-Serie". Fernsehserien.de. 2007-06-11. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
  25. ^ "Disney Channel". Disney.pl. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
  26. ^ "Nova.gr". Nova.gr. 2002-01-27. Retrieved 2010-06-05.


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