I grew up in the golden age of Disney Channel when new episodes of Hannah Montana and Wizards of Waverly Place were airing weekly, and the most popular shows had epic crossover specials. Naturally, these series hold a special place in my heart so, when I learned that the Selena Gomez-led sitcom was being rebooted, I was a bit skeptical. Thankfully, I gave Wizards Beyond Waverly Place a chance as soon as it joined the 2024 TV schedule, and I’m happy to report that it feels like coming home. Yet there are two details that bother me.
The first nine episodes of the series are available to stream alongside the best shows on Disney+, and I’ve been pacing myself so as not to ruin the experience by binge-watching. So far, it’s been a wonderful experience, and it's made me realize how much I missed the Russo family and the magical world Disney Channel created years ago. It’s also tons of fun to be laughing at the mature jokes the show includes to get adults to watch the series with their kids. But, without further ado, let me go into greater detail.
The First Few Episodes Of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place Are Great
The pilot episode of WBWP is incredibly strong and sets up the stakes of the show with Justin (David Henrie) being forced back into the magical world after sister Alex (Gomez) shows up with a powerful young wizard, Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown). The young lady needs to be trained, because she’s the only one who can stop the end of the world. Adding to the chaos is the fact that Justin’s kids and wife have no idea that he’s a wizard. Thankfully, that secret is exposed early on, and the rest of the episodes center on Billie testing the limits of her powers while adjusting to living in the mortal world.
On the surface and to first-time viewers who didn’t grow up watching one of Disney Channel’s best shows live, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place is an ideal show. The jokes are hilarious, the acting is great and the chemistry amongst all the characters is palpable. It’s hard to believe that the young cast was ever nervous about the sequel. Despite all of the positives on display, though, as an OG fan, there are two details that take me out of this new world and remind me that it differs from the sitcom I watched as a child.
Alex's New Career Feels Very Out Of Character For Her
Alex Russo is considered an icon to a number people of my generation. While many of the female characters on Disney Channel had to be happy, mostly well-mannered and kind, Alex was able to bend the rules by waltzing around with her sarcastic and mischievous personality. Sure, she often found herself in trouble for her antics, but she never let that fear stop her from doing what she wanted.
So you can imagine my surprise then when it was revealed in the pilot that Alex had taken a job with the Wizard Tribunal. For those who might not remember, the Tribunal is the entity responsible for enforcing Wizard law and dealing with those who break those rules. In essence, Alex has become a magic law enforcement officer.
For a character that sought joy out of breaking the rules and pushing against the Wizard Law, it’s an odd choice for her to start working for the enforcers of rules and the Law. Sure, it’s an action-packed job that suits Alex’s brilliant mind, and the development is likely meant to be ironic in some ways. However, it still feels off, especially since there were surely better job options for her.
The Russo Boys Don't Have Magical Powers And Justin Doesn't Seem Interested In Teaching Them
The other aspect of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place that bothers me is that neither of Justin’s kids has exhibited magical powers, and no one finds it weird. We know from the original series that powers typically manifest in a person when they're around 12 years old, even for Wizards from a family where one parent is mortal — like the Russos. We also know that young Wizards can start learning about spells and magical history before their powers officially come in, as with Max (Jake T. Austin) on the original series.
It makes sense that Justin wouldn’t be teaching the boys about magic before Billie’s arrival, since he was keeping that part of his life a secret from his entire family. However, when he agreed to teach Billie, he should have also included Roman and Milo in the lessons since there’s a possibility that they’re going to have magical powers at some point. Roman, in particular, could experience that soon, since he’s about the same age as Billie.
At the very least, during the pilot, it would have been interesting to see Roman experience some wacky calamities that aren’t explainable to Mortals only for Justin to attribute them to his Wizard genetics. Of course, the good news is that only nine episodes have aired thus far, and there’s still hope that the Russo boys follow in their dad’s footsteps and receive magical powers of their own.
While I admit that I’m never going to be outright enthusiastic about Hollywood’s endless stream of reboots and sequels, Beyond Waverly Place is as close to perfect as one can get. Even with only a handful of installments having aired as of this writing, I feel confident saying that the show is joining the ranks of Raven’s Home in being almost as good as its original series was. It also helps that Disney Channel has enough faith in the show succeeding that it’s receiving 21 episodes in the first season alone — something that doesn’t happen very often with TV shows anymore.
Of course, these are just my thoughts about the show, and not everyone is going to find as much joy in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place as I surprisingly have, even with what I perceive to be flaws. If you haven’t checked out the show yet, you can stream the first nine episodes with an active Disney+ subscription now. One new episode will be released weekly every Friday at 8 p.m. ET starting on November 8th on Disney Channel. (It’s presumed that the episodes will then hit Disney+ the following day.)
Also, if you haven’t ever watched the original series, now is the perfect time to watch the Russos family's earlier years by streaming Wizards of Waverly Place on Disney+ now.