What we lost with the end of the classic Disney sitcoms
On Hannah Montana’s 20th anniversary and Disney+ leaning into Gen Z’s nostalgia era
Disney+ is leaning into Gen Z’s *nostalgia-era* with a Hannah Montana 20th anniversary special, featuring Miley Cyrus in conversation with Call Her Daddy host (and Hannah Montana fan) Alex Cooper, who has declared (rightfully) that this show, “defined a generation.”
In case you somehow missed the early 2000s sitcom, the show chronicled the double life of Miley Stewart, played by Miley Cyrus, who got the ‘Best of Both Worlds,’ by being a small-town girl and a world-famous pop-star, Hannah Montana. The phenomenon went beyond the TV show. There were concerts, merch, and even a movie. According to Spotify, “the announcement of Miley Cyrus’ comeback caused nearly a 115% spike in streams,” from Gen Z and millennials.
But Hannah Montana was just one in a slate of classic early 2000s Disney channel shows on which Gen Z 1.0 and cuspy millennials (zillennials, if you will) were raised — and we’ve lost a lot with the end of shows like these. I know from personal experience.
I was nine-years-old when Hannah Montana premiered. There was nothing better than weekends with Disney Channel. In our household, TV was a luxury reserved for the weekends, so for those years of peak-Disney, my siblings and I would excitedly await Friday and Saturday nights, when prime-time new episodes of Hannah Montana, Suite Life of Zack and Cody (starring Dylan & Cole Sprouse), and Wizards of Waverly Place (starring Selena Gomez) would drop, one-at-a-time, on cable. There were also the classic Disney Channel movies, from High School Musical, to The Cheetah Girls, and Camp Rock.
This was our version of appointment viewing. There weren’t special episodes geared toward girls and others meant for boys. My brothers, sister, and I would gather around the living room TV, and enjoy — we shared the same culture.
Tween culture looked different for Gen Z 2.0 than it did for Gen Z 1.0. Gen Z 2.0 may have caught the back-end of the Disney dynasty, but even pre-Covid, cable had started to dwindle, and they experienced the rise of streaming — likely watching Netflix, HBOMax, Hulu, etc.
It’s certainly now a whole different ball game for Gen Alpha. Who are being raised on YouTube and TikTok, for the most part.
With the end of this OG-Disney era, there’s a lot we’ve lost. Here are four core themes.
There was an in-person element to this viewing experience. While the programs were on cable, you had to tune in at the right time (or record it) to watch. It was not on your time, you were on Disney’s time. There was a certain level of togetherness that came from everyone watching the show at the exact same time when it premiered.
Across-the-board appeal. These shows were *not* gender specific. Sure, Hannah Montana centered on a girly pop-star, but my brothers loved it. And I loved Zack & Cody, despite its focus on twin boys. Today, that looks really different, as creators, shows, and even music is geared toward one gender or the other, with algorithms driving girls and boys in Gen Z 2.0 and Gen Alpha further and further apart.
Patience. There was no better feeling than the moment a new episode would start, and they would come out one episode at a time. You couldn’t binge the whole season in a night, or even a week. You’d have to wait, patiently, for the next episode, next week.
Wholesomeness. These shows promoted friendship, family, and self-expression. They were, on the whole, really feel-good. Say what you want about the trajectory of many of these childhood Disney stars (many have had a rough go of it), but there were lessons to be gleaned in these programs. I’m not seeing so much of that geared towards these days, who seem to be more focused on skin-care, TikTok trends, and leaning toward the same violent shows the rest of us are watching.
The Up and Up’s take: Gen Z 1.0 was the last generation to experience real analog life — our childhoods were pre-social media, pre-Covid, and certainly pre-AI. Whether it’s the gender gap, screen addictions, a compassion recession, or a chaotic political culture, it’s no wonder there’s such a sense of pure happiness to revisiting this before-time. It’s a strong reminder of the importance of having collective, in-person experiences and cultural moments that bring together an entire generation. Unlike a TikTok trend or streaming phenomenon, the Disney Channel shows were more than a temporary fad. They had staying power then and their impact lasted, continuing to resonate, even today.
Noteworthy Reads
‘It Feels Like There’s No Jobs’: 12 Gen Z Voters on the U.S. Economy, Kristen Soltis Anderson and Adrian J. Rivera, New York Times
Gen Z’s relationship with gambling and the unique vulnerabilities it faces, Scott Simon, Diana Douglas for NPR
Funmaxxing: Should we all be playing more?, Madelynne Flack for Dazed
Trump’s voter crackdown reaches college campuses, Bianca Quilantan for POLITICO
And ICYMI
This weekend, I hosted The Bulwark’s Focus Group podcast with North Carolina Democratic Party Chair and Gen Z political star, Anderson Clayton. Watch it here.