Those who grew up in the 2000s Disney Channel lineup were treated to television specials that are still popular today. American Dragon: Jake Long, Lilo and Stitch: The Series AND Kim possible (whose stars “cannot escape” their impact) are prime examples of beloved House of Mouse hits. Of course, another series that has managed to stand the test of time is the proud familywhich was revived for Disney+ in 2022. The show, subtitled stronger and prouder, stood out in its first season by building on its predecessor and adding new elements to the canon. Despite this success, the executive producers learned some valuable behind-the-scenes lessons before starting work on season two.
The Proud Family: Stronger and Prouder is led by co-creators Bruce W. Smith and Ralph Farquhar, who also created the OG show. Seasoned veterans of television and animation, the two have a strong creative understanding of the beloved universe they have created. However, even at this stage, there’s still room to master new skills and strategies. I had the pleasure of speaking with the enterprising executive producers about their creative process ahead of the Season 2 premiere. When asked about the biggest lessons they’ve learned between seasons 1 and 2, Smith pointed to their handling of the massive roster of characters:
Well, we knew we expanded the cast, so the expanded cast leads to trying to make more space for these new characters to, you know, exist in the story. So what you witnessed in the top ten [episodes was] we’re laying the groundwork for these new characters that are, you know, going to permeate this world now. And what we’ve learned from that is that we want to go the extra mile and serve all the new characters in this Proud Family universe. But really, what we’ve learned is that we can tell any kind of story, you know? There is no topic we get away from, why [of] the tone that we set and how the audience believes in these characters and believes who these characters are.
stronger and prouder significantly expanded the cast by adding new characters like siblings Maya and KG Leibowitz-Jenkins and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Brown, Penny Proud’s new boyfriend. Additionally, characters from the original series, such as Michael Collins, play a bigger role in the revival. It was a smart creative move by the producers, as it allows for the creation of additional worlds, which effectively feed into the narrative. And as Bruce W. Smith noted, the show is now free to create more varied narratives about the Proud Ones and those in their orbit. (And naturally, the proud family The wide range of famous guest stars is included in this equation.)
Effectively balancing characters and stories is an important lesson, but the creators found another important one, suggested by Ralph Farquhar. Interestingly, this is something he and his collaborators learned before the sequel series was greenlit. Farquhar explained that the creative team discovered a key factor regarding the audience:
Yeah, I think one of the big things was the first time, what we found was that the adults were watching the show as much as the kids. And it was on purpose, but it really caught us off guard, because we were on the Disney Channel. So it was hard to imagine that, you know, grown men and women were sitting there watching Disney Channel by themselves, and apparently they were. After [the] the second time we really put in, knowing that, and even with the fact that now the kids from 2001 to 2005 were now adults, we knew we were going to have a great… In fact most of our audience are adults. So without gloves, so to speak, we got a PG rating. I mean, I know it’s PG, but it’s a big difference from before, in terms of what we could handle and how we dealt with it. That’s the most important thing that we’ve learned, I think, in terms of storytelling, and I think it really shows in the stories that you’ve seen so far and will see. [in] Season 2.
Speaking of my personal experience (as one of those 2,000 kids), I’ve had several friends watch the proud family with their parents. Also, given the popularity of the show, it’s no surprise that adults were watching it for themselves. Some may even recall that the series has been syndicated on BET for a while along with others great black comedies of the last 20 years . You can certainly see that the makers took note of this lesson and more when creating it stronger and prouder, which is on par with the main program. And if season 1 was any indication, season 2 is definitely one of the The shows you’ll want to see on Disney+ in February .
All episodes of The Proud Family: Stronger and Prouder Season 2 (opens in a new tab) they’re streaming now, so make sure you grab a file Disney+ subscription to check them. Also, do yourself a favor by checking out Gossipify’s TV show 2023 to learn more about the small screen deals coming this year.
Source: Cinemablend
