Jessie (2011 TV series) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jessie
Genre	Comedy
Created by	Pamela Eells O'Connell
Starring	Debby Ryan Peyton List Cameron Boyce Karan Brar Skai Jackson Kevin Chamberlin
Theme music composer	Toby Gad Lindy Robbins
Opening theme	"Hey Jessie" performed by Debby Ryan
Composer(s)	John Adair Steve Hampton
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	98 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Pamela Eells O'Connell Adam Lapidus
Camera setup	Videotape (filmized) Multi-camera
Running time	22–25 minutes
Production company(s)	It's a Laugh Productions Bon Mot Productions
Release
Original network	Disney Channel
Picture format	HDTV 720p
Audio format	5.1 surround sound
Original release	September 30, 2011 (2011-09-30) – October 16, 2015 (2015-10-16)
Chronology
Related shows	Bunk'd

Jessie is a fun American TV show that aired on Disney Channel. It's a comedy series created by Pamela Eells O'Connell. The show ran from September 30, 2011, to October 16, 2015. It stars Debby Ryan, Peyton List, Cameron Boyce, Karan Brar, Skai Jackson, and Kevin Chamberlin.

What the Show is About

The story follows Jessie Prescott (played by Debby Ryan). She's a young woman from a small town in Texas with big dreams. She decides to move to New York City to become an actress. Instead, she ends up getting a job as a nanny for a very rich family, the Rosses.

Jessie moves into their huge penthouse apartment on the Upper West Side. The Ross family includes busy parents, Morgan and Christina, and their four lively children: Emma, Luke, Ravi, and Zuri. They also have a pet, Mr. Kipling, who is a seven-foot Asian water monitor lizard (later found out to be a female!). Jessie has many new adventures in the big city. She learns to rely on the kids she cares for. Bertram (Kevin Chamberlin), the family's butler, and Tony (Chris Galya), the building's doorman, also help her out.

Meet the Characters

Main Characters

Main characters of Jessie L-R: Bertram, Zuri, Luke, Jessie, Emma and Ravi (with his pet lizard Mr. Kipling)

• Jessie Prescott (Debby Ryan) is a hopeful and clever girl from Fort Hood, Texas. She moves to New York City to follow her dreams of becoming a star. But she ends up becoming a nanny for the four Ross children. Even though they sometimes annoy each other, Jessie and the kids care a lot about each other. Jessie can even be a bit overprotective. Her last name is Prescott, and she is an only child. Jessie also has a complicated love life, which is often joked about.
• Emma Ross (Peyton List) is the oldest Ross child and Morgan and Christina's only biological daughter. She can be a bit of a diva and sometimes a little silly. Emma loves fashion and later becomes a secret fashion vlogger called Kitty Couture. She spends a lot of time with Zuri and later gets along better with Luke and Ravi. Her full name is Emma Evangeline Ross.
• Luke Ross (Cameron Boyce) is the second oldest Ross child. He was born in Detroit. Luke is relaxed, likes to flirt, and is good at causing trouble. He loves video games, break-dancing, and being sarcastic. He thinks he's a "ladies' man" and even tried to date Jessie at first. He spends a lot of time with his brother Ravi and is close with Bertram. His full name is Lucas Philbert Ross.
• Ravi Ross (Karan Brar) is a kind, smart, and polite boy. He was born and raised in West Bengal, India, for ten and a half years. He is the newest member of the Ross family. Ravi loves his Indian culture but is also excited about his new life in the United States. He is the third oldest and the smartest of the Ross children. He spends most of his time with Luke and his pet lizard, Mrs. Kipling.
• Zuri Ross (Skai Jackson) is the youngest Ross child. She is sassy, strong-willed, and quick-witted. Zuri was adopted from Uganda. She is very creative and loves rainbows, unicorns, and mermaids. She used to have many imaginary friends, but later grows out of them as she gets older. She has close bonds with Jessie and Emma.
• Bertram (Kevin Chamberlin) is the Ross family's butler. He is often grumpy and lazy, but he helps Jessie with the kids. Bertram has a passion for opera music and boy bands. Even though the kids and Jessie sometimes get on his nerves, he cares deeply for them. His last name is Winkle.

Other Important Characters

• Christina Ross (Christina Moore) is the mother of the Ross children. She used to be a supermodel and is now a successful businesswoman.
• Tony (Chris Galya) is the doorman in the Ross family's building. He likes Jessie and helps her with her adventures in the city. They even dated for a while. His last name is Chiccolini, and his parents own a restaurant.
• Morgan Ross (Charles Esten) is the father of the Ross children and a famous movie director. He is friends with George Lucas.
• Mrs. Kipling, who was first called Mr. Kipling, is the Ross family's pet. She is a seven-foot Asian water monitor lizard that Ravi brought from India. Later, they found out she was a female and laid twelve eggs!
• Rhoda Chesterfield (Carolyn Hennesy) is the strict head of the building's board. She often argues with Jessie and the Ross family. She doesn't like people who aren't rich or are under 20. She also has a chihuahua named Zeus and sometimes flirts with Bertram.
• Stuart Wooten (J.J. Totah) is a smart kid who has a big crush on Zuri. He is also a good friend to Luke and Ravi. Stuart is usually nice, but he can be blunt like Zuri. He often tries to make Zuri like him back.
• Officer Petey (Joey Richter) is a police officer who loves performing arts. He isn't a very good police officer and actually wanted to be an actor.
• Rosie (Kelly Gould) is Emma's best friend. She lives in a tougher part of the city but is a nice girl. She and Emma become friends after they team up against a bully. Rosie is Emma's camera person for her fashion blog.
• Agatha (Jennifer Veal) is a mean British nanny who often clashes with Jessie and the Ross kids. She tried to stop Jessie and Zuri from going to Central Park. Agatha also has a twin sister, Angela, who is even more dishonest.
• Connie Thompson (Sierra McCormick) is a girl who is obsessed with Luke. She tutors him but also tries to flirt with him. She even tries to get the lead role in a school play just to kiss Luke. She is also a big fan of Harry Potter.
• Brooks Wentworth (Pierson Fode) was Jessie's boyfriend and later her fiancé. He got a job in Africa and asked Jessie to marry him quickly. Jessie decided to go with him, but the kids were very upset. On their wedding day, Jessie realized she wasn't ready to get married and broke up with Brooks. She stayed in New York, and Brooks went to Africa.

How the Show Was Made

Choosing the Actors

The cast in December 2011
(use cursor to identify)

Once Debby Ryan was chosen for the role of Jessie, Disney Channel started looking for the rest of the Ross family in May 2011. Some of the characters were originally planned to be different. For example, the mother was a photographer named "Pandora," and the oldest daughter, Emma, was "Anabel." Luke was going to be a boy adopted from Korea named "Hiro," and Ravi was a boy from South America named "Javier" with a pet capybara. The show's creator, Pamela Eells O'Connell, said she was inspired by families who adopt children from different backgrounds. The Ross parents are only seen in a few episodes.

Filming the Show

After the actors were chosen and some character changes were made, the show went straight into production without a test episode. Filming started in June 2011. Debby Ryan said that working with the young cast felt like being a nanny! She said they were smart kids who liked to have fun. She had a rule: "We can play hard, as long as we work hard." Filming for the series finished on February 22, 2015.

The show was renewed for a third season in March 2013, which started filming in July 2013. Season 3 premiered on October 5, 2013. In April 2014, it was announced that Jessie would get engaged in a special four-episode story. This was the first time a main character on Disney Channel got engaged!

The series was renewed for a fourth season in May 2014. Filming began in August 2014, and the season premiered on January 9, 2015. Peyton List and Debby Ryan both mentioned that the fourth season would be the last. On February 25, 2015, Disney Channel officially announced that the show would end after its fourth season, with a total of 101 episodes. On the same day, Disney announced a spin-off show called Bunk'd, starring Peyton List, Karan Brar, and Skai Jackson.

Episodes

List of Jessie episodes

Special Crossover Episodes

Jessie had several special episodes where characters from other Disney Channel shows appeared:

• Austin & Jessie & Ally All Star New Year: In November 2012, Jessie crossed over with Austin & Ally for a one-hour special. It aired on December 7, 2012.
• Good Luck Jessie: NYC Christmas: In October 2013, Jessie had a crossover with Good Luck Charlie. In this episode, PJ (Jason Dolley) and Teddy (Bridgit Mendler) visit New York for Christmas Eve and stay with Jessie because of a snowstorm. This episode aired on November 29, 2013.
• Ultimate Spider-Man: Web-Warriors: The show also crossed over with the Marvel/Disney XD series Ultimate Spider-Man: Web Warriors for a Halloween episode on October 10, 2014.
• Jessie's Aloha-Holidays with Parker and Joey: On November 28, 2014, Jessie had a crossover with Liv and Maddie. Joey Bragg (as Joey Rooney) and Tenzing Norgay Trainor (as Parker Rooney) appeared. This special made Jessie tied with Hannah Montana and Lilo & Stitch: The Series for the most crossovers on Disney Channel.

Spin-off Show

On February 25, 2015, Disney Channel announced that a Jessie spin-off called Bunk'd would start production. This new show stars Peyton List, Karan Brar, and Skai Jackson, continuing their roles from Jessie. Bunk'd premiered on July 31, 2015.

Indian Version

An Indian version of the show, called Oye Jassie, premiered on Disney Channel in India on October 13, 2013. Like many adaptations, the episodes and characters are very similar to the original American show.

How Many People Watched

The first episode of Jessie was available for free download a week before it aired on Disney Channel. When it officially premiered on September 30, 2011, it became Disney Channel's most-watched Friday premiere since 2008. The first episode had 4.6 million viewers. The most watched episode of Jessie was "Star Wars" with 7.32 million viewers.

Where It Aired

Jessie aired all over the world on Disney Channel. It premiered in Canada on September 30, 2011, in Australia and New Zealand on November 25, 2011, and in Singapore on December 17, 2011. It later aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland on February 17, 2012, and in South Africa on April 1, 2012.

Awards and Nominations

Jessie and its cast members won or were nominated for several awards:

Soundtrack

The show featured several songs, including its famous theme song:

See also

In Spanish: Jessie (serie de televisión) para niños