In a modern sense, comedy refers to any discourse or work generally intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, television, film, stand-up comedy, or any other medium of entertainment. The origins of the term are found in Ancient Greece. In the Athenian democracy, the public opinion of voters was influenced by the political satire performed by the comic poets at the theaters. The theatrical genre of Greek comedy can be described as a dramatic performance which pits two groups or societies against each other in an amusing agon or conflict. Northrop Frye depicted these two opposing sides as a "Society of Youth" and a "Society of the Old." A revised view characterizes the essential agon of comedy as a struggle between a relatively powerless youth and the societal conventions that pose obstacles to his hopes. In this struggle, the youth is understood to be constrained by his lack of social authority, and is left with little choice but to take recourse in ruses which engender very dramatic irony which provokes laughter.
Disney XD is an American pay television channel that is owned by The Walt Disney Company through Disney Channels Worldwide. Aimed primarily at children ages 6–15, its programming consists of original first-run television series, current and former original series and made-for-TV films from sister network Disney Channel, theatrically-released films, and acquired programs from other distributors, including Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon and Beyblade Burst.
William Brent Unger is an American actor. He is known for playing Chase on the Disney XD series Lab Rats and Lab Rats: Elite Force. Credited as Billy Unger before 2016, starting with Lab Rats: Elite Force he is credited as William Brent.
A young teenager named Leo Dooley lives a normal life until the day his mother Tasha gets married to billionaire inventor Donald Davenport, with whom they move in. While trying to find his bedroom, Leo accidentally discovers teenage siblings with bionic superpowers living in his new basement. The series follows the bionic teens as they unravel in adventurous situations in an attempt to live life like a normal family in the fictional town of Mission Creek, California.
As the series progresses, the series gets darker with the introduction of Douglas, Davenport's younger brother, who later joins the team, Marcus, Douglas' android son, Krane, Taylor, formerly known as S-1, who joins the team during the fourth season, Sebastian, formerly known as S-3, Krane's bionic soldiers, Giselle, who is planning on rebuilding Marcus, and Troy West, Giselle's android creation. At the end of the third season, Davenport opens up a bionic academy on a bionic island to train Krane's bionic soldiers to be the world's new bionic heroes.
Spencer Boldman is an American actor. He is known for his role as Adam Davenport on Disney XD's Lab Rats.
Kelli Berglund is an American actress, model, dancer and singer. She is known for portraying Bree Davenport, a bionic teenager with lightning speed, in the Disney XD series Lab Rats, and its spinoff Lab Rats: Elite Force. In 2014 she starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie, How to Build a Better Boy, where she portrays Mae Hartley, a tech-savvy young woman who along with her best friend, devises a plan to create the perfect boyfriend.
Tyrel Jackson Williams is an American actor. He starred as Leo Dooley in the Disney XD series Lab Rats. Williams also co-starred in the 2014 Disney XD television film Pants on Fire.
Jeremy Kent Jackson as Douglas Davenport / Douglas
Angel Parker is an American actress. She is best known for her recurring role as Tasha Davenport on the Disney XD sitcom Lab Rats.
Maile Flanagan is an American actress and voice actress, best known for her roles as Naruto Uzumaki in the English dub of Naruto and Terry Perry on Lab Rats. She has also had recurring roles on Shameless, Bad Teacher, The Class, Grey's Anatomy and many cartoons.
Production
On July 13, 2011, Disney XD ordered Lab Rats, with production to begin in September 2011 in Hollywood for a 2012 premiere. The series was created by Chris Peterson and Bryan Moore, who serve as executive producers alongside Mark Brazill. Starring in the series are Tyrel Jackson Williams as Leo, Billy Unger as Chase, Spencer Boldman as Adam, Kelli Berglund as Bree, and Hal Sparks as Davenport.[1] The series was originally shot in the summer of 2010 under the title of Billion Dollar Freshman.[2][3]
Mark Brazill is an American stand-up comic, television creator and executive producer. He is most well known as being the co-creator of the FOX situation comedy That '70s Show which aired for eight seasons, and also co-created the series' indirect spinoff, That '80s Show which failed and was cancelled by Fox after its first season of only 13 half-hour episodes.
Hal Harry Magee Sparks III is an American actor, comedian, musician, political commentator, television and radio host, and television personality. He is known for his contributions to VH1, hosting E!'s Talk Soup, and the role of Michael Novotny on the American television series Queer as Folk, Donald Davenport in Lab Rats and as the voice of Tak in Tak and the Power of Juju television series and video games.
On May 18, 2012, Disney XD renewed the series for a second season.[4] On July 26, 2013, Disney XD renewed the series for a third season.[5] On May 9, 2014, Disney XD renewed the series for a fourth season.[6] On June 25, 2015, Kelli Berglund stated in an interview that the fourth season would be the final season.[7]
The series originally premiered on Disney XD on February 27, 2012,[8] and on Disney Channel on March 2, 2012.[9] In Canada, it first aired on Disney XD on February 24, 2012. It later stopped airing on Disney XD in Canada and moved to Disney Channel due to DHX Media losing Disney rights. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, it first aired as a preview on March 29, 2012, and officially premiered on April 19, 2012. In South Africa, it premiered on Disney XD on June 10, 2012. In Australia and New Zealand, it first aired on Disney Channel on December 31, 2012, and officially premiered on January 10, 2013.
Disney Channel is an American cable channel that serves as the flagship property of owner Disney Channels Worldwide unit of the Walt Disney Television subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company.
Disney XD is a Canadian English-language discretionary service owned by Corus Entertainment. Launched on December 1, 2015, it is a localised and licensed version of the U.S. subscription network of the same name, which broadcasts live-action and animated programming aimed at boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 15.
Disney Channel is a Canadian English-language discretionary service owned by Corus Entertainment. First broadcasting on September 1, 2015, it is a localised version of the American subscription network of the same name, broadcasting live-action and animated programming aimed at children between the ages of 6 and 14.
Reception
Critical
Variety television critic Brian Lowry knocked the series' one-hour premiere for failing "to exhibit basic elements of coherence" and for featuring "too many lapses in logic".[10]
Ratings
The series launch of Lab Rats in February 2012 was the most-watched series premiere in Disney XD history,[11] drawing 1.3 million viewers and performing well in key demographics.[12] The followup encore of the premiere that aired on Disney Channel on March 2, 2012, ranked as the number-one telecast in kids 2–11 for the week of February 27–Match 4, 2012, drawing 2.3 million viewers in the demographic.[9]
Disney XD is a pay television channel that broadcasts in the Southeast Asia region, owned by the Disney Channels Worldwide unit of the United States-based Walt Disney Television, operated by The Walt Disney Company. It is aimed primarily at children, 6–15 years old.
Bradley Steven Perry is an American actor. He is known for his role as Gabe Duncan on the Disney Channel family sitcom Good Luck Charlie, and for his role as Roger Elliston III in Disney's High School Musical spin-off film Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure. Following this, Perry co-starred on the Disney XD comedies Mighty Med and its spinoff Lab Rats: Elite Force, where he played the role of Kaz.
Kickin' It is an American comedy television series created by Jim O'Doherty that aired on Disney XD from June 13, 2011 to March 25, 2015. The series stars Leo Howard, Dylan Riley Snyder, Mateo Arias, Olivia Holt, Alex Christian Jones, and Jason Earles.
Mighty Med is an American Disney XD original series created by Jim Bernstein and Andy Schwartz and produced by It's a Laugh Productions for Disney XD. It stars Jake Short, Bradley Steven Perry, Paris Berelc, Devan Leos, and Augie Isaac. The series aired for two seasons, premiering on October 7, 2013, and running through September 9, 2015.
Lab Rats: Elite Force is an American comedy television series created by Chris Peterson and Bryan Moore that aired on Disney XD from March 2 to October 22, 2016. The series is a combined spinoff of Lab Rats and Mighty Med and stars William Brent, Bradley Steven Perry, Jake Short, Paris Berelc, and Kelli Berglund.
"Star Comes to Earth" is the first episode of the animated television series Star vs. the Forces of Evil. The episode was directed and written by Mike Mullen, with the story by series creator Daron Nefcy, Dave Wasson, and Jordana Arkin. The episode premiered as a preview on Disney Channel on January 18, 2015, and later premiered with the launching of the series on Disney XD on March 30, 2015. In "Star Comes to Earth" a princess from another dimension, named Star Butterfly, is turning fourteen years old, which, by tradition, means her family's magic wand will be passed down to her. However, after her spectacularly failing to properly use it, her parents deem her to not be ready for the responsibility yet, and send her to Earth for training. The episode was well received by critics and fans, prompting the second season of the series to be ordered ahead of its Disney XD premiere.
↑ Douglas Pucci (February 6, 2015). "Thursday Final Nationals". TV Media Insights. Archived from the original on February 10, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2018.Note: The viewers are in the comments section.
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