The Wannabes (TV series)

Last updated
The Wannabes
TheWannabes.jpg
Created byDoreen Spicer-Dannelly
Starring
  • Shaylen Carroll
  • Mariah Parks
  • Andrew Stern
  • Gabrielle LeMaire
  • Drew Reinartz
  • Alan Shaw
  • Steven J. Scott
  • David LaDuca
Opening theme"A Brand New Day, I'll Make My Way"
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes26
Production
Executive producersChristine LeMaire
Ron Stern
Camera setup Single camera setup high definition
Running time30 minutes (no commercials)
Production companiesSpice Rack Productions, Inc.
Showcase for Kids
Stern-LeMaire Productions, Inc.
Original release
Network Starz Kids & Family
ReleaseAugust 9, 2009 (2009-08-09) 
February 17, 2011 (2011-02-17)

The Wannabes is an American television sitcom, created by Doreen Spicer-Dannelly (of Disney Channel's Jump In! and The Proud Family ), which follows the lives of classical performing arts high school students who want to be popstars. The six stars of the series are from the pop recording group, Savvy. Despite not having been produced or filmed in Australia, the series premiered on June 14, 2010, on both ABC1 and ABC3 in a "tween" oriented timeslot. Pay-TV channel Starz Kids & Family picked up U.S. rights.

Contents

Plot

The Wannabes follows six high school students attending an arts academy boarding school in hope that they will become popstars, until they realize the oppressive academy only teaches classical music and dance. Throughout the series they face issues about their careers, normal teen lives and are always trying to avoid their mean principal at every cost because he loves detentions. [1]

Cast

Production

The filming for seasons 1 and 2 began on August 3, 2009 in Howell, Michigan. 26 episodes were filmed. Filming was proposed to be done in Houston, Texas. The school they film at is Parker High School campus in Michigan. [2] The series is produced by Savvy Productions, LLC and Stern-LeMaire Productions Inc., and distributed by Bradford Licensing LLC. [3] One of the producers, Christine LeMaire, explained the series is not going to be a Disney Channel original series, "No, it is an independent production licensed to overseas networks." [3]

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired (U.S. dates)
Season premiere Season finale
1 13August 9, 2009August 27, 2010
2 13August 30, 2010February 17, 2011

Episodes

Season 1: 2009–10

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
11"The Wannabes Are Gonna Be" Eric Dean Seaton Doreen Spicer-DannellyAugust 9, 2009 (2009-08-09)101
On their first day at Highlands Academy of the Arts, the gang gets in trouble for disobeying the strict curriculum. As punishment, they're sent to work at Moody's Sweet Shop where they meet Sarah and form "The Wannabes."
22"Guys Rock, Girls Rule"Eric Dean SeatonDoreen Spicer-DannellyAugust 12, 2010 (2010-08-12)102
Egos collide when the gang can't agree on which song to sing. Mr. Moody teaches them that everyone must work together to be successful.
33"Tough Cookies"Eric Dean SeatonDoreen Spicer-DannellyAugust 13, 2010 (2010-08-13)103
The gang thinks quitting school will expedite their rise to stardom. Mr. Moody puts them through their paces, teaching them that an education is more important than fly-by-night fame and money.
44"Mall Beasts"Greg ZekowskiSteve TrautmanAugust 16, 2010 (2010-08-16)104
Mr. Moody hosts to video game competition similar to Guitar Hero called "Beasts of Rock." The boys enter the contest and revel in their newfound rock 'n roll personae, an must rely on Sarah to save the day. While Mr. Moody's Sweetshop is in the middle of this musical melee, Mariah is determined to prove to Shaylen that her personality is more influential than her beauty.
55"Earth Day" Robbie Countryman Jacqueline DavisAugust 17, 2010 (2010-08-17)105
After watching a video about global warming Mariah becomes an environmental activist. When she organizes a student revolt against Mr. Pesckow's unfriendly ecological policies, reporters visit Mariah at the sweet shop to do a story on her. Things take a dramatic turn when they report on Mr. Moody's wastefulness instead. To make matters worse for Mr. Moody, Sarah has a curious secret admirer which he does not approve of.
66"All About Drew"Richard LyonsArthur HarrisAugust 18, 2010 (2010-08-18)106
Drew's ego becomes unbearable when he gets a part in a commercial. He decides to leave the band, but his star falls as quickly as it rose. Meanwhile Mariah, who's watching Mr. Pesckow's phones, misplaces his niece's pet hamster and asks Andrew, Shaylen and Sarah to help track it down.
77"She Drives Me Crazy"Greg ZekowskiRay LanconAugust 19, 2010 (2010-08-19)107
A girl becomes enamored with Drew after overhearing him talk in a Scottish accent. She becomes obsessed with him. After he breaks up with her, she's determined to reveal The Wannabes secret identity. Meanwhile, Mr. Moody is swamped with a convention of elderly women called "The Sunshine Ladies" and Sarah reminisces with a few former singers.
88"The Last Tango at Highlands"Eric Dean SeatonSuzanne GangurskyAugust 20, 2010 (2010-08-20)108
Worried she'll fail her dance final, Shaylen gets a tutor, who happens to be Andrew dressed as his alter-ego, "Santiago." And when Sarah helps Alan find his iPod, she uses her detective skills to track down her dad's recipe thief.
99"Art School of Hard Knocks"Eric Dean SeatonGeorge BlakeAugust 23, 2010 (2010-08-23)109
Sarah gets accepted into the Highlands Academy "Prep Program" as a dance major. After Mr. Moody gives her a new cell phone, she quickly gets into trouble with Mr. Pesckow and causes problems for The Wannabes. She has a lot to learn in staying out of trouble and fitting in with The Wannabes at school.
1010"The Candidate"Richard LyonsChad DrewAugust 24, 2010 (2010-08-24)110
Alan decides to run for class president but the popularity goes to his head and he loses focus on what's really important for the school causing a rift between him and Shaylen. Sarah comes up with an idea to help feed homeless and struggles with not getting recognition from the others.
1111"The Plays The Thing"Robbie CountrymanGeorge BlakeAugust 25, 2010 (2010-08-25)111
An alumnus of Highlands Academy returns to give a sizable endowment to the school during the annual freshman play but when her prized jewels go missing, the gang must find the thief before Mr. Pesckow gives them all a life sentence to detention.
1212"Haunted Highlands" William Dear Chad DrewAugust 26, 2010 (2010-08-26)112
The gang gets trapped in the school after helping Andrew film a horror movie for a short film contest and life begins to imitate art as the gang gets "scared straight."
1313"Dance Revolution" Alfonso Ribeiro Arthur HarrisAugust 27, 2010 (2010-08-27)113
Andrew suspects that there's a secret society within the walls of Highlands Academy. He and the gang investigate and discover an underground dance club run by Alan. Alan explains that it's reserved for the best dancers in the school and if the gang wants to join, they have to challenge and beat one of the club's dance crews. Sarah experiences receiving special attention as Mr. Moody is called to the school cafeteria to help out.

Season 2: 2010–2011

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
141"Space Invaders" Robbie Countryman George Blake & Steve TrautmannAugust 30, 2010 (2010-08-30)114
When Highlands is forced to host a nearby sports academy, the boys challenge them to a basketball game.
152"Playful Platypus"Robbie CountrymanArthur HarrisAugust 31, 2010 (2010-08-31)115
A wealthy customer rents out Moody's Sweet Shop for her son's Australian-themed birthday party, forcing the gang to dress up and entertain the unentertainable kid.
163"Break/Dance"Robbie CountrymanSteve Trautmann & George BlakeSeptember 1, 2010 (2010-09-01)116
The Spring Dance has arrived and Andrew's been put in charge. While the gang worries about who they are going to take to the dance, real problems arise when Andrew forgets to book a band. Now it is up to The Wannabes to save the dance.
174"Whacky Manager" William Dear Suzanne GangurskySeptember 2, 2010 (2010-09-02)117
The gang believes that their dreams have come true when a local club owner asks them to perform at his club across town.
185"Indirect TV"Robbie CountrymanArthur HarrisSeptember 3, 2010 (2010-09-03)118

After Sarah is quarantined for having a mysterious illness, the only thing she can do is watch television. She begins to see her friends' lives play out in several television genres, including Drew's newfound crush on Shaylen.

Note: The title of this episode, "Indirect TV", is a parody of the cable television service Direct TV.
196"Prank Wars" Alfonso Ribeiro George Blake & Steve TrautmannSeptember 6, 2010 (2010-09-06)119
After pulling a prank on Andrew, a full-blown prank war is ignited. He and Sarah join forces to get back at the guys. Meanwhile, Mariah and Shaylen get in on the pranks after both lie about auditioning for the school play.
207"The Plagiarist" (Part 1)Robbie CountrymanSteve Trautmann & George BlakeSeptember 7, 2010 (2010-09-07)120
Alan decides to spend the day at the carnival instead of writing his sonata. Out of time, Alan decides to steal an obscure piece off the Internet to turn in. Meanwhile, trouble arises on Sarah's first date.
218"The Plagiarist" (Part 2)Richard LyonsGeorge Blake & Steve TrautmannSeptember 8, 2010 (2010-09-08)121
Alan and the gang reminisce over their time together at Highlands the night before a hearing that just may keep Alan in school.
229"Stuck in the Mall"William DearChad DrewSeptember 9, 2010 (2010-09-09)122
After a petting zoo runs wild in the mall, trapping the gang in the sweet shop, the gang must deal with their fears, having fantasies about their futures.
2310"Internet Sensation"Robbie CountrymanDoreen Spicer-DannellyFebruary 14, 2011 (2011-02-14)123
When a video of the kids performing is accidentally uploaded to the web, their secret is jeopardized. Mr. Pesckow is on the lookout for the Highlands students he believes are in the video. Before the gang decides to come clean, several doppelganger groups appear.
2411"Beyond The Music"Robbie CountrymanArthur HarrisFebruary 15, 2011 (2011-02-15)124
The gang argues over who is coolest of them all. They use the footage from their concert to prove it.
2512"Classroom Musical" (Part 1)Robbie CountrymanGeorge Blake & Steve TrautmannFebruary 16, 2011 (2011-02-16)125
In an homage to classic and current musicals, the gang deals with the drudgery of detention through music and dance along with fellow student detainees.
2613"Classroom Musical" (Part 2)Robbie CountrymanDoreen Spicer-DannellyFebruary 17, 2011 (2011-02-17)126
The detention drama gets ramped up as Mr. Pesckow relieves our gang from their service at Mr. Moody's. They are forced to find a way back into his "bad" graces so The Wannabes as a group and can continue to perform at Mr. Moody's.

International Broadcasts

CountryChannel
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia ABC3 [4]
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Starz Kids & Family [3]
Flag of Israel.svg  Israel Noga [3]
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany Super RTL [3]
Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal SIC K [3]
Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina HBO Family [3]
Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico HBO Family [3]
Flag of Chile.svg  Chile HBO Family [3]
Flag of North Macedonia.svg  North Macedonia MKRTV [3]
Flag of Poland.svg  Poland teleTOON+ [3]
Flag of Romania.svg  Romania Megamax [3]
Flag of India.svg  India HBO Family [3]
Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia HBO Family [3]
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Frisbee [3]
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg  United Arab Emirates e-Junior
Flag of Portugal.svg Portugal SIC K
Flag of Italy.svg ItalyItalia

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinemax</span> American movie-focused pay television network

Cinemax is an American pay television, cable, and satellite television network owned by the Home Box Office, Inc. subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. Developed as a companion "maxi-pay" service complementing the offerings shown on parent network Home Box Office (HBO) and initially focusing on recent and classic films upon its launch on August 1, 1980. Programming featured on Cinemax currently consists primarily of recent and older theatrically released motion pictures, and original action series, as well as documentaries and special behind-the-scenes featurettes.

Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichannel television providers, but also increasingly via digital terrestrial and streaming television. In the United States, subscription television began in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the form of encrypted analog over-the-air broadcast television which could be decrypted with special equipment. The concept rapidly expanded through the multi-channel transition and into the post-network era. Other parts of the world beyond the United States, such as France and Latin America have also offered encrypted analog terrestrial signals available for subscription.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ABC1 (British and Irish TV channel)</span> British and Irish television channel

ABC1 was a television channel owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company, available to the viewers in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. ABC1 used the branding of the Disney-owned American network, ABC.

Starz is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by Lionsgate, and is the flagship property of parent subsidiary Starz Inc. Programming on Starz consists of theatrically released motion pictures and first-run original television series. Launched in 1994 as a multiplex service of Starz Encore, Starz operates six 24-hour, linear multiplex channels; a traditional subscription video on demand service; and a namesake over-the-top streaming platform that both acts as a TV Everywhere offering for Starz's linear television subscribers and is sold directly to streaming-only consumers.

Crave is a Canadian premium television network and streaming service owned by the Bell Media subsidiary of BCE Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dylan and Cole Sprouse</span> American twin actors (born 1992)

Dylan Thomas Sprouse and Cole Mitchell Sprouse are American actors. They are twins and are sometimes referred to as the Sprouse brothers or Sprouse Bros. Their first major theatrical film role was in the 1999 comedy Big Daddy, in which they co-starred with Adam Sandler. They later appeared in several television sitcoms and starred in the television film I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus and straight-to-DVD Just for Kicks.

Starz Encore is an American premium television channel owned by Starz Inc. a subsidiary of Lions Gate Entertainment and headquartered at the Meridian International Business Center complex in Meridian, Colorado, United States. Launched as Encore on 1 April 1991, its programming features mainly older and recent theatrically released feature films, although some of its multiplex channels also carry acquired television series. It is the sister channel of Starz and MoviePlex.

<i>Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!</i> American Flash-animated television series

Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! is an American children's educational Flash animated television series created by Bob Boyle. The series was produced by Bolder Media and Starz Media in association with Film Roman, and it was animated by Bardel Entertainment using both Toon Boom and Adobe Flash software. Boyle submitted his original concept as a book to Frederator Studios, the lead creative partner in Bolder Media. After more than 6000 children's book concepts were reviewed, his submission was selected for development into an animated series for preschoolers. Bob Boyle, Susan Miller, Mark Warner, and Fred Seibert served as executive producers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HBO</span> American pay television network

Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based at Warner Bros. Discovery's corporate headquarters inside 30 Hudson Yards in Manhattan's West Side district. Programming featured on the network consists primarily of theatrically released motion pictures and original television programs as well as made-for-cable movies, documentaries, occasional comedy, and concert specials, and periodic interstitial programs.

<i>Disney Channel Games</i> American TV series or program

Disney Channel Games are a Battle of the Network Stars-based annual television series that aired on the Disney Channel during the summer from 2006 to 2008. Phill Lewis was the co-host of the first two editions in 2006 and 2007, and Brian Stepanek hosted all three editions. The show had various stars from Disney Channel and its international iterations competing for charity as team-based contestants. The Games were filmed at Disney's Wide World of Sports in Orlando.

Disney Junior was a British and Irish pay television kids' TV channel that was owned by Disney–ABC Television Group that focused on preschool programming. It was launched on 29 September 2000 as Playhouse Disney. The channel was rebranded as Disney Junior on 7 May 2011, it later ceased broadcasting on 30 September 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ABC Me</span> Australian television channel

ABC Me is an Australian English language children's free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It was officially launched by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on 4 December 2009 as ABC3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debby Ryan</span> American singer and actress

Deborah Ann Ryan is an American actress and singer. She started acting professionally onstage at the age of seven, and was later discovered during Disney Channel's nationwide search for new talent. She had starring roles in the series The Suite Life on Deck (2008–2011), the film 16 Wishes (2010), the series Jessie (2011–2015), and the film Radio Rebel (2012). She also appeared in the drama film What If... (2010), the series Insatiable (2018–2019), the comedy films The Opening Act (2020) and Shortcomings (2023), the thriller film Night Teeth (2021), and the Jeff Baena films Horse Girl (2020) and Spin Me Round (2022).

<i>Connor Undercover</i> Canadian TV series

Connor Undercover is a Canadian Teen action comedy TV series airing on Canadian specialty channel Family Channel. It stars Max Morrow as the title character Connor Heath. It is co-produced by Heroic Films Company and Shaftesbury Films. In early 2010, Family Channel renewed the series for a second season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ABC Kids (Australia)</span> Australian television channel

ABC Kids is the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's part-time channel, broadcasting shows between the hours of 5 am and 7:30 pm for children 6 years old and younger, including an upper preschool audience. It shares the same bandwidth as ABC TV Plus which broadcasts outside ABC Kids' scheduled hours and supplements the flagship ABC TV channel with extra adult-oriented programming. It has an educational program for children ages 2 to 13 called "ABC Reading Eggs" for Australia, internationally called "Reading Eggs" and owned by Edmentum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelli Berglund</span> American actress (born 1996)

Kelli Berglund is an American actress. She is known for portraying Bree Davenport 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. Berglund starred as Carly Carson in the 2019 Starz television drama series Now Apocalypse. She has also played the lead in two sports-themed films set in Australia, 2016's Raising the Bar and 2018's Going for Gold. She stars as Crystal in the 2021 Starz drama television series Heels.

Crave is a Canadian subscription video on demand service owned by Bell Media. The service competes directly with other subscription-based over-the-top streaming services operating in Canada, primarily against American-based services.

Gasp! is a short-lived Australian animated television series based on the book of the same name written and illustrated by Terry Denton.

References

  1. "Film Catalogue: The Wannabes starring Savvy - TV series. Series one and two airs in 100 countries, including in USA on Starz Kids & Family and is airing on ABC1 and ABC3 in Australia, HBO Family Latin America, HBO Family Asia, UAE and Noga in Israel". Archived from the original on January 14, 2010. Retrieved August 25, 2010.
  2. "Savvy Heads To Howell, Michigan To Film TV Series" . Retrieved August 25, 2010.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "The Wannabes are Gonna-be" . Retrieved August 25, 2010.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. "The Wannabes on ABC3". Australian Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved August 25, 2010.