User Reviews

I'll start by saying I'm an adult who enjoys a few Disney shows because they are more entertaining than pretty much anything else on TV. I came here to look up some info on the show, and see all of these negative reviews, some of which seem to forget this is Disney, know what the target audience is, or don't even have facts about the characters straight, and I feel like I need to add my voice as someone who enjoys the show for what it is, and doesn't expect it to be more than that.

"Jessie" isn't the best show on Disney, but it's far from the worst. I have some news that I think will shock some reviewers, but Disney shows don't deal in reality. "Jessie" isn't a documentary about nannies in NYC. It's also not supposed to take the place of parenting; i.e., if your complaint is what kind of role models the characters are, that's because they aren't role models, they are silly TV characters. I also watch a show about a talking dog that has a blog, it doesn't make me think my cats are losers because getting on the computer to them means laying on the keyboard.

In fact, once I get to thinking about it, the whole plot of the show is that a young Texan girl just out of high school moves to NYC to follow her dreams of being an actress, but like most aspiring actors, she has to take a non-acting job until she makes it, so she got a job as the nanny for a bunch of spoiled rich kids. That is what the show is about. If that isn't your idea of funny, don't watch it.

If you are looking for role models, Disney isn't doing them right now, they are doing silly, flawed characters. Look what happened with Hannah Montana - supposedly a role model, Miley Cyrus became inseparable from the character, and when Miley grew up and cast off her Disney persona, people wondered what happened. Disney is probably trying to avoid that ever happening again by making their characters overtly silly, also doing commercials where the actors say their real names. But, getting back to my point, the entire plot of this show is that these are spoiled rich kids. Even Jessie isn't a role model. Some of the characters don't make sense, like Zuri – again, with Disney you have to suspend disbelief. I thought people knew that about Disney?

"Jessie" is about as silly as a TV show that's not a cartoon or puppet show can get, it's not intended to be intelligent humor. It mocks the ultra-rich and this new adopt-a-menagerie of kids pursuit, and also the idea that the nanny sees the kids grow up, and knows more about them, than the parents. The target audience isn't too young, it has to be about 12-16, or thereabouts, because even Zuri acts more like an adolescent than a child. Despite being a self-absorbed rich kid raised in a very sheltered, privileged, and indulgent lifestyle, Emma is surprisingly likable. Other than the typical Disney-kid hijinks, there seems to be honest affection, not just among the kids, but with Jessie and even Bertram. In that respect, the show demonstrates cooperation and making the best of a situation you didn't create, you were just thrust into. A little bit of sibling rivalry is present as important to the plots, but as in any Disney family, it would never threaten their relationships with each other. As the series progresses, the characters seem to become more like their own little family, the usually-absent Ross parents being left out and replaced by the butler and the nanny.

Someone made a comment about the "romances" and seems to think this is new to tween or teen TV shows. It's not. When I was a little girl in the '70s, romantic relations were just as popular a topic as they are today. Crushes and adolescent dating were on our minds, we just didn't have 5 channels of TV devoted to us (we didn't have 5 channels of TV, period). If there weren't TV shows devoted to it, we had to read it in books and magazines, and many stories I read that I remember now were very similar to "Jessie."

Debby Ryan is adorable. I think she's great for this role. In fact, I think Disney's hitting it out of the park with casting their TV shows lately. I would love to see her in more work outside of Disney, especially featuring her musical talent. Cameron Boyce has great dancing talent, not just the break dancing he displays on the show but also in the PSA where he does some Broadway moves - I could see him do theater. In fact, he seems to be the most versatile actor of this ensemble other than Ryan.

I will never understand this idea of bashing a show when no one is forcing you to watch it. If you don't like "Jessie," that's your prerogative, but don't expect it to be things it's not: it's not reality, it's not preachy, it is Disney and it's just silly entertainment. Well, at least some of us like to watch the TV and laugh at silliness that makes no statement other than sit back and enjoy the crazy. I just wish there were more new episodes than one per month, that seems to be a Disney thing right now. I still watch the same episodes over and over. At least until my cats get their own Instagram accounts and Tyler teaches them to take selfies.

Jessie is much better that Good Luck Charlie, ICarly, Suite Life On Deck, Austin and Ally and Shake It Up. I can't believe some people actually dislike Jessie! Zuri is really cute and funny. But if Luke wouldn't over-react, and if Emma wouldn't rely on Leperd Beat Magazine, I would of rated this show 10. Otherwise Jessie is really good. 9 OUT 0F 10! I like Ravi because he is so enthusiastic. Bertrum makes me laugh because in one episode he said... "Here we go, dinner is served. Frog legs with a bitter taste of worms. I'm only kidding, it's chicken... Maybe!" He cracks me up! Ha! Jessie meeting Agatha really made the series much better. With Nanny Agatha in the series, it makes it funnier and more annoying. But annoying is what the watchers want... Isn't it? This is a reviewer commenting on Jessie, a new TV series on the Disney Channel!

This show definitely has its moments. It is about a girl that gets hired to watch some rich kids, with a butler no less. The parents are gone almost all the time so Jessie is pretty much in charge. There are two natural kids and two that are adopted. The adopted ones are obviously adopted by the parents for sociopolitical reasons since they are so obviously front running neo-hippies. An African girl and an Indian boy are the adopted kids. The black girl is a laugh riot who is way to smart for her own good, The Indian kid is fairly funny with his monitor lizard as a foil for some of the episodes. All in all a decent show.

This is a terrible show. The acting is poor, plots are poor, and there isn't any consistency at all. Just take the basics - Jessie earns a living as a nanny to the three spoiled bratty kids these rich people have adopted to show how supportive they are of cultural diversity (a la Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt). However, they are left, most of the time, with Bertrum ( the butler) or completely by themselves; she rarely watches them at all.

Jessie - usually out chasing boys and treating her employers like her friends or family. Completely unprofessional, and the parents seem to be gone all the time only showing up occasionally, usually inexplicably wearing formal wear as if they were just about to go to a charity ball or something. She shirks her responsibilities constantly and teaches youth to be lazy, aloof, undependable, deceitful, disrespectful, dress in manners that compromise their personal integrity, etc.

The Indian kid is completely unbelievable as he is about 8 years old and for whatever reason, he acts like he is some sort of Junior Dhali Llama that knows all the factual and statistical information about India that is available. It's just ridiculous, the kid has obviously never been there or was removed at such an early age that he would have no recollection of the country at all. His character's tendency to 'speak beyond his years' is like a blood-thirsty woodpecker incessantly chipping loudly at my brain.

The little African American girl acts very stereo-typically African American regardless of the fact that everyone around her is white (thus she would not have learned the cultural language and body expressions). Not only is her constant 'attitude' annoying, but it perpetuates this behavior in real life by teaching our youth to behave in such a manner. All of the kids are rebellious and completely undisciplined with absolutely no moral compass to speak of whatsoever. Furthermore, her character often tries to 'act tough' towards everyone else on the show regardless of the fact that she is incredibly weak and totally dependent on those around her to perform even the simplest tasks.

The ugly kid from Mirrors- He regularly overacts on a regular basis and seems to be catering to the idea that over-the-top theatrics, yelling, running, and imitating Kramer = so, so funny. Sadly, this young and unskilled actor is so, so wrong. He often acts in a manner that supports the idea of talking a big game and then running away. Like the other characters in the show, the boy is a coward and a liar and this is just another example of the morally hollow role models Disney Channel is producing. They even have this kid and some other characters perform on the show.

The channel seems to be a huge recruitment factory in order to ensure further cheaply produced entertainment in the future. It's like a grotesque "Children's Lot".

Long story short - Stay away from this show unless you like pain. Mind-numbing pain.

On the surface, the concept of "Jessie" would be the promotion of acceptance of diversity and overcoming prejudice. The setup is that of a rich couple who has adopted children of varying ethnicities, and how they are taken care of by a small-town-girl in a big-city archetype, the titular Jessie.

However, this concept is immediately over-ridden by the show's reliance on stereotypes and the nasty attitudes of many of its characters.

Emma is white, blond, ditzy, and materialistic. Ravi is Indian, teaches Yoga, eats sandwiches made of nothing but bread and hot peppers, and is occasionally the butt of jokes regarding unpronounceable Indian words. Zuri is black, a lazy schemer, who tries to avoid schoolwork and responsibilities. Luke is the only Ross child that doesn't seem to be based on stereotypes, as he is self-confident and honestly a good dancer, and overall, one of the least offensive characters as far as his overall personality is concerned; however, he is incredibly annoying at times.

This is bad enough, and it only gets worse. Many of the jokes revolve around disgust at people's physical traits and the ongoing insults towards various stereotypes. Agatha, a bit character, is continually derided by all characters over her appearance, as she has huge warts on her face and a huge snaggletooth. She is also supposed to be British. Another character, whose name escapes me, is a stereotypical annoying, cloying nerd, and all of the characters constantly point this out when he is around.

Even Jessie, who is supposed to be the authority figure (and who is generally nice and easy on the eyes) is constantly the butt of jokes about how bad her lovelife has apparently been. And, even as the authority figure, she is just as judgmental as the rest of the characters.

Another problem is the almost complete lack of parenting on the show. While the parents do appear from time to time, and it is generally shown in a loving way, it's clear from the average episode that they have almost zero part in their children's lives. So, the obvious nature of the children as tokens racial acceptance is immediately obvious.

Luckily (?) the traditional awful writing and bad acting of Disney Channel shows keeps this show from being as poisonous and vile as it could be, but the simple fact that every episode runs against its intended message is astounding.

Unfortunately, it's also why I keep watching.

One problem about this show is the reality of life in it. A rich white couple adopts 2 kids to be with their 2 biological kids and hire a nanny so they don't have to be around. It really shows the privilege some people have. Pretty basic right? Isn't this all Disney shows tho.

This show has good plots that could have been better developed if the actors were actually good at acting. Again, this is one of the Disney shows with great potential but lame actors who ruin it. Some of the dialogues are also lame and unfunny. It is not a show one would turn on the T.V. specifically to watch. For some reason, all Disney channel shows, except for K.C. Undercover, are lame and boring to watch, no matter how good the storyline or idea behind the show is. Best Friends Whenever's time travel idea promised great potential, but the actors are so rubbish. The editing of these shows is somehow very strange, whereas the ones on YTV, Nickelodeon, etc. are normal. Ravi's fake accent, a stereotype and fake depiction of real Indian accents, is painful to hear. The inappropriate feelings the other little white boy has for his nanny, Jessie, is also disgusting. But, what can be done, because most shows these days have rubbish portrayals like that with messed up feelings and relationships. Emma is an extremely fake actor. In fact, the butler is the only one who has funny parts and acting. Out of everyone, Ravi seems the most out of place because of all the rubbish stereotypes that single him out to a great extent. It is not appropriate to have these stereotypes and laugh at them when he is the only isolated, non-white in the show. For people who haven't lived in multicultural societies, a very fake image of Indians is depicted when that kid comes with a big lizard and acts all weird, as if he doesn't know how things work or how to live properly. In fact, real Indians in their home country despise lizards, which are of course seen around because the country is tropical. Shows like this show Indians like backwards villagers who have messed up lives.

And, aside for stereotypes, the show is just plain boring.

*5/10*