The Famous Jett Jackson

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The Famous Jett Jackson
Title card for The Famous Jett Jackson
Genre	Children's television series
Running time	approx. 0:22 (per episode)
Creator(s)	Fracaswell Hyman
Starring	Lee Thompson Young Ryan Sommers Baum Lindy Booth Jeff Douglas Kerry Duff Gordon Greene Montrose Hagins Melanie Nicholls-King Nigel Shawn Williams Andrew Tarbet
Country of origin	United States
Original channel	Disney Channel
Original run	October 25, 1998–June 22, 2001
No. of episodes	65
IMDb profile

The Famous Jett Jackson was a Disney Channel coming of age television series about an actor named Jett Jackson (Lee Thompson Young) who plays a teenage secret-agent on a fictional TV show-within-a-show called Silverstone. Jett lives and films Silverstone in his fictional hometown of Wilsted, North Carolina, where his father is the sheriff. However, the actual series, The Famous Jett Jackson, was filmed in Brooklin, Ontario.

Contents 1 Premise 2 Cast 3 Episode list 3.1 Season 1: 1998-1999 3.2 Season 2: 1999-2000 3.3 Season 3: 2000-2001 4 TV Movie 5 History and related series 6 Critical reaction 7 Awards and nominations 8 References

[edit] Premise

Jett Jackson previously lived with his publicist mother in Los Angeles, but missed his home and his friends. Longing for a relatively normal life, Jett succeeds in getting the production of Silverstone moved to North Carolina, thus providing jobs to townspeople while affording Jett the chance to live with his father, Sheriff Wood Jackson, and his his great-grandmother, Miz Coretta (whom Jett calls Nana). ^[1] Keeping in touch with his mother Jules by video link on his computer, Jett now spends part of his time with family, friends and school, and the rest living the life of a working actor and celebrity. In doing so, Jett often ends up in sticky situations, usually aided and abetted by his best friend, J.B., his not-quite girlfriend Kayla, and sometimes by Cubby, Silverstone's wacky special effects wizard. In the second half of the series, Jett's new co-star, Riley Grant, is added to the mix.

The show within the show, Silverstone, is about a spy who works for Mission Omega Matrix in order to save the world from villains like Dr. Hypnoto and the Rat. In contrast to Jett, Silverstone has no family, only his mentor, Artemus, and (eventually) his partner Hawk.

[edit] Cast

• Lee Thompson Young as Jett Jackson/Silverstone
• Ryan Sommers Baum as J.B. Halliburton
• Lindy Booth as Riley Grant/Agent Hawk
• Jeff Douglas as Cubby
• Kerry Duff as Kayla West
• Gordon Greene as Sheriff Wood Jackson
• Montrose Hagins as Miz Coretta Jackson
• Melanie Nicholls-King as Jules Jackson
• Nigel Shawn Williams as Nigel Essex/Artemus
• Andrew Tarbet as Deputy Booker Murray

[edit] Episode list

[edit] Season 1: 1998-1999

• 1. 1-1 101 (25-Oct-1998) Going Up!
• 2. 1-2 102 (01-Nov-1998) Who's the Man
• 3. 1-3 103 (08-Nov-1998) Vootle-Muck-a-Heev
• 4. 1-4 104 (15-Nov-1998) Close Encounters
• 5. 1-5 105 (22-Nov-1998) Hurricane Jules
• 6. 1-6 106 (29-Nov-1998) Switcheroo
• 7. 1-7 112 (17-Jan-1999) Bottoms Up
• 8. 1-8 108 (24-Jan-1999) Special FX-ation
• 9. 1-9 107 (31-Jan-1999) Front Page
• 10. 1-10 110 (07-Feb-1999) Kiss and Tell
• 11. 1-11 109 (21-Feb-1999) The Famous Stone Gold
• 12. 1-12 111 (07-Mar-1999) JB's Big Break
• 13. 1-13 113 (14-Mar-1999) Hot Dog

[edit] Season 2: 1999-2000

• 14. 2-1 205 (22-Aug-1999) Field of Dweebs
• 15. 2-2 206 (29-Aug-1999) Premiere
• 16. 2-3 201 (03-Sep-1999) A Tragedy in Two Parts
• 17. 2-4 204 (10-Sep-1999) Popularity
• 18. 2-5 207 (17-Sep-1999) County Fair
• 19. 2-6 203 (24-Sep-1999) Things That Fly
• 20. 2-7 209 (01-Oct-1999) Hawk
• 21. 2-8 202 (08-Oct-1999) Ghost Dance
• 22. 2-9 210 (15-Oct-1999) Bunk
• 23. 2-10 208 (22-Oct-1999) Par for the Course
• 24. 2-11 211 (05-Nov-1999) Saving Mr. Dupree
• 25. 2-12 218 (12-Nov-1999) New York
• 26. 2-13 212 (19-Nov-1999) Spirit
• 27. 2-14 213 (10-Dec-1999) What Money Can't Buy
• 28. 2-15 217 (07-Jan-2000) On the Reel
• 29. 2-16 215 (14-Jan-2000) Grades
• 30. 2-17 214 (17-Jan-2000) Date
• 31. 2-18 216 (28-Jan-2000) Behind the Scenes
• 32. 2-19 226 (11-Feb-2000) Voices
• 33. 2-20 219 (18-Feb-2000) Spreading Wings
• 34. 2-21 220 (03-Mar-2000) Eye of the Beholder
• 35. 2-22 221 (10-Mar-2000) Day Trip
• 36. 2-23 224 (08-Apr-2000) Something to Prove
• 37. 2-24 223 (06-May-2000) Pride
• 38. 2-25 225 (27-May-2000) Bank Robbery
• 39. 2-26 222 (03-Jun-2000) What You Wish For

[edit] Season 3: 2000-2001

• 40. 3-1 304 (17-Jun-2000) Step Up
• 41. 3-2 303 (24-Jun-2000) Something in the Air
• 42. 3-3 305 (01-Jul-2000) Business as Usual
• 43. 3-4 302 (08-Jul-2000) Hello, Goodbye
• 44. 3-5 307 (15-Jul-2000) Great Expectations
• 45. 3-6 301 (22-Jul-2000) Age Old Story
• 46. 3-7 308 (05-Aug-2000) Pledge of Allegiance
• 47. 3-8 309 (12-Aug-2000) Extra Credit
• 48. 3-9 311 (19-Aug-2000) Heroes
• 49. 3-10 312 (09-Sep-2000) Detention
• 50. 3-11 310 (16-Sep-2000) Wheels
• 51. 3-12 314 (23-Sep-2000) Beauregard's Beach Bash
• 52. 3-13 316 (30-Sep-2000) Truth
• 53. 3-14 320 (21-Oct-2000) Survival of the Fittest
• 54. 3-15 306 (03-Nov-2000) Vote of Confidence
• 55. 3-16 313 (08-Dec-2000) Backstage Pass
• 56. 3-17 317 (29-Dec-2000) The Perfect Day
• 57. 3-18 319 (02-Feb-2001) Lost and Found
• 58. 3-19 315 (02-Mar-2001) Food for Thought
• 59. 3-20 321 (16-Mar-2001) Battle of Wilsted
• 60. 3-21 321 (11-May-2001) M.O.M.
• 61. 3-22 322 (18-May-2001) Awakenings (1)
• 62. 3-23 323 (25-May-2001) Awakenings (2)
• 63. 3-24 324 (01-Jun-2001) Hotline
• 64. 3-25 318 (15-Jun-2001) The Game
• 65. 3-26 326 (22-Jun-2001) Holly

[edit] TV Movie

• M-1 325 (08-Jun-2001) Jett Jackson: The Movie

[edit] History and related series

The Famous Jett Jackson is notable for being the first of the original series created by Disney Channel in the 1990s. Show creator Fracaswell Hyman reportedly devised the character before casting Lee Thompson Young for the role. Like Jett, Young was raised in a single parent home in the South, and decided on an acting career at an early age. Young went on to write one of the episodes produced for the series.^[2]

The series included both young guest stars such as Britney Spears and veteran stars such as Eartha Kitt, the latter of whom played the new coach of Wilsted's minor league baseball team in one episode. ^[3]

The relative realism of Jett's home life sometimes gave way to fantasy or paranormal elements, such as one episode in which Jett learns about a shameful incident in Wilsted's history with a little prodding from the ghost of a key figure in the buried scandal. Other episodes dealt with issues in a more realistic and contemporary way, such as when J.B.'s father's family-owned store is threatened by the arrival of high-powered, "big box" competition, and another in which Jett's English teacher, Dr. Dupree, runs afoul of local attempts at censorship of a class reading assignment. Other episodes dealt with such topics as bulimia and the question of whether Jett, with his relatively sheltered and pampered home life, can truly understand or cope with the problems of other African Americans.

Although it was well-received and regarded as a success, the series ended on June 22, 2001, allegedly due to Disney's unstated policy of making only 65 episodes per series. It was followed by a Disney Channel movie in which Jett finds himself trapped in Silverstone's world, and vice versa.

Many of the regular and recurring cast members from The Famous Jett Jackson have since appeared in another Canadian television series, Strange Days at Blake Holsey High, as stars or guest stars. The most obvious examples of this are Jeff Douglas (Cubby) as Professor Noel Zachary, a.k.a. Professor Z., Lawrence Bayne (Dr. Hypnoto) as Victor Pearson, Tony Munch (The Rat) as The Janitor, and Valerie Boyle (Vice Principal Niad) as Principal Amanda Durst.

[edit] Critical reaction

Response to the show was generally positive. Laura Fries of Variety, the Hollywood trade paper, noted in her review of Jett Jackson: The Movie that "Young serves as an appealing role model, much like Sarah Michelle Gellar's Buffy the Vampire Slayer --someone who can fulfill young, action craving audiences without the gratuitous violence. There's a sense of empowerment associated with these sort of roles, and handled correctly, they function as an excellent allegory for the confusing teenage years." Although she mentions "contrived plot devices", she also refers to the series as "clever" an "an extremely entertaining concept".^[4]

[edit] Awards and nominations

The series The Famous Jett Jacksonand its young cast were nominated for Young Artist Awards, presented by the nonprofit Young Artist Foundation, in several categories in the course of the show's run:

1998-1999 (21st Annual Young Artist Awards)^[5]

• Lee Thompson Young, BEST PERFORMANCE IN A TV COMEDY SERIES: Leading Young Actor (nominee, lost to

Thomas Dekker)

• Ryan Sommers Baum, BEST PERFORMANCE IN A TV COMEDY SERIES: Supporting Young Actor (nominee, lost to

Andrew Ducote)

• Kerry Duff, BEST PERFORMANCE IN A TV COMEDY SERIES: Supporting Young Actress (WINNER)
• The Famous Jett Jackson, BEST FAMILY TV COMEDY SERIES (nominee, lost to Freaks and Geeks)

1999-2000 (22nd Annual Young Artist Awards)^[6]

• Lee Thompson Young, BEST PERFORMANCE IN A TV DRAMA SERIES: Leading Young Actor (nominee, lost to

Robert Clark)

• Ryan Sommers Baum, BEST PERFORMANCE IN A TV DRAMA SERIES: Supporting Young Actor (nominee, lost to

Miko Hughes)

• Kerry Duff, BEST PERFORMANCE IN A TV DRAMA SERIES: Supporting Young Actress (nominee, lost to Michelle Trachtenberg)

2000-2001 (22nd Annual Young Artist Awards) (for Jett Jackson: The Movie^[7]

• Kerry Duff, BEST PERFORMANCE IN A TV MOVIE (Comedy or Drama): Leading Young Actress (nominee, lost to Kelsey Keel)

In addition, the Parents' Choice Foundation presented a "Silver Honor" medal to The Famous Jett Jackson as part of its 2001 Parents' Choice Awards.^[8]

[edit] References