Even Stevens
Even Stevens is an American comedy television series that aired on Disney Channel with a total of three seasons and 65 episodes from June 17, 2000, to June 13, 2003. It follows the life of the Stevens, a Jewish family living in suburban Sacramento, California, mainly focusing on the clashing personalities of its two younger siblings, Ren and Louis.
The series was produced by Brookwell McNamara Entertainment and Fireworks Entertainment. It is often cited as launching Shia LaBeouf's breakout career as an actor. The show features a fast motion photography, which features in every episode.
The feature-length Disney Channel Original Movie based on the series, The Even Stevens Movie, premiered on June 13, 2003, and serves as the series finale.
As of January 15, 2010, in America, Even Stevens has been removed from television syndication altogether, though The Even Stevens Movie continues to air on Nickelodeon and Teen Nick, and on Family Channel occasionally. However, in the UK, Even Stevens continues to air on CITV, and in Canada, it will be shown on Disney XD.
Characters
Main characters
- Louis Anthony Stevens (Shia LaBeouf) - Louis is viewed as the immature, rude, selfish youngest Stevens offspring. His entire family is viewed as perfect next to him. He is always pulling jokes with Alan Twitty (his best friend), and is described as ruining everyone's lives. He never seems to change with time. His parents seem to favor his sister Ren and brother Donnie because of the great successes both have achieved, but his parents do love him dearly and try to defend him. Louis tends to do unattractive things (saying nasty things, picking nose, etc.), though everything is presented to the audience in endearing ways. He ends the series with a girlfriend, Tawny Dean.
- Renee "Ren" Stevens (Christy Carlson Romano) - An intelligent, perfectionist 8th-grader, Ren is the middle sibling. She is the classic overachiever, constantly running for Hall Monitor and Class President while trying to keep Louis's schemes from becoming disasters. She is the head newscaster for "The Wombat Report," and spent a few weeks on her school's Cheerleading squad. Ren is the editor of the School Newspaper and the Yearbook, a straight-A student, and Principal Wexler's highly-valued assistant. Despite her top-student ranking, Ren got sentenced to, and served, detention on at least one occasion. Ren's favorite color is purple. She eventually became the shortest next to Eileen.
- Donald "Donnie" Stevens (Nick Spano) - Ren and Louis' athletic big brother. Donnie is highly concerned with his appearance. Although he excels in many sports, he's an airhead.
Recurring characters
- Alan Twitty (A.J. Trauth) - Louis' best friend who is similar to Louis but usually isn't as extreme and often has to get Louis out of situations. Referred to as "Twitty" by his friends. He is on the Basketball team and the Baseball team, plays guitar, and also has success with girls. Twitty's catch phrases are "Dude" and "Sweet."
- Tawny Dean (Margo Harshman) - Louis' other best friend, and eventually his girlfriend. Tawny at first has no friends and is an outsider, until she meets Louis. Tawny usually dresses in goth clothing, unlike her classmates.
- Thomas "Tom" Gribalski (Fred Meyers) - Louis' friend. When Louis cooks up a scheme, Tom usually tries to talk Louis out of it and usually doesn't play along. Also, Tom speaks with a scientific philosophy intelligent slang. He is commonly the victim of many pranks by Louis and Twitty. He called his mother by her name Doris. He also shows much affection for his never-seen mother, Doris. However, in Season 2 Doris is seen playing the piano when Tom's auditioning for SACCY.
- Conrad Wexler (George Anthony Bell) - The principal of Lawrence Jr High, which he does not have very good control over (and often uses many inventive ways to get out of there). Ren is his student assistant, while Louis drives him crazy. Usually makes Ren do his dirty work.
- Bernard "Beans" Aranguren (Steven Anthony Lawrence) - The bacon-loving chinless neighbor of the Stevens who comes into their home uninvited, makes himself at home, and refuses to leave. He eventually turns into a sidekick for Louis's and Twitty's schemes. In one episode, Louis thinks he may be an alien, which, in a joke scene of that episode, is proven true. He is the trouble-maker to the family (even more annoying than Louis) and may be a little Louis.
- Jewel (Megan Miyahira) - Ren's best friend from the first episode of "Even Stevens". After the episode "Swap.com" Jewel isn't seen or mentioned again.
- Charlotte (Shannon Marshall) - Ren's best friend in the first season of "Even Stevens". After "All About Yvette" Charlotte isn't seen or mentioned again.
- Carla (Lisa Foiles) - A girl who looks up to Ren. Carla is Marla's best friend. Carla and Marla are both on the Newspaper Staff with Ren and Ruby. After "Quest for Coolness" Carla isn't seen or mentioned again.
- Marla (Krysten Leigh Jones) - A young girl who looks up to Ren just like her best friend Carla. After "Quest for Coolness" Marla isn't seen or mentioned again.
- Ruby Mendel (Lauren Frost) - Ren's best friend who loves to gossip about news that goes around in school, usually involving crushes and students who are dating. She once had a crush on Louis (while under the spell of a lucky penny) and in that same episode she had a crush on BBMak.
- Coach Terry Tugnut (Jim Wise) - The gym coach who is always tough on Louis but crazy about Donnie, Larry, and food. He loves to eat. Once he weighed over 300 lbs. He is frequently the victim of one of Louis' pranks. Coach Tugnut often serves as Wexler's enforcer/sidekick. He is obsessed with dodgeball and with the three "major points" (arm, head, stomach). A running gag throughout the series Coach Tugnut shouting, "Stevens!" when Louis causes trouble.
- Monique Taylor (Kenya Williams) - Ren's cheerleading best friend. Is a very happy and perky person. She, Ruby, and Nelson are as popular as Ren. Monique takes many things to extreme limits. Monique has a Southern accent.
- Lawrence Anthony "Larry" Beale (Eric Tyrone Hodges II) - Ren's nasty, popular, charismatic, know-it-all rival in school. He hates Ren badly but Larry is an Army brat and he always seeks to destroy her reputation, but his schemes usually backfire. His favorite victim is Ren, But at times, would seek to ruin Louis as well, but finds that Louis is just as clever as Ren. Deep down Larry is jealous of Ren, and thinks of Louis as somewhat as a threat, but he'd never admit it. It is possible that he may even have romantic feelings for Ren, in "The Even Stevens Movie", he was shown to be jealous as Ren was about to kiss Jason, an actor and Ren's love interest.
- Ivan (Eric Jungmann) - Sidekick and yes-man for Larry Beale, although he occasionally serves as a yes-man for other popular kids, such as Blake Thompson in the episode Louis in the Middle.
- Nelson Minkler (Gary LeRoi Gray) - Ren's childhood best friend who seems to be allergic to everything, as evident by his overprotection of himself when outside. Is fluent in French. Becomes a recurring character. He is usually with Ren, and at times Donny, but has only once ever talked to Louis. His character's name is a gag, because 'Nelson' was also Gray's character's name on The Cosby Show as a child.
- Bobby Deaver (Brandon Davis) - Ren's boyfriend, he appeared in 7 episodes.
Production
The show was originally produced as a show called "Spivey's Kid Brother". A pilot was filmed in late 1997, and was later picked up by Disney Channel as "Even Stevens". In the first episode Disney had to dub out the name "Spivey" to "Stevens". In fact, in the gym class scene, a banner is visible in the background reading, "Home of Spivey and the Wild Wombats."
In the theme song of the show, clay animations of Louis and Ren turn their remote controls into lightsabers, alluding to Star Wars. Prior to this, Ren reads a TV Guide with live-action photos of Christy Carlson Romano and Shia LaBeouf on the cover.
Although the show lasted three seasons, the timeline of the show is only two school years, since Louis and his friends remain in the 7th and 8th grades and Ren and her friends remain in the 8th and 9th grades (although as ninth graders, they continue attending the same junior high). Ren finally graduates in The Even Stevens Movie.
Syndication
From September 2006 to January 2009, Even Stevens aired on Superstation WGN (now WGN America), along with Lizzie McGuire during the week originally airing after each other on weekday afternoons before moving to the late night hours when both shows' target audiences are generally not awake with Even Stevens airing Tuesdays and Thursdays and Lizzie airing the rest of the week. On January 7, 2009, Disney Channel aired eight episodes as part of their "Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Louis" marathon to coincide with the July 2, 2007 release of Shia LaBeouf's film Transformers. This show no longer airs on Disney Channel.
In Britain, Even Stevens was screened on BBC One, BBC Two and CBBC (unlike most Disney Channel Original Series, this has never been shown on Disney Channel UK - although the channel has shown The Even Stevens Movie). As of 2009, it is now shown on CITV.
The series was removed from the Disney Channel's schedule in late 2006. In 2009, Even Stevens returned to television after a three year absence on Disney XD. It is currently only shown on CITV
Episodes
| Seasons |
Episodes |
Originally aired |
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1 |
21 |
June 17, 2000 - February 23, 2001 |
|
2 |
22 |
June 15, 2001 - February 15, 2002 |
|
3 |
22 |
February 22, 2002 - June 2, 2003 |
|
Film |
N/A |
June 13, 2003 |
Series finale film
In the 2003 Disney Channel Original Movie, the Stevens family gets an all-expenses-paid trip to an island named Mandelino. The catch is that Mandelino isn't a real island and the family is unknowingly on a new reality show called Family Fakeout.
Awards and nominations
- 2002 - Best International - Matt Dearborn, Sean McNamara & David Brookwell (Won)
- 2003 - Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series - Shia LaBeouf ('Won)
- 2003 - Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series - Donna Pescow (Nominated)
- 2003 - Outstanding Children's Program (Nominated)
- 2002 - Outstanding Children's Program (Nominated)
- 2002 - Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series - Donna Pescow (Nominated)
- 2001 - Outstanding Children's Program (Nominated)
- 2001 - Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series - Donna Pescow (Nominated)
- 2003 - Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs - Gregory Hobson for episode "Band On The Roof" (Nominated)
- 2002 - Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs - Sean McNamara for episode "Very Scary Story" (Nominated)
- 2001 - Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs - Paul Hoen for episode "Take My Sister... Please" (Nominated)
- 2001 - Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs - Sean McNamara for episode "Easy Way" (Nominated)
- 2004 - Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama): Supporting Young Actress - Margo Harshman (Nominated)
- 2003 - Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama): Supporting Young Actor - Steven Anthony Lawrence (Won)
- 2003 - Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama): Supporting Young Actress - Lauren Frost (Nominated)
- 2002 - Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series: Leading Young Actress - Christy Carlson Romano (Won)
- 2002 - Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama): Supporting Young Actress - Lauren Frost (Won)
- 2002 - Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series: Leading Young Actor -Shia LaBeouf (Nominated)
- 2002 - Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series: Leading Young Actor' - A.J. Trauth (Nominated)
- 2002 - Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series: Supporting Young Actor - Steven Anthony Lawrence (Nominated)
- 2001 - Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series: Leading Young Actress - Christy Carlson Romano (Won)
- 2001 - Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series: Leading Young Actor -Shia LaBeouf (Nominated)
- 2001 - Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series: Guest Starring Young Performer - Ty Hodges (Nominated)
- 2000 - Best Young Actor/Performance in a Comedy TV Series - Shia LaBeouf (Nominated)
External links
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| 2001–2004 |
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| 2005–2011 |
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| Currently airing |
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| Upcoming |
- Gravity Falls (Spring 2012)
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