Who remembersGood Luck Charlie? The hit Disney Channel sitcom dominated the channel in the early 2010s. But is it time for a revival? The show followed the Duncan family over four seasons from 2010 to 2014. During its original run, the show stood out as one of the few “normal"Disney shows of its era. No one was a wizard, a secret pop singer, a TV star, a psychic, or a talking dog. Yeah, Disney had a lot of gimmicks back then.
Good Luck Charlieis just about a normal family trying to adjust to the surprise birth of their fourth child. That simple premise made it one of the more relatable shows on the channel. Despite airing on Disney Channel, it was geared toward the whole family. The parents weren’t stupid or the butt of jokes like many other kid shows. They were real, fleshed-out, responsible, and mature people. An episode near the end of its run even featured asame-sex couple, which was groundbreaking for the time.
That alone would makeGood Luck Charlieone of the strongest revival contenders. However, the unique way that older sister Teddy prepares new baby Charlie for their “special” family is what works most in a potential revival’s favor. We’ll explain what that means and how a possible revival could work.
What Was the Show About?
Good Luck Charliefollowed the trials and tribulations of the Duncan family. Parents Bob and Amy and their kids PJ, Teddy, and Gabe have their lives turned upside down when they unexpectedly have a new baby, Charlie. When both parents go back to work, the entire family must step up to help take care of Charlie.
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As mentioned above, this was one of the few Disney shows of its time centering on a normal family. Early plotlines consisted of the older kids balancing their own lives while helping around the house as best as possible. It’s something viewers with younger siblings could relate to, as you have to find that balance between your life and family responsibilities.
As Charlie grew into a toddler, the show couldn’t use as many “new baby” storylines. So what did they do? Added another new baby, of course. The fifth child and youngest sibling, Toby, was introduced in the third season. Cue the “attempting toraise a new baby” storyline all over again. Repeated plot aside,Good Luck Charliehad a real heart and warmth about it. The family was trying to get by and do what they thought was best—especially Teddy and her guidance for Charlie, which brings us to how a revival just might work.
What Would We See in a Revival?
Every episode, Teddy recorded a video diary for her youngest sister, often relating to whatever that week’s plot entailed. Other times, they’d consist of general life advice or how to deal with the more “overbearing” members of the family. Since Charlie was only four by the time the show ended, we never saw her use the video diaries in her day-to-day life. So what would she think of them when she was old enough to understand? Would Teddy’s life advice still be relevant years down the road? That’s where a new chapter could come in.
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It’s been about 10 yearssince the show ended, so that means Charlie would now be around 14 years old. That’s about when most kids start high school while dealing with the most difficult teenage phases. Teddy was also around this age when the show began. Wouldn’t it be fun to see Charlie looking back on her older sister’s videos now that she’s roughly the same age? Would they have similar problems? Would Charlie find the videos necessary or unhelpful? Believe it or not, being a teenager today is vastly different from 10 years ago. A revival could look at Teddy’s advice and show how it might need to be modernized for Charlie.
Family dynamics would need to be changed simply due to how long ago the show ended. The three older siblings – PJ, Teddy, and Gabe – would have all likely moved out of the house, but they could still stop by for guest spots. We could see Teddy and Charlie discussing any similarities and differences in the issues they face. Bob and Amy would still be raising Charlie and Toby at home, and who knows, maybe they had more kids.
Airing on Disney+ would give the show a chance to appeal to the aged-up fans of the original, similar to theiCarlyrevival on Paramount+. In an entertainment landscape where properties are revived left and right for no reasonother than nostalgia bait, this show could buck the trend. The writers of the series gave us a built-in mechanism for revisiting the show years later with Teddy’s video diaries. All we need to do now is wait for the announcement. Every other show in existence has been revived; why not give this one a chance?
