“K.C. Undercover” Review

Attention Disney Channel Fans: A new series debuts on January 18th about a seemingly ordinary teenage girl who leads a secret life...

No, no no. Not that one. This one is about a teenage spy who saves the world...

Wait a minute... this feels awfully familiar... Haven't I seen this before?

The newest series on Disney Channel, K.C. Undercover, feels like a cross between Kim Possible and Hannah Montana. And if this familiarity isn't enough for viewers who are old enough to remember those shows, they will certainly recognize the star of the series, Zendaya. Her previous Disney Channel series Shake It Up! is still in reruns on the network and she recently starred in the DCOM Zapped!

The series is about K.C. Cooper (Zendaya), a high school student who becomes a complete goob when talking to cute boys. One day her accountant parents reveal that they are actually secret spies and that they need her help to stop the enemy from destroying cell phone service. Her nemesis of the pilot is a cute teenage boy who plans to plant his cellular destruction device at the school dance, where K.C. has to fight him to save text messaging as we know it (we'll have to go back to Instant Messenger, the horror!).

The pilot gets a few things right. Zendaya is more appealing in this role than she has ever been before on the network and her dance background makes for some entertaining fight sequences. The spy theme also means she gets to wear some pretty interesting costumes, a plot device that added to the appeal of That's So Raven (in this episode, we see her in goth attire and glamorous in a gown while undercover). This theme also means that K.C. has some pretty cool gadgets. Her sparkly heart bracelet is really a voice command device that can deploy other gadgets at her command (unfortunately one of them is a "silent, but deadly, fart spray"...). Her hoop earrings quickly become handcuffs and her thick rimmed glasses are digital... wait... doesn't that exist in the real world?... O.K. Google...

Now it's time to talk about everything that is wrong with this show, starting with the Google Glass spy glasses. If you were a teenage girl, how would you use them? Probably the same way K.C. does... to see cute boys without their shirts on... But isn't this Disney Channel? Isn't that a little... sexual? Later in the episode, K.C.'s rival teen spy wears the exact same glasses and he noticeably gives her elevator eyes after he puts them on. Does that mean he is looking under her clothes with his glasses??? ON DISNEY CHANNEL??? As the popular girls at Hamilton High would say, "ERMAGERD!!!"

This is Disney Channel, so the stakes can't get too high. I remember the good ol' days of So Weird where Fi's life truly felt in danger. Or episodes of Kim Possible where she was truly saving life on Earth as we know it. But for K.C., the biggest threat we can expect her to overcome is to stop some bad guy from making it impossible to send selfies to friends. That is a running gag through this episode that never lands. No more selfies? "ERMAGERD!!!" I love that K.C. is able to hold her own in a fight against a guy her age, but does everything on Disney Channel these days need to feel so self absorbed?

A real curiosity in K.C.'s world is her BFF Marisa, played by Veronica Dunne. Veronica is very likable and does a great job with the material she has been given. However, the character of Marisa is an epic fail for Disney Channel. If K.C. is the smartest girl in school, then Marisa is the dumbest. All she cares about is fashion and boys. She's definitely not a role model the way the supporting cast was on previous Disney Channel hits like Lizzie McGuire, Wizards of Waverly Place or Good Luck Charlie. The friends on those shows felt more genuine and authentic. You could pick any one of them and find qualities that you would want your own children to strive for. But unless you are the parent of a toddler in a tiara or you are a member of the cast of Dance Moms, you probably don't want your daughter idolizing Marisa. However, she delivers some of the few jokes in the pilot that actually land.

Speaking of the jokes, you can hear the studio audience laughing uncomfortably several times throughout the episode. Most of this is in response to a running gag about K.C.'s underwhelming brother, played by Kamil McFadden. He becomes a teenage Eeyore, with his parents barely acknowledging his existence. "Oh sorry, Ernie, I didn't realize you were there," says his father (uncomfortable laugh). The same line is repeated by his mother moments later (uncomfortable laugh) and in his next scene, he says "Don't tell me you forgot my birthday... again" (uncomfortable laugh). This joke gets repeated over and over. It wasn't funny the first time, it wasn't funny the second time, it wasn't funny the third time, etc...

Which leads to my final argument against this show: Why have Disney Channel parents become complete morons? If K.C.'s parents are top secret spies in Washington D.C., why can't they remember how many kids they have? And why are they such unlikable goofballs, played by Kadeem Hardison and Tammy Townsend? I remember when Disney Channel parents felt at least a little authentic. Lizzie McGuire could go to her mom for advice on growing up and get real life lessons that the audience in turn received. Ren Stevens' role model was her mother, a state senator. While these parents were quirky and fun, they were not idiots. Nowadays this is a requirement for a Disney Channel sitcom. The biggest criticism of Girl Meets World from fans of the original series? That Corey and Toppenga act like idiotic versions of their former selves. Sometimes this works, but more often than not it doesn't.

Bottom Line: If you or your kids currently love everything else on Disney Channel right now, K.C. Undercover will probably suite your interests. But if you recall a former version of the network where shows featured heart, genuine laughs, and characters were relatable, you will be sorely disappointed. For those interested in family friendly spy fun, your time will be better spent checking out films such as Agent Cody Banks, Harriet the Spy or Spy Kids.