What was the Disney Channel 65-episode rule?
Here's the history of Disney Channel's controversial 65-episode rule, which took fan-favorites like 'Lizzie McGuire' and 'Even Stevens' too soon from us. https://t.co/ETwkqAVTs5
- Entertainment Weekly (@EW) July 20, 2024
If you watched Disney Channel a lot in the 1990s or early 2000s, they provided a variety of original shows from memorable live-action sitcoms to animated comedies, that captivated a generation. They also shared a common number that made their shows end much earlier than expected: 65.
Every show under the Mouse House was given a 65 episode rule rubric to follow. This applied to shows created for both their ABC One Saturday morning block and the Disney Channel.
When a Disney show is greenlit, the show cannot exceed beyond 65 episodes. A show can go up to three seasons, but once the episode count hits 65, that show must wrap up its overarching story. There's no possible renewal opportunity, so consider yourself cancelled by default.
'Lizzie McGuire' (2001-2004) and 'Even Stevens' (2000-2003) were two of the most notable casualties of the rule. At the time, 'Lizzie McGuire' was Disney Channel’s most successful series. They were also graced with a feature-length movie that served as their series finales.
In 2003, a certain teen named Raven Baxter arrived on the scene and broke that 65-episode glass ceiling. 'That's So Raven', starring Disney royalty Raven-Symoné, was such a gangbuster hit, the 65 episodes weren't enough for the superstar psychic. That's So Raven closed out with a whopping 100 episode run. Raven made such a huge impact that she teamed up with two shows in the infamous you-had-to-be-there crossover event 'That's So Suite Life of Hannah Montana'.
The Raven franchise was so successful that it’s the only Disney Channel series to date to have both a spin-off (Corey in the House) and a sequel series (Raven’s Home, which had 122 episodes).
source