That's So Raven was a staple of the Disney Channel's early 2000s programming. Airing between 2003 and 2007, the show followed Raven-Symoné as Raven Baxter, a psychic teenager living in Los Angeles. The show followed the typical teen sitcom format of wacky hijinks, usually as a result of Raven misinterpreting her premonitions.
The show was an undeniable hit. It was reportedly the highest-rated original show on the Disney Channel. Furthermore, it actively led to the Disney Channel changing its approach to original programming. It garnered two spinoffs, Cory In The House and Raven's Home. Furthermore, its format would lead to shows like Hannah Montana, and The Suite Life of Zack And Cody as the Disney-Nickelodeon programming wars of the late 2000s/early 2010s began in earnest.
Raven Was Not The Original Protagonist Of "That's So Raven"
However, a shocking new detail has come out about the show. According to Anneliese van der Pol, who played Raven's best friend Chelsea, the show was not originally about Raven. "When I went in to audition, the show was called Absolutely Psychic," van der Pol said on Vulnerable with Chrissy Carlson Romano, "And at the time, Raven wasn't the lead. She was the sidekick." According to van der Pol, the roles of Chelsea and Raven were originally reversed, with the white Chelsea leading the show. Meanwhile, Raven would serve in the stereotypical "funny Black girl" supporting role that was coming in children's programming.
However, van der Pol continued to reveal more details. "When they filmed [the pilot], they realized that Raven was the funniest one," van der Pol said. Furthermore, she gave her opinion of why Raven was initially sidelined. "I think that was kind of like racism. They couldn't really see a Black girl leading a show....They saw her as a sidekick." Raven Baxter was the first Black lead of Disney Channel's live-action era, and Raven-Symoné was widely praised for her comedic ability. However, it speaks to the attitude that was present at Disney and many other studios producing children's television in the early 2000s. Raven-Symoné was not only an icon and inspiration for Black children, but her subsequent coming out has made her a queer icon also.
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