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Liv and Maddie

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Liv and Maddie is an American comedy television series created by John D. Beck and Ron Hart. It premiered on Disney Channel on July 19, 2013, and concluded after four seasons on March 24, 2017, with the episode "End-a-Rooney", which was also the series' eightieth episode. The series stars Dove Cameron, Joey Bragg, Tenzing Norgay Trainor, Kali Rocha, Benjamin King, and Lauren Lindsey Donzis.

Liv and Maddie
GenreComedy
Created byJohn D. Beck & Ron Hart
Starring
Theme music composer
Opening theme"Better in Stereo"
by Dove Cameron
ComposerEric Goldman & Ken Lofkoll
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes80 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
ProducerGreg A. Hampson
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time21–24 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkDisney Channel
ReleaseJuly 19, 2013 (2013-07-19) –
March 24, 2017 (2017-03-24)

A significant feature of the series is that Dove Cameron plays dual roles, one being Liv, an actress who has returned to her home after starring on a popular television series in Hollywood for four years, and the other one being Maddie, Liv's identical twin who remained behind. Another significant feature of the series are documentary-style cutaways where characters speak to the viewers to explain their opinions on various situations in each episode.

Plot

Actress Liv Rooney is a girly girl who has just returned to her birthplace of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, after finishing a four-year stint in Hollywood, filming a popular television series called Sing It Loud! Her identical twin sister, Maddie, a tomboy with a facility for sports and a particular talent for basketball, welcomes Liv back home with open arms. The twins have two younger brothers: Joey, a typical awkward teen who is one year younger than the twins, and Parker, a clever tween with a mischievous personality and the youngest child of the Rooney family. Their parents are Karen, the high school psychologist and later the high school's vice principal, and Pete, the coach of Maddie's high school basketball team who later accepts a position as the coach of a college team in Beloit, Wisconsin. The series revolves around Liv adjusting to normal family life after her successful career in Hollywood. Most events take place at the Rooney residence or at Ridgewood High School. At the end of the third season, the Rooney house collapses and Maddie enrolls in a college in Los Angeles, California. This prompts the rest of the Rooneys, except Pete who remains in Wisconsin to continue his coaching job, to move to Malibu, California, to take up residence with Karen's younger sister, Dena, and her daughter, Ruby, where the series' fourth season takes place.

Episodes

Main article: List of Liv and Maddie episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
121July 19, 2013 (2013-07-19)July 27, 2014 (2014-07-27)
224September 21, 2014 (2014-09-21)August 23, 2015 (2015-08-23)
320September 13, 2015 (2015-09-13)June 19, 2016 (2016-06-19)
415September 23, 2016 (2016-09-23)March 24, 2017 (2017-03-24)

Cast

Main article: List of Liv and Maddie characters

Production

Development

Liv and Maddie began production in April 2013.[1] The series was created by John D. Beck and Ron Hart, both of whom also serve as executive producers alongside Andy Fickman. Beck and Hart are a production-writing team whose credits include According to Jim, Hey Arnold!, and Shake It Up!. Originally, the pair had shopped a script of a project called Bits and Pieces which featured a blended family similar to series like The Brady Bunch and Step by Step.[2] The series is produced under a joint venture by Beck & Hart Productions, Oops Doughnuts Productions, and It's a Laugh Productions.

On January 13, 2014, Disney Channel renewed Liv and Maddie for a 13-episode second season slated to premiere in fall 2014.[3] The second season was later expanded to 24 episodes.[4] The second season premiered on September 21, 2014. The series was renewed for a third season by Disney Channel on April 3, 2015.[5] The third season premiered on September 13, 2015. On December 21, 2015, actress Dove Cameron stated that Disney Channel was picking up Liv and Maddie for a fourth season.[6] On June 19, 2016, series co-creator Ron Hart announced on Twitter that the fourth season would premiere in fall 2016.[7] On July 1, 2016, Dove Cameron stated that they had filmed the series' final episode.[8] On August 19, 2016, it was announced by the series' creators, John D. Beck and Ron Hart, that the final season would be called Liv and Maddie: Cali Style. They also stated that the fourth and final season would premiere on September 23, 2016.[9]

Casting

Casting took place during the spring of 2012;[10] however, only a pilot episode was produced. The series followed Kali Rocha, Dove Cameron, Joey Bragg, Benjamin King, Cozi Zuehlsdorff, and Tenzing Norgay Trainor portraying Jodie Sullenger, mother of Alanna and Sticky, who married Pete Fickman, father of Crystal and Brody, with all six adjusting to life under the same roof. Eventually, Disney chose to change the concept of Bits and Pieces into one about a pair of twins.[2] Instead of hiring a new cast, production chose to keep those whom they had already hired and film a completely new pilot. The story now focused on Dove Cameron playing dual roles with the same parents and brothers. Lead billing for Cozi Zuehlsdorff was later dropped to guest star. The family name of "Rooney" was picked because of Sullenger's enjoyment of the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team owned by the Rooney family.[2]

Music

Main article: Liv and Maddie: Music from the TV Series

A full version of the Liv and Maddie theme song, "Better in Stereo", was recorded by Dove Cameron and released as a promotional single by Walt Disney Records on October 15, 2013.[11] A music video was filmed and aired on Disney Channel the night of October 29, 2013.[citation needed] The song was featured twice in the show, first in the season three finale, "Californi-a-Rooney", and then an acoustic version sung by Dove Cameron during the season four and series finale, "End-a-Rooney".

In the pilot, "Twin-a-Rooney", Liv shows Maddie a clip from the Sing It Loud! finale in which Liv's character, Stephanie Einstein, sings a cover of On Top of the World by Imagine Dragons. A full version of the song was recorded by Cameron and was released as a promotional single by Walt Disney Records on August 27, 2013.[12]

In "Fa-La-La-a-Rooney", Liv performs the classic "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" during the Stevens Point Holiday Spectacular. A full version of the song was recorded by Dove Cameron and is included on Holidays Unwrapped, a holiday album released by Walt Disney Records on October 15, 2013.[13]

In "Song-a-Rooney", Liv performs "FroyoYOLO" which goes viral, but Liv hates it. In the same episode, Liv performs "Count Me In". A full version of "Count Me In" was recorded by Dove Cameron and was released as a promotional single by Walt Disney Records on June 3, 2014.[14]

In "New Year's Eve-a-Rooney", Liv performs "You, Me and the Beat". A full version of the song was recorded by Cameron and was released as a promotional single by Walt Disney Records on December 2, 2014.

In "Rate-a-Rooney", Liv uploads "What a Girl Is". Two versions were created: the first being the one shown on Liv and Maddie and the other, including Christina Grimmie and Baby Kaely, was eventually recorded. Both versions are included in the Liv and Maddie soundtrack. The second version was released on iTunes on March 5, 2015, while the original version was released on March 17, 2015. On March 17, 2015, the Liv and Maddie soundtrack was released. The soundtrack includes "Better in Stereo", "On Top of the World", "FroyoYOLO", "Count Me In", "You, Me and the Beat", and both versions of "What a Girl Is". The soundtrack also includes "Say Hey", "As Long as I Have You", and "True Love", of which the last one would be morphed into two versions: Ballad, which would be sung by Jordan Fisher, and a piano duet featuring Jordan Fisher and Dove Cameron. With the announcement of the soundtrack on March 5, 2015, the singles for those songs, minus FroyoYOLO, were discontinued and are no longer available.

In "Prom-a-Rooney", Liv performs "True Love" at the school prom. Like she did with the other songs, Dove Cameron recorded a full version of the song which was released as part of the Liv and Maddie soundtrack on March 17, 2015.

In "Band-a-Rooney", Liv's band, "The Dream", performs "Say Hey" at the Battle of the Bands. A full version was recorded by Dove Cameron, with the band member's actor doing the chorus. The song was released as part of the Liv and Maddie soundtrack on March 17, 2015.

In "Video-a-Rooney", Liv's band performs "As Long as I Have You". Dove Cameron recorded a full version which was released as part of the Liv and Maddie soundtrack on March 17, 2015. The song was the final song from the soundtrack that was played in the series.

In "SPARF-a-Rooney", Andy Grammer performs "Honey, I'm Good". This is one of the few songs in Liv and Maddie not to be part of the soundtrack.

In "Sing It Louder!!-a-Rooney", Liv and Ruby perform "One Second Chance" on the set of "Sing It Louder!!" The song was recorded by Dove Cameron and Lauren Lindsey Donzis and was released as a promotional single by Walt Disney Records on November 4, 2016.

In "Falcon-a-Rooney", "The Power of Two" is performed again by Liv and Ruby for "Sing It Louder!!" Like the previous song in season four, Dove Cameron and Lauren Lindsey Donzis recorded a full song, released on January 20, 2017.

In "Sing It Live!!!-a-Rooney, Liv sings "My Destiny" for the special episode of "Sing It Louder!!" Again, a full version of the song was recorded by Dove Cameron and released as a promotional single on March 3, 2017.

Songs

List of songs in Liv and Maddie
Title Performed by First episode
"Better in Stereo" Dove Cameron "Twin-a-Rooney"
"On Top of the World" Dove Cameron "Twin-a-Rooney"
"Up on the Housetop" Dove Cameron and Ella Anderson "Fa-La-La-a-Rooney"
"Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow" Dove Cameron "Fa-La-La-a-Rooney"
"FroyoYOLO" Dove Cameron "Song-a-Rooney"
"Count Me In" Dove Cameron "Song-a-Rooney"
"You, Me and the Beat" Dove Cameron "New Year's Eve-a-Rooney"
"What a Girl Is" Dove Cameron "Rate-a-Rooney"
"True Love" Dove Cameron "Prom-a-Rooney"
"Say Hey" Dove Cameron "Band-a-Rooney"
"As Long as I Have You" Dove Cameron "Video-a-Rooney"
"Honey, I'm Good" Andy Grammer "SPARF-a-Rooney"
"Key of Life" Dove Cameron "Dream-a-Rooney"
"One Second Chance" Dove Cameron and Lauren Lindsey Donzis "Sing It Louder!!-a-Rooney"
"Power of Two" Dove Cameron and Lauren Lindsey Donzis "Falcon-a-Rooney"
"My Destiny" Dove Cameron "Sing It Live!!!-a-Rooney"

Broadcast

Liv and Maddie airs on Disney Channel in the United States and Family Channel in Canada. The pilot episode aired as a preview on July 19, 2013. The first promo for the series was seen on June 28, 2013. The series officially premiered in the United States on September 15, 2013, and in Canada on September 20, 2013.[citation needed] The series stopped airing in Canada on Family Channel on September 1, 2015, and started airing on Disney Channel on September 5, 2015.[citation needed] La Chaîne Disney in French Canada premiered the episode "Home Run-a-Rooney" on March 24, 2016, 17 days before the US and Canada airing on April 10, 2016.[citation needed] In the UK and Ireland, the series aired a preview on October 7, 2013, and later premiered on November 8, 2013.[citation needed] In Australia and New Zealand, the series premiered on October 11, 2013.[citation needed] The second season premiered on January 8, 2015.[15] The third season premiered on December 2, 2015.[citation needed] The series premiered in Southeast Asia on January 10, 2014.[citation needed] In the Balkans, Greece, the Middle East and Africa, the series premiered on March 8, 2014.[citation needed] The second season premiered on February 7, 2015.[citation needed] In India, the series premiered on October 30, 2017, on Disney International HD.[16]

Reception

Critical

Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media gave the series' quality a rating of three out of five stars, describing it as a "jovial family sitcom" and applicable for ages seven and above. Ashby credited the series' "comical spin" on common family issues, like sibling rivalry, stating: "As is true of most tween-targeted comedies, the series glosses over a lot, especially when it comes to teen issues, but that's what makes it a worry-free pick for kids."[17] Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times compared the series to The Patty Duke Show while describing it as "a gentle, moderately amusing comedy" and praising Dove Cameron's portrayal of the down-to-earth Maddie and diva Liv, stating: "...the premise gives the writers plenty of opportunities."[18]

Ratings

Viewership and ratings per season of Liv and Maddie
Season Episodes First aired Last aired Avg. viewers
(millions)
Date Viewers
(millions) 		Date Viewers
(millions)
1 20 July 19, 2013 (2013-07-19) 5.78[19] July 27, 2014 (2014-07-27) N/A 2.87
2 24 September 21, 2014 (2014-09-21) 2.04[20] August 23, 2015 (2015-08-23) 2.45[21] 2.17
3 20 September 13, 2015 (2015-09-13) 1.80[22] June 19, 2016 (2016-06-19) 1.53[23] 1.87
4 15 September 23, 2016 (2016-09-23) 1.66[24] March 24, 2017 (2017-03-24) 1.30[25] 1.21

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Result Ref.
2014 Kids' Choice Awards Mexico Favorite International Program Nominated
Kids' Choice Awards Mexico Favorite International Program Nominated
2015 Kids' Choice Awards Colombia Favorite International Program Nominated
2016 Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Show: Comedy Nominated [26]
Kids' Choice Awards Mexico Favorite International Program Nominated [27]
Kids' Choice Awards Colombia Favorite International Program Won [28]
Kids' Choice Awards Argentina Favorite International Program Won [29]
2017 Kids' Choice Awards Mexico Favorite International Program Won
Kids' Choice Awards Colombia Favorite International Program Won
Kids' Choice Awards Argentina Favorite International Program Won

Merchandise

Brand marketing promotion from Liv and Maddie still continues strongly, with ACCO Brands, under the Day Dream brand, featuring a 2015 wall calendar and Disney D'Signed clothing line from selected retailers Target and Kohl's. Wooky Entertainment owns Style Me Up, a creative fashion brand for tween girls, featuring Liv and Maddie: Dreams Come True and Liv and Maddie: A Rising Star sketchbooks.[30][31] Footwear retailer Payless ShoeSource conducts Liv and Maddie-themed character footwear based on the series.[32]

A novelization of the series, titled Liv and Maddie: Sisters Forever, was published by Disney Press on January 6, 2015.[33] The junior novel is based on the episodes "Twin-a-Rooney" and "Team-a-Rooney", and alternates between the view points of Liv, Maddie, Joey, and Parker. Featuring eight pages of photos from the series, the junior novel was adapted by Lexi Ryals. Another novelization of the series, titled Liv and Maddie: Double Trouble, was published by Disney Press on August 4, 2015.[34] It is based on the episodes "Sweet-16-a-Rooney" and "Dodge-a-Rooney". Like the first novel, Double Trouble features eight pages of photos from the series and was adapted by Lexi Ryals. Also like the first novel, Double Trouble alternates between the view points of Liv, Maddie, Joey, and Parker.

References

  1. ^ "Newcomer Dove Cameron Lands Dual Roles in Upcoming Disney Channel Sitcom Liv and Maddie". Screener. March 8, 2013. Archived from the original on March 13, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Monica Disare (September 15, 2013). "Steelers fanatic behind Disney's new series 'Liv and Maddie'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  3. ^ Philiana Ng (January 13, 2014). "Disney Channel Renews Liv and Maddie". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  4. ^ John D. Beck [@JohnDBeckTV] (September 12, 2014). "Why haven't we got 21 episodes for season 2:(" we have 24" (Tweet). Retrieved September 13, 2014 – via Twitter.
  5. ^ Elizabeth Wagmeister (April 3, 2015). "Liv and Maddie Renewed for Third Season on Disney Channel". Variety. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  6. ^ Dove Cameron [@DoveCameron] (December 21, 2015). "Friends. Guess what?! Disney Channel is picking up #LivandMaddie season 4" (Tweet). Retrieved October 16, 2016 – via Twitter.
  7. ^ Ron Hart [@Scatter] (June 19, 2016). "Thank you for your amazing support this season. We hope to see you all back this fall for #LivAndMaddie #Season4" (Tweet). Retrieved June 20, 2016 – via Twitter.
  8. ^ Jennifer Maldonado (July 1, 2016). "Dove Cameron Officially Says Goodbye to Liv and Maddie". M-Magazine. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  9. ^ Marc Snetiker (August 19, 2016). "Liv and Maddie Gets New Title for Final Season". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  10. ^ Alan Baltes (April 22, 2012). "Disney Channel casting starring roles for new comedy series 'Bits & Pieces'". Film Television Auditions. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  11. ^ "Better in Stereo". iTunes. October 15, 2013. Archived from the original on October 28, 2014. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  12. ^ "On Top of the World". iTunes. August 27, 2013. Archived from the original on November 6, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
  13. ^ "Disney Holidays Unwrapped". Target. Archived from the original on December 11, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  14. ^ "Count Me In". iTunes. June 3, 2014. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  15. ^ D Higgins (January 5, 2015). "200 New and Returning Foxtel Shows". Foxtel. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  16. ^ "Liv and Maddie on Disney International HD - Launching Oct 29". YouTube.
  17. ^ Emily Ashby. "Liv and Maddie TV Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  18. ^ Neil Genzlinger (September 13, 2013). "Liv and Maddie Offers Shades of The Patty Duke Show". The New York Times. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  19. ^ "Friday's Cable Ratings". The Futon Critic. July 22, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  20. ^ Mitch Metcalf (September 23, 2014). "Top 25 Sunday Cable Originals: 9.21.2014". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 25, 2014. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  21. ^ Mitch Metcalf (August 23, 2015). "Top 100 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Update: 8.23.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on August 26, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  22. ^ Mitch Metcalf (September 15, 2015). "Top 100 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Update: 9.13.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 17, 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  23. ^ Mitch Metcalf (June 21, 2016). "Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 6.19.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on June 21, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  24. ^ Mitch Metcalf (September 26, 2016). "Top 150 Friday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 9.23.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 27, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  25. ^ Mitch Metcalf (March 27, 2017). "Top 150 Friday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.24.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 28, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  26. ^ Mike Vulpo (May 24, 2016). "Teen Choice Awards 2016 Nominations Announced". E! Online. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  27. ^ "Kids Choice Awards Mexico 2016". Mundo Nick (in Spanish). Archived from the original on July 18, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  28. ^ "Kids Choice Awards Colombia 2016". Mundo Nick (in Spanish). Archived from the original on August 16, 2017. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  29. ^ "Los Pre-Nominados a los Kids' Choice Awards Argentina 2016". television.com.ar (in Spanish). August 10, 2016. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  30. ^ "Style Me Up Disney Channel Liv and Maddie Dreams Come True Small Sketchbook". Amazon. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
  31. ^ "Liv & Maddie - A Rising Star Sketchbook". Amazon. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
  32. ^ "Liv and Maddie Character Shoes and Accessories". Payless. Archived from the original on May 13, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  33. ^ Ryals, Lexi (January 6, 2015). Liv and Maddie: Sisters Forever (Liv and Maddie Junior Novel). Disney Press. ISBN 978-1484710791.
  34. ^ Ryals, Lexi (August 4, 2015). Liv and Maddie Double Trouble (Liv and Maddie Junior Novel). Disney Press. ISBN 978-1484716946.
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