HOLY SHIT, friends! This was one of those monumental moments you know will be immortalized in many #TBT posts from now until eternity. Yesterday on The View, co-host Raven-Symoné announced that her 2003 Disney Channel sitcom That’s So Raven would be getting a brand new reboot/spin-off/sequel! Oh snap, indeed.
As a concept, this is not a game changer. We heard straight from the Raven’s mouth that, like Fuller House and Girl Meets World, “That’s So Raven 2” would feature a grown-up Raven Baxter as a single mother of two. The twist: One of her kids will inherit the psychic abilities that inspired 100 episodes of hijinks on the original show. Obviously, I am completely here for this show. So please allow me to share my entirely unfounded, wild, and crazy visions/predictions/wishes for what I want to see when this reboot hits the air!
#1- New stuff!
New theme song! New disguises! New catch phrases! New fashions! I want it all. Those ingredients are what made That’s So Raven so Raven in the first place. I don’t really have ideas for how to improve on those iconic elements, but I’m ready to be blown away. So, in the immortal words of Rupaul, don’t fuck it up.
#2- The original cast will not return!
I know what you’re thinking. We have not seen a lot from Kyle Massey (Cory Baxter), Rondell Sheridan (Victor Baxter), Anneliese van der Pol (Chelsea Daniels), T’Keyah Crystal Keymáh (Tanya Baxter), or Orlando Brown (more on him later) since the end of TSR. They have had a few runs on stage and screen between them, but that’s probably not enough to make them unavailable for the reboot. Still, I think Raven could totally recreate the magic of the original solo. And, when asked if this project would be an official reunion of the original cast, Raven said she was not the “head of casting”. It’s not looking good for those dying to find out what happened to Cory after his stint in the White House.
#3- More LGBTQ Representation!
You don’t have to dig very far to find LGBTQ subtext in the sci-fi/superhero genre. If you’re in the closet to any degree, it’s easy to relate to characters hiding some kind of supernatural ability from the world. Could this be the story for Raven’s psychic child? Could the kid struggle with coming out as not only psychic but also as not straight and/or not cisgender? It’s very possible when you consider how open and unapologetic Raven has been about her own sexuality as of late. There’s obviously not nearly enough rainbow flag representation in children’s shows today. So who better than Raven-Symoné to continue fighting that great gay fight?
#4- Eddie, you ARE the father!
The show never went there, but I think Eddie and Raven were DTF (destined to fuck). And you know what happens when a mommy and daddy like each other very much as teenagers but, many years later, have a one night stand, get pregnant, try to make it work for the sake of the baby, have a second child, and then break up for good. Oh, you don’t? Well, in my eyes, this is how Raven will answer her kids’ questions about their paternity. Since bad boy Orlando Brown is probably not returning and Raven has confirmed her character would be a single mom, making Eddie the Baxter baby daddy seems like the perfect way to both honor the character and punish the actor.
#5- Special Guest Star Whoopi Goldberg!
Raven also revealed that she would be departing The View before the end of the year to focus on her Executive Producer duties. All the ladies congratulated her, but I was most convinced by the show of support from co-host Whoopi “EGOT” Goldberg. When Raven won the lead role in the Goldberg-produced Broadway musical Sister Act, she learned that it might be nice to have Whoopi on her side. Now seems like high time for Raven to pay Whoopi back with a recurring role on the new show. It’d be pretty cool if Whoopi appeared as an older version of Tanya Baxter or as a teacher to the baby Baxters in the vein of teen Raven’s wacky faculty.
What do YOU think is waiting for Raven Baxter and friends in the future? As these family sitcom TV reboots are becoming a genre of their own, the real question is what show from the past is next up for revival.
Nina and I dreamt up a Sister, Sister reboot starring Rami and Sami Malek called “Sexy, Sexy”. So, I’m thinking that if any one of my That’s So Raven predictions comes true, someone needs to give us that greenlight ASAP.