Raven’s Home might make millennials nostalgic
I’m beginning to doubt Raven Baxter’s ability to gaze into the future.
“Raven’s Home” premièred Friday night, almost a decade after the original series’s finale. Raven-Symoné reprises her role as the title character, who is now the divorced mother of teenage twins, one of whom has inherited her supernatural skill. Anneliese van der Pol returns as Raven’s clueless and also divorced best friend Chelsea, who recently moved into Raven’s eccentric Chicago apartment with her young son, Levi, in tow. The primary fan base of “That’s So Raven,” which started in 2003, has aged into their 20s and beyond. These viewers might appreciate some aspects of “Raven’s Home,” be it the return of her “vision face” or knack for physical comedy. We’re even treated to her catchphrase, “Oh, snap!” a little ways in.
But millennials are a generation of cord-cutters, and are unlikely to regularly tune in to the Disney Channel once the novelty factor wears off. What about the children, you ask? It’s a Disney Channel show, after all, and kids might relate to the jealous siblings. Issac Ryan Brown and Navia Robinson play twins Booker and Nia, and the former’s attempts to shave as a preteen or protect his sister are endearing. Little Jason Maybaum is Levi, a less devious but equally intelligent version of Raven’s younger brother, Cory. But even if younger viewers like these three, that’s not enough. The heart of “Raven’s Home” is a charismatic Symoné and callbacks to the original show, two factors kids won’t care as much about.