Last month, Disney released a brand-new comedy series, “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place”, which is a revival and continuation of the popular Disney Channel show, “Wizards Of Waverly Place”.

The series follows an adult, Justin Russo, who has chosen to lead a normal, mortal life with his family, Giada, Roman and Milo. When Justin’s sister Alex brings Billie to his home seeking help, Justin realizes he must dust off his magical skills to mentor the wizard-in-training while also juggling his everyday responsibilities — and safeguarding the future of the Wizard World.

According to Deadline,”Wizards Beyond Waverly Place” has been a huge success, with the first episode pulling in 3.2 million views in the first twelve days of streaming on Disney+.  Making it Disney Channel‘s most-watched series premiere ever on Disney+.

Ayo Davis, president, Disney Branded Television, said in a statement:

“Wizards Beyond Waverly Place has reintroduced the magic of the Russo family to a new generation, resonating with audiences across platforms.  Its standout debut reflects the enduring appeal and relevance of this beloved franchise – and the creativity and talent driving this new chapter.”

As you might expect, the show has been popular among younger audiences, as Nielsen has reported that in the first five days of release, the show was the top streaming series in the US for kids aged between 6-11, teenagers and adults between 18-24.

Disney has tried a different release schedule than usual, dropping nine episodes at once, which has helped drive more viewership for younger audiences and also released the first episode on YouTube to try to encourage more interest in the series.

 “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place” stars David Henrie (as Justin Russo), Janice LeAnn Brown (as Billie), Alkaio Thiele (as Roman Russo), Max Matenko (as Milo Russo), Taylor Cora (as Winter) and Mimi Gianopulos (as Giada Russo). Selena Gomez (as Alex Russo) will guest star in the first episode.

Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas serve as writers and executive producers, along with executive producers Gary Marsh, Jonas Agin, Gomez and Henrie. Andy Fickman directed and executive-produced the pilot and will direct multiple episodes. “Wizards of Waverly Place” was created by Todd Greenwald.

Roger’s Take:  It’s great to see that Disney has got another hit on their hands with “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place”, and this should hopefully secure the future of the show for an extra season or two, but it’ll be interesting to see how the next wave of new episodes will perform, as I’d imagine older audiences wanting to see if it can recapture that feeling of the original series.

Did you watch “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place” on Disney+?  Let me know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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