I can’t stand watching Disney Channel anymore. Maybe its just me growing out of those kinds of shows and missing the shows I know and love, but the shows airing now just don’t have the same vibes as the ones that aired when I was a kid, and I can’t bring myself to keep watching them. So to take care of my feels, I put together a list of the ones I watched and wrote about why they’re so great.

Lizzie McGuire, 2001-2004. Hilary Duff plays a teenager going through typical teenage struggles. She has two best friends Miranda and Gordo, a crush, Ethan and an enemy Kate. She also has two parents and a younger brother (Matt) at home. What made this show special is the soliloquy of an animated version of Lizzie who expresses what Lizzie is actually feeling. I remember a certain episode in which there is a new student from Indonesia, and Lizzie attempts to befriend him. She doesn’t succeed as quickly, because the student doesn’t have as good english. Her and her friends then get the opportunity to play on a Mexican game show (in spanish), through one her Miranda’s cousin. They attempt to learn some spanish and have Miranda’s cousin translate, which was a challenge for them. They accidently eliminate Miranda’s cousin for a certain round and end up making fools of themselves. Lizzie then understands the struggle of language barriers, and understands what the new student is going through. The concept of this episode is to convey the importance of kindness toward those who are new to our multi-cultural country and that it isn’t always so easy for them to adjust.

The Proud Family, 2001-2005. This was an animated comedy about a girl named Penny Proud. She has an interesting and fun family as well as a group of friends. Her mother Trudy is a veterinarian and her father has a business called Proud Snacks with uncommon flavors. They are different races, making Penny and her siblings biracial. She has twin siblings who are infants throughout the show, BeBe and CeCe. Oscar’s mother, Suga Mama lives with them as well and has her small dog Puff. Penny has a diverse group of friends in race and income, including an African American girl with light hair, a tall red-headed girl, a boy with dreadlocks and a hispanic girl who is actually Penny’s frenemy and neighbor. Their status in terms of privilege isn’t always shown but there are some episodes where difference are shown and they all still stay close. The show centers around the typical struggles of Penny and her friends, and how the family deals with them. There are a lot of unrealistic scenes considering the show is animated, however it still gets a good message across. No matter how different everyone can be, the struggles are beatable when they have each other to work through them. This shows in the numerous times the group is bullied, the family is supportive and they get through it together. The Proud family is the perfect combination of comedy and lesson.

Kim Possible, 2002-2007. The show is named after the main character, who is a teenage girl superhero. She doesn’t identify as a superhero officially, however her tasks and fights resemble those of superheroes who are official. She creators based her off James Bond, with tasks and gadgets much like his. She fights the various villains (include men and women who were typically older) when they try to commit crimes against society. She successfully beats every villain and doesn’t let anything stop her. Her sidekicks include Ron and Wade as well Rufus, Ron’s naked mole rat he carries in his pocket. Ron and Rufus accompany Kim on her Missions, as Wade reports the crime happening and what needs to be done. Kim defies gender roles as a female who does the fighting with a lead role and proves that women are as capable of men. The males in this show are the supporting roles. Wade is only 10 years old and built those gadgets to help fight crime. Kim is a cheerleader as well as a hero, Ron is socially awkward and less known around school. They’ve been best friends since childhood and they don’t have all that much in common, but they stay best friends. It shows that it’s possible to be friends with someone that isn’t necessarily the same type of person. They make a great despite their differences, which is a great lesson to teach kids because there will be a lot of teamwork required in activities, school and jobs. On a sidenote, the Kim Possible section on Disney’s website had my favorite games to play.

That’s So Raven, 2003-2007. This one is about a teenager with a superpower to see into the future. Raven, the main character gets quick visions throughout the day about impending events. She then tries preventing them from happening by enlisting her friends and family (only ones who know about the superpower), and almost every time realizes that the vision came true because of her actions on trying to prevent it. In some episodes she doesn’t understand what’s happening until it happens, and realizes she misunderstood the vision. There was always a good lesson at the end of each episode, which is stated by one of the main characters. Such as her Mom (Tanya), Dad (Victor), Brother (Cory) and two closest friends Chelsea and Eddie. Cory has a drive to make money, which is my favorite quality in him. He saves it and keeps it safe, and doesn’t spend too much. Each of these characters have their own obsessions, quirks and aspirations which they all show in each episode. My friends and I would match ourselves to each character based on those things and just have a good time imagining ourselves in that place the characters are in. Raven keeps her superpower a secret because she doesn’t feel that everyone would appreciate or understand it. But Eddie proved her wrong in one episode when he suddenly obtained this superpower and used it to help his peers. Everyone praised him for it and he got himself a good name around school. This all goes downhill when he loses the superpower and is back to himself the way he was before, losing the newfound popularity.

Phil of the Future, 2004-2006. This one set some high expectations for time travel. A family travels back in time, to what is present day. Phil, his sister Pim and his parents. They bring all the cool gadgets that are from the future and use them in what is present day on the show. Phil’s friend Keeley is the only one outside their family who knows that they’re from the future, and together they weather the typical high school days. Phil takes advantage of the gadgets as he deals with each conflict that comes his way, and each episode is filled with giggles and suspense. The one I remember the best is when Keeley befriends the new girl and spends more time with her than she does with Phil. Phil gets jealous, and takes matters into his own hands as Keeley’s birthday approaches. He uses one of the gadgets to make a clone of Keeley to hang out with the new girl, so he can take the real Keeley on a ride around the world on another gadget. The clone isn’t very intelligent, which the new girl notices. They eventually go back to where the new girl is and Keeley learns about Phil’s shenanigans. Phil disposes of the clone and makes up for it, then they have a heart to heart talk. In which Keeley assures him he’ll always be her friend, she just needed a female companion. That’s why she gave the new girl more time.

The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, 2005-2008. Cole and Dylan Sprouse create their name in show business with this comedy taking place in Boston. Their Mom, Carey, gets a job which comes with a suite in the upper level of the five star Tipton Hotel, which becomes the playground for the twins’ shenanigans. They have a friend group at the hotel, consisting of diverse backgrounds. London, the hotel owner’s daughter is an Asian, wealthy, fashion-obsessed and somewhat dim-witted. Her best friend Maddie, a blonde, less fortunate, studious and talented who works the Candy Counter at the hotel. Esteban, an older Mexican bellhop and Arwin, a maintenance worker who sometimes get enlisted in the shenanigans with the perks of their occupations. Then there is Mr. Mosby, the manager of the hotel who in the end is the one covering up the shenanigans for the sake of his guests and job at the hotel. He is also a parent figure to London, who doesn’t have parents around. They have their friend group from school, who are closer to either Zack or Cody. The twins themselves are very diverse in their personalities. Zack is the wild, less studious one who usually instigates the shenannigans. Cody is the mellow, studious one who tries preventing the consequences of the shenanigans but usually ends up being a part of them. There is a spin off called “Suite Life on Deck,” with some of the same characters. The shenanigans continue on a cruise ship with a high school in it, as well as Mr. Mosby.

Hannah Montana, 2006-2011. Nearly everyone dreams of being famous one day, and this show is example of what that actually means. Miley Stewart navigates the double life of an average teenager and pop star. Her Dad, Robby Stewart is her agent and her brother Jackson is a major supporter in her career. Her best friends Lily and Oliver are the only other ones who know about her famous identity, Hannah. Everyone else just knows her as Miley. The theme song explains it all, that being famous has its ups and downs, just like being an average teenager. She juggles concerts, tv appearances and photoshoots with friends, family and school. She doesn’t have as much of a social life as she’d like to have and doesn’t appear to be in any sports or other activities. Sometimes she uses her famous identity for good things like raising money for charity, but most of the time living two lives is stressful. The comedy in the show is mostly created by her brother, which is shown separately from what is going on with Miley. No matter what, her friends and family stand by her side and she stays successful. It shows that with drive and support, dreams do come true.

And we can’t forget the greatest moment on 2000s Disney: