The Disney Channel’s latest science-fiction sitcom, Villains Of Valley View, premiered on June 3. The show follows a family of supervillains in hiding after a fallout with the evil organization they were a part of.
From the very first episode, it was apparent that Villains Of Valley View takes inspiration from Disney shows that came before it, especially Wizards Of Waverly Place. Aside from the obvious similarities between the show titles and the genre, the new Disney show attacks conflicts and explores complicated character dynamics, not unlike its predecessor.
The Secret
The supervillain family is on the run after Amy stood up to the leader of their evil organization. While the family is hiding from their fellow villains, they must remain discreet in the public eye and avoid attracting any super-powered individual, good or bad.
In contrast, the Russo family must keep their magical secret to uphold the rules of the Wizard World and to protect themselves. While the reasoning behind keeping their powers secret is slightly different, both the supervillains and the wizards know there would be grave consequences if they were found out. In both shows, a select few non-powered characters are let in on the truth, but they must remain quiet as well, for their safety and the safety of their friends.
The Middle Child Is Up To No Good
While the family is made up of villains, the middle child, Amy, is the most set in her ways, eager to prove her abilities to the world. She enjoys being bad and taking advantage of others for her means to an end.
Amy bears a striking resemblance to Alex from Wizards Of Waverly Place in regards to her personality and her often selfish behavior. Alex is considered a role model for young girls, but only because she is able to grow, and when it truly matters, she does the right thing. Amy will undoubtedly continue to wreak havoc for a while longer, especially with her hatred of heroes after her defeat by Starling. However, with the common Disney Channel tropes already present in Villains, it is almost certain she will discover her goodness and go on to become another great Disney role model.
The Oldest Child Cares About Being Good
Jake is the oldest child in the villain family. Unlike Amy, he wants to be good. He cares about school and following rules. He sees their escape from the League Of Villains as an opportunity to rediscover himself as a good guy.
Jake resembles Justin Russo from Wizards Of Waverly Place because they both have this desire to follow the rules. This sometimes causes the character to come off as a bore or a stickler. This isn’t to say they are perfect and never do any wrong. Justin makes several mistakes that almost destroy the world, and Jake accidentally sends his neighbor to a different realm. They may not be as fun as their younger siblings, but their presence adds necessary heart to the shows.
The Perky Best Friend
Hartley is the new neighbor of the villain family and she quickly becomes friends with Amy and Jake. She is very perky and conscientious. She has a can-do attitude and a jumpy, excitable personality.
In Wizards of Waverly Place, Harper Finkle is Alex’s perky best friend who is known for her wacky homemade outfits and her over-the-top spirit. Both Harper and Hartley know their best friends’ family secret and they keep it hidden, though it takes some time for them to get used to the truth. Though Alex starts off using her powers for the wrong reasons, the relationship she shares with Harper teaches her how to be good. Amy and Hartley are at the very beginning of their friendship, but it’s clear that Hartley has already made an impact on her friend.
The Lair
After moving into their new home, Eva and Vic transform their basement into a villain lair to stash their gadgets and plot small acts of villainy against their neighbors and each other.
This is just another element of the show that seems to be inspired by the sitcoms before it. The Russo family also has a lair, though it serves a bit of a different purpose. Their lair is used for Wizard studies and houses several magical objects including a portal to the wizard world. Also, instead of having their lair in the basement, it’s hidden in the cooler of their sub shop. Many pivotal moments of the show occur in the Wizard lair, so it seems reasonable to assume the lair in Villains Of Valley View will also be important to the plot.
Youngest Child Is Still Getting The Hang Of His Powers
At the beginning of Disney’s newest series, Colby finally gets his unique power of shape-shifting. To compare, Max Russo only has a training wand and he’s learning how to do basic magic.
Both Max and Colby represent the younger kid who’s going through changes and must adapt. They both hit some hurdles in their training phase, but they always get back up. In Wizards Of Waverly Place, Max eventually outgrows his training wand, but he doesn’t lose his charm and positivity. If Villains Of Valley View continues past the first season, hopefully, Colby will keep his charm as well.
Questionable Parenting
Eva and Vic are the heads of the family, and while they’re the world’s worst villains, they still love their children. Even so, they aren’t the best parents, likely due to their upbringings. Eva repeatedly threatens torture and Vic tends to think of his desires before his children’s.
Jerry and Theresa don’t come even close to being the worst parents on TV, but they certainly have their moments, comparing Alex to Justin and often avoiding their parental responsibilities. Being a Disney sitcom, most of these moments are played for laughs. However, Eva and Vic have precedent for their behavior, and learning to do better will likely play a role in their necessary character development.
Younger Brother Becomes An Animal
In the third episode of Villains Of Valley View, Jake accidentally injures his younger brother, and to avoid the inevitable questions that would come from a trip to the hospital, Colby shape-shifts into a turtle and they go to the Veterinary clinic.
This plot thread comes directly from Wizards Of Waverly Place. In season 1, Max shape-shifts into a dog so the siblings can enter the backstage area at a dog show. The scenario of animal-shape shifting is not super common in sitcoms, and the fact that it’s the younger brother in both shows doing it to help their siblings makes this similarity huge and likely purposeful.
Powers Gone Wrong
In the second episode of Villains Of Valley View, Eva’s electrical powers run rampant due to the Texas heat. In episode 3, Jake aims a bench at his sister in an argument and unintentionally hurts his little brother.
Villains Of Valley View has only released a few episodes thus far, but it is clear from these instances that the villain family doesn’t have complete control over their powers, or rather, they still have some things to learn. Many of the best plot threads in Wizards Of Waverly Place – and all of the best kid’s science fiction TV show concepts – begin with a mistake or a moment where magic goes wrong. If this new show continues on this trend, the stories they’ll be able to tell will grow in stakes and could reach levels of greatness Wizards was able to in its run.
Sci-Fi Convention
The fifth episode of Villains Of Valley View sees Jake, Amy, and Hartley visit the annual colossal-con, a convention for superhero fans to unite in the state of Texas.
In a season 2 episode of Wizards, the Russo family visits their local convention to watch out for rogue wizards. This episode is pivotal to the show, as it has Alex finally reveal her secret to Harper. Villains mirrors this reveal when Amy’s nemesis seemingly discovers Jake is a supervillain she once fought against. From this episode on, if the show continues to take such clear inspiration from Wizards Of Waverly Place, fans and viewers are in for a wild ride.
