‘Wizards Beyond Waverly Place’ Review: Simply Magical and Mystifying

If you’re wondering, yes, I’m one of those Disney Channel kids that grew up in the 2000s to early 2010s. I grew up on the finale of Hannah Montana, The Suite Life of Zach & Cody, and of course, Phineas and Ferb. Yet, it was Wizards of Waverly Place that really kept me hooked thanks to the hijinks of the Russo family. Whether it be an “of-the-day”-like episode or one of the arcs like “Versus Vampires” and “Versus Angels”, this show was truly special. So, when its reboot, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, was announced, I was instantly pulled back into my childhood self.

Sure, all the hype and excitement around this show was due to its nostalgia factor. Recently, Disney has been on a run of its own with Raven’s Home and Ducktales being very notable. However, these series more so modernized themselves for a new generation rather than creating a new story. With this new series that’s been helmed by original show veteran David Henrie, it does exactly the latter. Although, at points, it does feel like the show needs to take more time in developing its new characters.

Mind you, I’ve only seen three out of the eight episodes that the show has provided thus far. That being said, there is some semblance of an overarching narrative this season. That narrative focuses on Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown), a young wizard who’s brought in by Alex (Selena Gomez) for Justin (Henrie) to teach. Yet, Justin’s busy with his own family, which includes wife Giada (Mimi Gianopulos) and sons Roman (Alkaio Thiele) and Milo (Max Matenko). Between balancing their normal lives and the wizarding world, Justin and his family find themselves in some very messy situations.

This overarching narrative has its influence here and there throughout the season. So far, however, it’s truly taking its time in doing so by first establishing these new dynamics. It’s clear that the show wants to replicate that Alex-Justin-Max dynamic that made the original show popular. While I can’t go into deep specifics, there are moments in the second and fourth episodes that show that. Yet, there’s this shared charm in its three young stars that differentiates them from the original trio.

Roman and Milo specifically reflect that chaotic-ness that Justin and Max had. Roman clearly knows his stuff, or what he thinks he does from his dad. This trait comes out in the most nerdy ways possible, as you’d expect from the rational character in a sitcom. The more inexperienced Milo definitely has all the mannerisms of Max. However, Milo’s somewhat more capable, even if he reinforces Billie’s go-getting personality.

As for Billie herself, her place in the show’s grand scheme is much more complex. She’s not necessarily the “Alex” to Roman and Milo and the show makes that clear. The pacing of the first episode emphasizes that point given Alex’s brief return. Yet, Billie’s placement in the family feels natural because of those little interactions between the three. Roman and Milo don’t see Billie as an outsider at all, which makes that connectedness shine through. Plus, that’s what gets us to the issue-of-the-episode format the quickest.

On Justin himself, he’s still as witty as ever like his old self. He doesn’t necessarily embody the Jerry-ness that David DeLuise had in the original. Justin is much more tempered than his father, who I’ve yet to see in this show. Justin’s relationship with his wife, Giada, feels like it’s a calmer version of Jerry and Theresa (Maria Canals-Barrera). They don’t get as much into the wild side of things as Justin’s parents did in the past. Although, there are still some fun moments to be had with the two parental figures of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place.

If there were any problems to be had, its overarching narrative almost feels same-y. It does feel like it’s building up to have the Family Wizard Competition again. With its sitcom format, it can feel like it’s embracing the original show’s tone a bit much. (Also, can I just mention that the competition only happened in the Disney Channel movie?)

Fortunately, its overall aesthetic, visually and characteristically, feels refreshing. It’s not necessarily fully rehashing the original show, yet it still has that core to it. It’s actually using nostalgia to its advantage by adding its own maturity, almost like the iCarly reboot.

So far, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place manages to shine through even if it has a few kinks. Its characters have so much potential to make use of, especially with its new leads. Plus, the show’s overarching story can expand not just to return to the past, but explore new parts of this world as well. With more episodes to come, I’m definitely interested in watching this new family piece play out. Who knows, maybe we’ll get a return to the Versus arcs sooner than expected?

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place premieres on Disney Channel on October 29 and next day on Disney+.