Let's look back at the show that created an international superstar. What do you all recall the most about Lizzie? Any favorite moments, episodes, ever wished you could have hung out at the Digital Bean with Lizzie, Gordo and Miranda?
-2 Seasons
-65 Episodes
-1,430 minutes of Lizzie, Miranda and Gordo
-2 Primetime Emmy Nominations for Outstanding Children’s Program
(2003; 2004)
-2 Kids Choice Award Wins for Favorite TV Show (2002; 2003)
Lizzie McGuire is a Disney Channel Original Series that aired on the Disney Channel from January 12, 2001, until February 14, 2004, for a total of two seasons. Its target demographic was preteens and adolescents. The series was created by Terri Minsky.
The show’s mixed media format stood out from the rest of the Disney Channel’s programming of the time and, in essence, became the channel’s flagship and definitive show of the early 2000s. The show’s producer Stan Rogow says the visual look of the show was partly inspired by Run Lola Run. Production was completed in 2002 after the show fulfilled its 65 episode order.
Main Characters:
Lizzie McGuire (Hilary Duff): Lizzie is the main character of the show. She is portrayed as a fun teen although her animated alter ego displays her true feelings from time to time including becoming rebellious, disrespectful and rude in the episode “Bad Girl McGuire.” Lizzie constantly gets into arguments with her younger brother Matt but knows right from wrong.
Miranda Sanchez (Lalaine): Miranda is one of Lizzie’s best friends; She, Lizzie, and Gordo form the main triumvirate. Miranda is the most self-conscious of the three as is evident in an episode in which she skips meals to get an “anorexic” look, but Lizzie and Gordo always see through her crisis. Her family is Hispanic, but she speaks very little Spanish. Miranda’s middle name is revealed to be Isabella in the episode, “Rated Aargh.” She did not appear in the last six episodes, nor in The Lizzie McGuire Movie. During this time, her character was said to be vacationing with her family in Mexico.
David “Gordo” Gordon (Adam Lamberg): Gordo is one of Lizzie’s best friends and has been since they were one day old. He usually offers sarcasm and good advice. He is portrayed as being very intelligent, practical, and he is a “straight A” student. He was revealed to be Jewish, as shown in one episode where he had a bar mitzvah. In the episode “The Untitled Stan Jenson Project” it was revealed that Lizzie had a crush on him in the fourth grade. In The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Gordo was pulled into a lip-lock with Lizzie after she realizes what a big mistake she has made. In the episode “Dear Lizzie” it is revealed that Gordo has a crush on Lizzie.
Matt McGuire (Jake Thomas): Matt is Lizzie’s little brother. As a stock character, he was often destroying something. He had a best friend named Lanny, who did not speak on-screen. Matt was clever and wily and had a reputation for getting into trouble. Matt and Lizzie shared a typical brother-sister relationship. They fooled around, annoyed each other, but were always there for each other at the end of each episode. He was rather intelligent and creative and knew how to humor people.
Jo McGuire (Hallie Todd): Jo is Lizzie and Matt’s mother. She cared deeply about Lizzie but was still trying to figure out how to raise a teenager. As a result, she sometimes tended to “mess up” situations in Lizzie’s life while trying to help make them better. At the end of each episode, Jo and Lizzie tend to come to an understanding and portray the unfaltering love of a mother-daughter relationship.
Sam McGuire (Robert Carradine): Sam is Lizzie and Matt’s father. He could be best described as a bit goofy and quite clueless about raising his kids. However, he always tried his best to help Lizzie out and understand her and was always available to lend a helping hand.
Minor Characters:
Kate Sanders (Ashlie Brillault): Kate is the most popular girl at Lizzie’s school. Originally one of Lizzie and Miranda’s best friends, Kate becomes popular because she got a bra after summer camp was over; as a result of her new-found popularity, Kate becomes Lizzie’s enemy. Kate enjoys trying to make Lizzie’s life miserable, but Lizzie always manages to outsmart Kate and come out on top. References in episodes are inconsistent about her last name. While Kate was mean to Lizzie in the series, she helps her out and becomes Lizzie’s friend again in The Lizzie McGuire Movie.
Ethan Craft (Clayton Snyder): Ethan is the boy who Lizzie, Miranda, and the rest of the girls at school have a huge crush on. He does not appear to be very bright, but he is kind and friendly to everyone. In season one, he is portrayed as more of a bad boy or a class bully.
Larry Tudgeman (Kyle Downes): Referred to as “Tudgeman” (or simply Tudge), Larry is the school dork. He is treated like an outcast by everyone except Lizzie and her friends. He is also been known to wear the same shirt since the fourth grade. Larry has a huge crush on Lizzie (that she does not return) and even asks her out to go to the science museum. Lizzie accepts his invitation to make him feel liked.
Claire Miller (Davida Williams): Claire is Kate’s new best friend. She is not very kind to Lizzie. She can sometimes even be unkind to her friends, including Kate, as shown in the episode “The Rise & Fall of The Kate Empire.” She represents the stereotypical popular girl portrayed on many TV shows.
Lanny Onasis (Christian Copelin): Lanny is Matt’s best friend. He never speaks on-screen, but Matt seems to have no problem communicating with him. Apparently, he is a direct descendant of Crispus Attucks.
Melina Bianco (Carly Schroeder): Melina is initially Matt’s friend who loves getting him into trouble. Later in the series, they both begin to have feelings for each other.
Digby “Mr. Digg” Sellers (Arvie Lowe Jr.): Mr. Digg is Lizzie’s cool, laid-back substitute teacher. In his lessons he often implies that he educated celebrities like Frankie Muniz and Christina Aguilera. He befriends Lizzie’s dad in one of the episodes and dates Matt’s teacher, Miss Jasmine Chapman.
Edward and Daniela Sanchez (Armando Molina and Dyana Ortelli): They are Miranda’s parents and appear in only a few episodes, including “Night of the Day of the Dead” in which they play a prank on Kate.
Howard and Roberta Gordon (Michael Mantell and Alison Martin): They are Gordo’s parents, who are both psychiatrists.
Parker Mackenzie (Chelsea Wilson): Parker is a girl in Lizzie’s class. In an episode, Gordo has a crush on her. She is a vegetarian, as shown in the episode “Obsession”. In an episode, Gordo asks Parker for a dance. She refuses because, in her opinion, he is too short for her. Parker dislikes Lizzie because she sneezed on her Macaroni Art in the 2nd grade and sat on her Titanic lunch box in the 5th grade.
Danny Kessler (Byron Fox): Danny is Lizzie and Miranda’s first heart-throb. He appears in the first few episodes. His family owns a water park called “The Slip Slide”.
Veruca Albano (Rachel Snow): A nerdy girl who appears once in Season 1 and more often in later seasons when Lizzie enters the eighth grade. In “Dear Lizzie”, she asks Lizzie for help with a bully problem, and even confides to her that “nothing gets out goulash”.
Amy Sanders (Haylie Duff): Kate’s 18 year old cousin, who acts like an older version of Kate. Kate and Amy have a rocky relationship. In the episode “Party Over Here”, when Amy first appears, Kate is shown to have a softer, slightly self-conscious side.
Coach Kelly (Dot Jones): The gym teacher at Hillridge Junior High.
Principal Tweedy (Phill Lewis): The principal of Hillridge Junior High.
Mr. Escobar (Daniel R. Escobar): A teacher at Hillridge Junior High who teaches Lizzie’s class in junior grade.
Jeremy Bargiel and David Rosen: They are Sam’s best friends who own a pet chimp named Fredo. In “Rated Aargh!” Jeremy is choking and Lizzie saves his life.
Awards & Nominations for Hilary Duff:
2002: Kids Choice Awards: Favorite TV Actress (Nomination)
2002: Young Artist Awards: Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series - Leading Young Actress (Nomination)
2002: Young Artist Awards: Best Ensemble in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) (With Lalaine, Adam Lamberg, Jake Thomas, Ashlie Brillault) (Nomination)
2003: Teen Choice Awards: Choice TV Actress - Comedy (Nomination)
2003: Young Artist Awards: Best Ensemble in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) (With Lalaine, Adam Lamberg, Jake Thomas) (Nomination)
2003: Kids Choice Awards: Favorite TV Actress (Nomination)
2004: Kids Choice Awards: Favorite TV Actress (Nomination)
2004: Australia Kids Choice Awards: Favorite TV Star (WON)
2005: Kids Choice Awards: Favorite TV Actress (Nomination)
The should get along :/ But i guess that's life...
. Besides the wonderful movie that emerged with the series