The concept of reviving the iconic series Zoey 101 is something I'd certainly contemplate. The adolescent show aired from 2005 to 2008 with Jamie Lynn Spears portraying a boarder at a Malibu school. It holds a nostalgic allure for a specific demographic of late millennials brought up on Nickelodeon. The series finale seemed untimely due to Spears' unexpected teenage pregnancy, which hit headlines shortly after the finale. Despite the fact that the show had concluded production before Spears' surprise teenage pregnancy made her a tabloid sensation, the perception persisted that this event had sunk the wholesome, PG-rated series.
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With this in mind, the argument for Zoey 102, Paramount+'s fresh movie reboot of the series, might seem plausible. The sentiment of unfinished business surrounding the original series and the necessity of streaming platforms to reinvent anything previously successful provide theoretical support for the reboot. However, this endeavor appears ill-conceived. The belated and somewhat alien revisionist finale for Zoey 101 feels incongruous and untimely. The disconnect becomes especially obvious when the reboot's premise of Zoey grappling with life in her 20s fails to align with the reality that the cast, having "graduated" from high school 15 years ago, are now mostly in their mid-30s. At its worst, the reboot is preoccupied with recreating the half-remembered charm of yesteryears, rendering the attempt rather cringe-worthy.
This applies significantly to Spears's Zoey, a workaholic producer on a reality show reminiscent of Love Island. The cause of her distance from friends is because of her feelings for Chase Matthews (Sean Flynn). Chase is her former best friend and high school sweetheart. They lost touch after Chase made a fruitless trip to Hawaii for Zoey, who after, ghosted him. The audience gets a brief glimpse of the Pacific Coast Academy alumni's adult lives as Zoey peruses their Instagram profiles. The script throws in an adult twist with the revelation of PCA's closure due to an embezzlement scandal.
In a hasty bid to excel at work, Zoey jumbles up her responsibilities of babysitting a dimwitted contestant during the live finale taping and performing maid-of-honor duties for her best friend's wedding in Malibu. She also hires an actor to portray her faux Australian doctor boyfriend in a bid to impress Chase, who she learns is now in a serious relationship. This sets the stage for a slew of complications including awkward karaoke sessions, a self-driving car, and several nods to the trending "is it cake?" meme.
By Nancy Hower with a screenplay by Monica Sherer and Madeline Whitby, Zoey 102 aspires to recreate the original’s allure. It has light-hearted slapstick humor, a 2005-era setting, and its focus on the ups and downs of high school romances. While the movie reunites most of the original cast and features an array of nostalgia-inducing elements such as futuristic smartphones and idyllic shots of Malibu beaches, the resultant impact feels watered-down and gimmicky.
The reboot grapples with an uncomfortable limbo of adulthood. It is too tame and naive for its original audience, yet not sufficiently relevant or relatable for today's teenagers. A scene where Zoey, after encountering Chase and his new girlfriend, takes a reflective drive along Malibu's coastline. She drives to Olivia Rodrigo's 'Good 4 u’, which highlights the eerie, suspended adolescence of the whole setup. The question arises, should we be rooting for this?
The reboot, like many other nostalgic teenage show revivals, seems more appealing as a concept rather than a tangible product. As a case in point, the Lizzie McGuire series revival was deemed mature by Disney. In retrospect, perhaps that was a wise decision.
