Saturdays (TV series)
Saturdays is an American coming-of-age comedy television series created by Norman Vance Jr. It premiered on March 24, 2023 on Disney Channel. The series stars Danielle Jalade, Daria Johns, Peyton Z. Basnight, Jermaine Harris, Tim Johnson Jr., Golden Brooks, and Omar Gooding.
Saturdays | |
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![]() Official release poster | |
Genre | |
Created by | Norman Vance Jr. |
Starring |
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Opening theme | "Ain't No Other Day" by Rae Khalil |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 15 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Camera setup | Single-camera |
Running time | 22–24 minutes |
Production companies |
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Release | |
Original network | Disney Channel |
Original release | March 24, 2023 – present |
Premise
Paris Johnson (a 14-year-old girl) forms the "We-B-Girlz" skate crew with her best friends: Simone and Ari. Together, they are determined to create the hottest skate routines in their local roller rink "Saturdays Rockin' Roller Palace" and are working to become famous in Chicago, Illinois.
Cast
Main
- Danielle Jalade as Paris Johnson,[1] the leader of the We-B-Girlz skate crew, who has a tendency of doing too much with her big ideas
- Daria Johns as Simone Samson,[1] Paris' best friend, who is into the boho-chic style
- Peyton Z. Basnight as Ari Stevens,[1][2] Paris' best friend, who is into the butterfly aesthetic
- Jermaine Harris as London Johnson,[1] Paris' older brother, who is a DJ at Saturdays
- Tim Johnson Jr. as Derek "D-Rok" Troy,[1][2] London's best friend and fellow DJ at Saturdays, who is also an aspiring rapper
- Golden Brooks as Deb Johnson,[1] Paris' mother, who runs a baking business called "Cal & Deb B-Bakin'" with her husband
- Omar Gooding as Cal Johnson,[1] Paris' father, who runs the baking business with his wife
Recurring
- Yolanda "Yo-Yo" Whitaker as Duchess, the rink owner
- Missy Fierro as Madison Ortiz, a DJ at Saturdays and London's girlfriend
- Noah Cottrell as Ivan, a VIP skater at Saturdays and Simone's love interest
Notable guest stars
- Da Brat as Princess,[3] Duchess' former singing partner, who started dressing up as a clown after their singing duo broke up
- Issac Ryan Brown as Booker,[4] Paris and London's play cousin, who is visiting Chicago for the summer
Production
On March 11, 2021, Disney Channel gave a pilot order to Saturdays. Marsai Martin and Norman Vance Jr. serve as executive producers. Vance also served as the writer of the pilot.[5] On November 30, 2021, the series was formally greenlit.[6] Production began on May 2, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois and wrapped in mid-September that same year.[7] On April 7, 2022, Tim Johnson Jr. and Peyton Z. Basnight joined the cast as series regulars.[2] On February 9, 2023, it was announced that the series would premiere on March 24, 2023.[8] On April 26, 2023, it was announced that Saturdays and Raven's Home would have a special crossover episode, which premiered on April 28, 2023.[9]
Episodes
No. | Title [10][11][12] | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [10][11][12] | Prod. code [10][12] | U.S. viewers (millions) |
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1 | "Skates, Lies & Videos" | Nancy Hower | Stacey Evans Morgan | March 24, 2023 | 103 | 0.12[13] |
Paris, Simone, and Ari are three best friends from Chicago, Illinois who form the roller skating crew, "We-B-Girlz" at their local roller rink called "Saturdays." One day, the girls find out a music video for a popular rapper named "Box Heezy" is being shot at the rink and they want to be in it. However, only skaters aged 18 can be in the video. This gives Paris and the girls the idea to age up their looks to pass as 18-year-olds and therefore, be apart of the music video. The girls walk into Saturdays with overdone hair and makeup and they were let into the auditions. Eventually, the producer catches them and is actually impressed by their tenacity. This leads to him allowing only one of the girls to be in the video. The girls agree that if only one of them can be in the video, then none of them should be. The next Saturday, Ari is caught signing up for the video by Paris, who is caught by Simone. The three briefly argue and then agree to never go behind each other's backs again. On a last minute decision, the producer decides he needs all three girls to be in the video. However, it's not what they expected at all, as their role in the music video was to be dancing toilet paper rolls. Paris' parents laugh at the video, telling her that next time she should ask what the video is about before being apart of it. Guest stars: Yolanda "Yo-Yo" Whitaker as Duchess, Noah Cottrell as Ivan, Chaz Lamar Shepherd as Doug Jones | ||||||
2 | "Comb Back to Me" | Nancy Hower | Norman Vance Jr. | March 24, 2023 | 102 | 0.08[13] |
Paris is tired of London embarrassing her at Saturdays. As an act of revenge, she steals his favorite hair comb, which he named "Lucille." This causes London a lot of sadness and stops showing up at Saturdays. He begins staying in the garage, where he doesn't shower or pick up after himself for weeks. Meanwhile, Cal and Deb are trying to lose weight they gained during a pandemic. After Duchess tells Paris that London is missing out on a $500 DJing gig, she begins to feel guilty and wants to return the comb. The only problem is that fell out of her backpack due to a big hole being in it. Paris goes home and admits to London that she lost the comb and apologizes. She also tells him that she is tired of him embarrassing her at Saturdays, in which London apologizes for. Cal comes into the garage with the comb, to London's delight. After he leaves the room, Cal admits that it wasn't the "Lucille" comb. It turns out that London loses the same comb at least five times a year, so Cal bought a bulk of the same comb and kept a box of them in the attic. Guest stars: Yolanda "Yo-Yo" Whitaker as Duchess, Missy Fierro as Madison Ortiz | ||||||
3 | "Too Many Cooks" | Bridget Stokes | Kourtney Richard | March 31, 2023[lower-alpha 1] | 104 | 0.08[14] |
The We-B-Girlz want new outfits to wear at the rink. They find one they all like, but it is too expensive for them. Paris convinces her parents to let them work for their baking business and they reluctantly agree. On the first day of work, the girls make a big mess in the kitchen in which Paris cleans up and promises to never let it happen again. However, Paris is told by her parents that she needs to fire Simone and Ari. Not wanting to hurt their feelings, Paris reluctantly lets the girls make deliveries for gender reveal cupcakes. All is going well until Simone and Ari deliver an order to the wrong address, leading to Paris getting grounded. Meanwhile, Derek is trying to impress a girl at Saturdays by learning how to roller skate, with some help from London. Guest stars: Yolanda "Yo-Yo" Whitaker as Duchess | ||||||
4 | "Why Are You So Meme?" | Bridget Stokes | Tamiko K. Brooks | March 31, 2023[lower-alpha 1] | 105 | N/A |
Guest stars: Yolanda "Yo-Yo" Whitaker as Duchess, Noah Cottrell as Ivan, Mirabelle Lee as Sonia | ||||||
5 | "Roll a Mile in My Skates" | Shea William Vanderpoort | David Tolentino | April 7, 2023[lower-alpha 1] | 106 | 0.11[15] |
Guest stars: Yolanda "Yo-Yo" Whitaker as Duchess, Missy Fierro as Madison Ortiz, Noah Cottrell as Ivan, Taneka Johnson as Coldstone, Sire James as Swan | ||||||
6 | "Don't Clown the Duchess" | Shea William Vanderpoort | Christian Nicole Davis | April 7, 2023[lower-alpha 1] | 107 | 0.07[15] |
Guest stars: Yolanda "Yo-Yo" Whitaker as Duchess, Da Brat as Princess, Eric Nenninger as Kev Jackson | ||||||
7 | "The Chocolate Club" | Leslie Kolins Small | Gretchen J. Berg & Aaron Harberts | April 14, 2023 | 108 | 0.12[16] |
Guest stars: Yolanda "Yo-Yo" Whitaker as Duchess, Missy Fierro as Madison Ortiz | ||||||
8 | "Nightmare on Paris Street" | Leslie Kolins Small | Judy Dent | April 14, 2023 | 109 | 0.10[16] |
Guest star: Angel Laketa Moore as Old Lady Whitaker | ||||||
9 | "Friends for a Minute" | Robbie Countryman | Abai Wobenh | April 21, 2023 | 110 | N/A |
Guest stars: Yolanda "Yo-Yo" Whitaker as Duchess, Missy Fierro as Madison Ortiz, Noah Cottrell as Ivan, Ashton Elijah as Jesse, Matte Martinez as Miles | ||||||
10 | "Feelin' Brand New New" | Robbie Countryman | Ra'Kenna Luckey & Courtney A. Smith | April 21, 2023 | 111 | 0.06[17] |
Guest star: Dinora Walcott as Kimme | ||||||
11 | "Mama Drama" | Jono Oliver | Maya Ayele & Julian Butler | April 28, 2023[lower-alpha 2] | 112 | 0.08[18] |
Guest stars: Missy Fierro as Madison Ortiz, Rachel Cerda as Erica, Cece Abbey as Layla, Tone Kapone as DJ Magic Maxx | ||||||
12 | "Emma Dilemma" | Jono Oliver | David Tolentino & Tamiko K. Brooks | April 28, 2023 | 113 | 0.10[18] |
Special guest star: Issac Ryan Brown as Booker Guest star: Ellie Reine as Emma | ||||||
13 | "The Return of Roxie" | Leslie Kolins Small | Gretchen J. Berg & Aaron Harberts | May 5, 2023 | 114 | 0.12[19] |
Former We-B-Girlz member, Roxie returns from Jamaica. Duchess agrees to squeeze her back into the We-B-Girlz, making the trio a foursome for the Golden Skate Competition. There is some noticeable tension between Ari and Roxie. Paris and Simone tell them they need to work together as a team and they eventually get along better after practicing a new routine. The tension returns when Duchess tells the girls that she can't let them compete as a foursome in the competition, due to not enough people signing up in their age group. Paris and Simone are left to make the difficult decision of choosing Ari or Roxie to compete with them. Ari calls Paris and Simone and tells them she is dropping out of the competition because she doesn't want things to be awkward with Roxie. Meanwhile, London has developed feelings for Madison and wants to tell her, but he can't find the right time. Guest stars: Yolanda "Yo-Yo" Whitaker as Duchess, Missy Fierro as Madison Ortiz, Mirabelle Lee as Sonia, Samantha Smith as Roxie | ||||||
14 | "Rollin' With Paris" | Leslie Kolins Small | Norman Vance Jr. | May 5, 2023 | TBA | N/A |
Paris and Simone are still feeling guilty about Ari leaving the group. They reflect on their journey of when Ari first joined the We-B-Girlz skate crew. They make the difficult decision and tell Roxie that they want Ari to compete with them instead. Paris and Simone go to Ari's house to tell her that she's back in the group and she happily rejoins. Roxie calls the girls to tell them she joined the rival crew, 2-Cute-4-U with Sonia and Jesse and that they better watch out. Guest stars: Yolanda "Yo-Yo" Whitaker as Duchess, Missy Fierro as Madison Ortiz, Noah Cottrell as Ivan, Mirabelle Lee as Sonia, Ashton Elijah as Jesse, Samantha Smith as Roxie | ||||||
15 | "Goin' for Gold!" | Leslie Kolins Small | Norman Vance Jr. | May 12, 2023 | 115 | 0.09[20] |
It's the day of the Battle 2-B Golden Skate Competition and the stakes are high. The We-B-Girlz are more nervous than ever, after seeing 2-Cute-4-U's performance. Meanwhile, Cal and Deb discover that Miss Pecolia is giving up her business and gives the location to Cal and Deb. Paris tries to reconcile with Roxie, but she doesn't want to hear it. Later, Cal accidentally reveals that Roxie's parents had gotten a divorce and she hasn't been taking it well. The girls understand why she's been having so much negative energy lately. London is still trying to figure out how to confess his love for Madison, which he does right before We-B-Girlz and 2-Cute-4-U's tiebreaker. The two share a kiss and begin cueing up the music for the tiebreaker. We-B-Girlz won after Roxie fell during the flip stunt. This ultimately results in the We-B-Girlz becoming goldens. Guest stars: Yolanda "Yo-Yo" Whitaker as Duchess, Missy Fierro as Madison Ortiz, Mirabelle Lee as Sonia, Ashton Elijah as Jesse, Samantha Smith as Roxie, Renee Lockett as Miss Pecolia |
Release
Saturdays premiered on March 24, 2023 on Disney Channel.[8] The first six episodes were released on Disney+ on March 25, 2023, resulting in episodes 3–6 being released prior to their televised premieres.[21] Similarly, episodes 7–11 were added to Disney+ on April 26, 2023, resulting in episode 11 being released prior to its television debut later that week.[22]
Ratings
Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired | Avg. viewers (millions) | ||
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Date | Viewers (millions) |
Date | Viewers (millions) | |||
1 | 12 | March 24, 2023 | 0.12[13] | May 12, 2023 | 0.09[20] | 0.09 |
Notes
References
- "Roll Into the Weekends with Disney Channel's New Series Saturdays and the Return of Popular Adventure-Mystery Series Secrets of Sulphur Springs" (Press release). Disney Channel. February 9, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023 – via The Futon Critic.
- Petski, Denise (April 7, 2022). "Tim Johnson Jr. & Peyton Z. Basnight Join Saturdays Disney Channel Comedy Series". Deadline. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- "Don't Clown the Duchess". Saturdays. Season 1. Episode 6. April 7, 2023. Disney Channel.
- "Emma Dilemma". Saturdays. Season 1. Episode 12. April 28, 2023. Disney Channel.
- Petski, Denise (March 11, 2021). "Saturdays Comedy Produced By 'Black-ish's Marsai Martin Gets Disney Channel Pilot Order". Deadline. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- Petski, Denise (November 30, 2021). "Marsai Martin's Saturdays Comedy Pilot Picked Up To Series By Disney Channel". Deadline. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- "Disney Channel Series Saturdays Set to Film in Chicago This Spring". Screen Magazine. February 3, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- Massoto, Erick (February 9, 2023). "New Coming-of-Age Series Saturdays Sets Disney Channel Release Date [Exclusive]". Collider. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- Disney Channel [@DisneyChannel] (April 26, 2023). "Get ready to fall for our upcoming #SaturdaysSeries X #RavensHome crossover episode 😘 Issac Ryan Brown is sending you all his love this Friday on #DisneyChannel!" (Tweet). Retrieved October 10, 2023 – via Twitter.
- "Saturdays Episode Listings". The Futon Critic.
- "Saturdays Episode Guide". Zap2it.
- "Saturdays Episodes". Disney General Entertainment Content.
- Mitch Metcalf (March 27, 2023). "Friday 3.24.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
- Mitch Salem (April 3, 2023). "Friday 3.31.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
- Mitch Salem (April 10, 2023). "Friday 4.7.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- Mitch Metcalf (April 17, 2023). "Friday 4.14.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- Mitch Salem (April 24, 2023). "Friday 4.21.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
- Mitch Metcalf (May 1, 2023). "Friday 4.28.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
- Mitch Salem (May 8, 2023). "Friday 5.5.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- Mitch Metcalf (May 15, 2023). "Friday 5.12.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
- Khosla, Proma (February 16, 2023). "Everything Coming to Disney+ in March 2023". IndieWire. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- Struss, Jason (March 16, 2023). "Everything coming to Disney+ in April 2023". Digital Trends. Retrieved June 5, 2023.