K.C. Undercover
K.C. Undercover is an American comedy television series created by Corinne Marshall that aired on Disney Channel from January 18, 2015 to February 2, 2018. The series stars Zendaya, Veronica Dunne, Kamil McFadden, Trinitee Stokes, Tammy Townsend, and Kadeem Hardison.
K.C. Undercover | |
---|---|
Genre | Comedy |
Created by | Corinne Marshall |
Starring |
|
Theme music composer |
|
Opening theme | "Keep It Undercover" by Zendaya |
Composer | Bert Selen |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 3 |
No. of episodes | 75 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Producers |
|
Cinematography |
|
Camera setup | Multi-camera |
Running time | 21–29 minutes |
Production companies |
|
Release | |
Original network | Disney Channel |
Original release | January 18, 2015 – February 2, 2018 |
Premise
Set in Washington, D.C., the series follows K.C. Cooper, a high school math genius, who gets recruited by her parents after she discovers that they are secretly undercover spies working for an agency called The Organization. Her brother tries to help because he feels left out and eventually joins the team, and his desire leads his mother and father to get a new robot child. Each episode centers on K.C. and her family as they contend with common familial issues while also performing missions to save the country, with a recurring storyline involving thwarting the plans of a criminal organization.
Episodes
Cast and characters
Main
- Zendaya as K.C. Cooper, a high school student by day and an undercover spy whenever. She is highly proficient at math and karate. She is a member of a government spy organization. She is the daughter of Kira and Craig Cooper. Sister to Ernie Cooper. Granddaughter to Gayle King and Othello King.
- Veronica Dunne as Marisa Clark,[1] K.C.'s best friend. She is cheerful, girly and a very outgoing person. In "Photo Bombed", she learns about K.C.'s spy life.
- Kamil McFadden as Ernie Cooper, K.C. and Judy's brother and a stereotypical nerd. He is a computer genius and joins the family's spy team in "My Sister From Another Mother... Board". He is often ignored by his parents, especially his father, who treats him as expendable during missions, which gives him a severe inferiority complex.
- Trinitee Stokes as Judy Cooper,[1] K.C. and Ernie's sarcastic robot sister who looks like a 10-year-old girl. Her robotic nature makes her very smart, but she has no social skills, although she is considered to be sassy. Her name stands for "Junior Undercover Digital Youth". She does not appear in the show until "My Sister from Another Mother... Board", when the Cooper parents believe Ernie wouldn't make a good enough spy before he quickly proves them wrong.
- Tammy Townsend as Kira Cooper, mother to K.C., Ernie, and Judy, and also an undercover spy.
- Kadeem Hardison as Craig Cooper, father to K.C., Ernie, and Judy, and also an undercover spy.
Recurring
- Rick Hall as Agent Johnson, an elite member of the Organization. In "K.C. Undercover: The Final Chapter", it is revealed that he is a villain called The Mask and is jealous of Beverly for being the head of the Organization.
- Sherri Shepherd as Beverly, the head of the Organization. She is good friends with the Cooper family.
- James DiGiacomo as Petey, a "friend" of Judy's. Judy finds him annoying, as he has proven to be skeptical of the Cooper household, when Judy is alone. He's shown to be obnoxious and loud every time he screams out Judy's name.
- Jaime Moyer as Mrs. Goldfeder, the Coopers' neighbor and Petey's mother. Like Petey, she is also obnoxious and loud, frequently visiting the Cooper's house.
- Ross Butler as Brett Willis, an enemy spy and K.C.'s ex-boyfriend. In "Operation: Other Side, Part 2", it is shown that Brett was kicked out of the Organization, after he was discovered working as a double agent and being the son of Zane. He now works for the Other Side as a hand-to-hand combat instructor. In "K.C. and Brett: The Final Chapter – Part 1", Brett was sent to kill K.C., but failed, and he is now currently on the run from the Other Side in Canada.
- François Chau as Zane, a member of the Other Side and the father of Brett. After Richard is captured by the Coopers, he becomes the new leader of the Other Side until he is apprehended again.
- Lee Reherman as Victor, the underboss of the Other Side.
- Kara Royster as Abby, the long-lost cousin of K.C. and Ernie and the daughter of Erica Martin and Richard Martin. She is secretly a member of the Other Side who was sent to reactivate her mother's status.
- Jasmine Guy as Erica, the sister of Kira, the estranged wife of Richard Martin, the mother of Abby, the aunt of K.C. and Ernie, and a member of the Other Side who went inactive.
- Rick Fox as Richard, the father of Abby, the husband of Erica, and the uncle of K.C. and Ernie. He is the leader of the Other Side that has eluded the Organization.
- Connor Weil as Brady, an enemy agent who works for a renegade spy organization known as the Alternate. He appears in the third season where he manipulates Marisa into helping him following Zane's arrest. In the episode "Revenge of the Van People", it is revealed that he is a double agent now working for the Organization.
Production
The series was first announced as a pilot in pre-production titled Super Awesome Katy in November 2013. The series was set to star Shake It Up star Zendaya, who would play 16-year-old Katy Cooper, an outspoken and confident technology wiz and skilled black belt, who discovers that both her parents are spies who expect her to follow in their footsteps. Production on the pilot was set to begin in early 2014.[2] On November 6, 2013, Zendaya tweeted about the pilot, saying she wants to bring back the "cool Disney Channel", mentioning shows like That's So Raven, The Proud Family, and Kim Possible.[3] It was ordered to series by Disney Channel in May 2014, with the series now under the title K.C. Undercover.[4] The series was released on Watch Disney Channel on January 1, 2015, and was followed by the television premiere on January 18, 2015.[5] The first season consisted of 27 episodes. On May 15, 2015, Disney Channel renewed the series for a second season,[6] which premiered on March 6, 2016. On August 1, 2016, People revealed that the series had been renewed for a third season.[7] The third season premiered on Disney Channel on July 7, 2017, and ended on February 2, 2018.
Broadcast
In Canada, the series premiered on Family Channel on January 23, 2015, and moved to Disney Channel on September 1, 2015. During the launch week of Disney Channel, the episode "Runaway Robot" aired on September 1, 2015, a week before the U.S.[8] The series premiered on Disney Channel in Australia and New Zealand on March 5, 2015.[9] In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the show premiered on March 27, 2015, on Disney Channel. On Disney Channel in Southeast Asia, it premiered in Singapore on March 13, 2015, and in the Philippines on April 10, 2015. The show debuted on the English feed of Disney XD in the Middle East and Africa on October 12, 2015.[10] In India, the series premiered on October 30, 2017, on Disney International HD.
Reception
The series has received generally positive reviews. Common Sense Media rated the series 3 out of 5, writing, "Disney megastar Zendaya rescues tepid spy-comedy."[11]
Ratings
Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired | Avg. viewers (millions) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Viewers (millions) |
Date | Viewers (millions) | |||
1 | 27 | January 18, 2015 | 3.51[12] | January 24, 2016 | 2.02[13] | 2.30 |
2 | 24 | March 6, 2016 | 2.08[14] | January 13, 2017 | 1.18[15] | 1.51 |
3 | 24 | July 7, 2017 | 1.24[16] | February 2, 2018 | 1.16[17] | 1.10 |
References
- Lakeitcha Thomas (February 1, 2018). "Fact Sheet: K.C. Undercover". Disney ABC Press. Archived from the original on February 24, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
- Philiana Ng (November 6, 2013). "Shake It Up Star Zendaya to Topline Disney Channel Spy Pilot". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
- Zendaya [@Zendaya] (November 6, 2013). "I wanna bring back the cool Disney channel...I'm talking That's So Raven...Lizzie McGuire....Proud Family...Kim Possible feel...y'all know😏" (Tweet). Retrieved July 18, 2019 – via Twitter.
- Philiana Ng (May 8, 2014). "Disney Channel Orders Zendaya's K.C. Undercover to Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
- "New Series K.C. Undercover Starring Zendaya to Premiere Sunday, January 18, on Disney Channel". TV by the Numbers. December 11, 2014. Archived from the original on February 1, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
- "K.C. Undercover Renewed for Season 2 at Disney Channel". TVLine. May 15, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
- Patrick Gomez (August 1, 2016). "Watch Zendaya Transform into a Portly Old Man for K.C. Undercover". People. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
- "Get Ready Canada! Disney Channel Arrives on September 1!". Corus Entertainment. August 11, 2015. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- "K.C. Undercover: Zendaya Reveals Her Latest Series". Foxtel. February 26, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- Andrew Germishuys (August 31, 2015). "Disney XD Programming Highlights for October 2015". South African Movie Database. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
- "K.C. Undercover - TV Review". www.commonsensemedia.org. January 15, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
- Mitch Metcalf (January 21, 2015). "Top 25 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Update: 1.18.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on January 22, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- Mitch Metcalf (January 26, 2016). "Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Update: 1.24.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on January 28, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- Mitch Metcalf (March 8, 2016). "Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.6.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
- Mitch Metcalf (January 17, 2017). "Top 150 Friday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.13.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on January 17, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
- Mitch Metcalf (July 10, 2017). "Top 150 Friday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.7.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on July 11, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
- Mitch Metcalf (February 5, 2018). "Top 150 Friday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.2.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on February 6, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2018.