Zoey 101 and the original cast are returning for a new spin-off movie, Zoey 102. However, this new continuation of the show is a shockingly bad idea.
Paramount+ has announced a Zoey 101 movie spin-off, titled Zoey 102, and it is a terrible idea. Zoey 102 has already begun filming with many of the original cast returning including lead Jamie Lynn Spears as Zoey Brooks, Sean Flynn as Chase Matthews, Erin Sanders as Quinn Pensky, Matthew Underwood as Logan Reese, Christopher Massey as Michael Barret, Abby Wilde as Stacey Dillson, and Jack Salvatore as Mark Del Figgalo. Noticeably missing from the cast is Victoria Justice, who played Lola, Alexa Nikolas who played Nicole, and Paul Butcher who played Zoey’s younger brother Dustin.
Paramount+ has announced very few details about the plot but has said Zoey 102 will follow the PCA alumni reuniting for a wedding. A Zoey 101 special aired featuring Chase and Michael opening the PCA time capsule from the end of the original series, with Chase finding out Zoey had feelings for him. This could hint that the wedding will be Zoey and Chase’s, but there is also no confirmation that Zoey 102 will be connected to the special reunion episode. Zoey 102 is expected to be released in late 2023 as production is currently well underway.
Zoey 102’s Backlash Proves The Reboot Is A Bad Idea
Despite Zoey 101 being an iconic childhood show for many audiences, Zoey 102 is a terrible idea and the backlash from the announcement proves it. Recent controversy has surrounded Jamie Lynn Spears regarding her speaking against her sister Britney Spears and ending her conservatorship. Plus, the creator of many Nickelodeon shows, Dan Schneider has been accused of sexual misconduct by many of the minors that starred in his shows. These include iCarly’s Jennette McCurdy and Alexa Nikolas, who left Zoey 101 after season 2 due to this and accusations of bullying against her cast mates and Schneider himself.
Although Schneider will not be involved in Zoey 102, he will still be credited as the original creator of the show and in the wake of all this controversy it does not seem like Zoey 102 will get the support it needs to work. The success of the iCarly reboot may seem like the perfect reason to reboot Zoey 101, but iCarly has changed with its audiences to not be a children’s show, but an adult one aimed at its original audiences. Zoey 102, however, is just a one-off and is riding on being a nostalgia hit for the 2000s children but cannot have any lasting impact because of this.
Paul Butcher Is Right, Zoey 102 Is Too Late
Paul Butcher has also spoken out against Zoey 102 in a TikTok where he states nobody wants the reboot, with the caption“Too little too late” (via TikTok), and he is right. In 2015, Dan Schneider released a clip (via YouTube) featuring Chase and Michael. In the clip, Chase is about to propose until Michael gatecrashes and tells him Zoey’s (Sweet Magnolias‘ Noreen Fitzgibbons) video from the time capsule revealed she believed he was her soulmate. The clip caused a lot of people to believe a Zoey 101 reboot was going to be following it, but nothing ever came of it.
Since the clip, all the controversy surrounding Zoey 101 and its cast has arisen and left audiences uninterested in the new reboot. Zoey 102 could have been successful following the 2015 clip, but Paul Butcher is right that it is too late now and audiences do not want to support it, despite their love for the original show. There seems to be no love lost between Butcher and his “ex-sister”, as he refers to Spears, but Butcher is correct that Nickelodeon’s newest reboot, Zoey 102, has been left too long to be a success.
