Wizards Beyond Waverly Place

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place is an American comedy television series serving as a spin-off and sequel to Wizards of Waverly Place. It premiered on October 29, 2024, on Disney Channel. The series stars Janice LeAnn Brown, Alkaio Thiele, Max Matenko, Taylor Cora, Mimi Gianopulos, and David Henrie. Henrie, Selena Gomez, Jed Elinoff, Scott Thomas, and Andy Fickman executive produce the series alongside Gary Marsh and Jonas Agin.

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place
Genre	Comedy
Created by	Todd J. Greenwald
Based on	Wizards of Waverly Place by Todd J. Greenwald
Developed by	Jed Elinoff & Scott Thomas
Starring	Janice LeAnn Brown Alkaio Thiele Max Matenko Taylor Cora Mimi Gianopulos David Henrie
Theme music composer	John Adair Steve Hampton Ryan Elder Brad Hamilton
Opening theme	"Everything Is Not What It Seems" by Janice LeAnn Brown featuring Selena Gomez
Composer	Zack Ryan
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	8
Production
Executive producers	Jed Elinoff Scott Thomas Selena Gomez David Henrie Gary Marsh Andy Fickman Jonas Agin
Producers	Greg A. Hampson Stefen Maekawa
Cinematography	Clifford Jones
Editors	Paul Coneys Anna Terebelo
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	22–27 minutes
Production companies	Entertainment Force Potato Monkey Productions It's a Laugh Productions
Original release
Network	Disney Channel
Release	October 29, 2024 (2024-10-29) – present (present)
Related
Wizards of Waverly Place (2007−2012)

Premise

The series follows an adult Justin Russo, living a normal life with his wife and two sons in Staten Island until his sister Alex asks for help with a young wizard-in-training named Billie. He revives his magical skills in order to mentor the young girl while balancing living a normal life and safeguarding the future of the Wizard World.

Cast and characters

See also: List of Wizards of Waverly Place characters

Main

• Janice LeAnn Brown as Billie, a young wizard who is sent to live with Justin so he can train her
• Alkaio Thiele as Roman Russo, Justin's oldest son and Milo's older brother
• Max Matenko as Milo Russo, Justin's youngest son and Roman's younger brother
• Taylor Cora as Winter, Billie and Roman's best friend
• Mimi Gianopulos as Giada Russo, Justin's mortal wife who is an investigative reporter for WOWP News
• David Henrie as Justin Russo, Giada's husband and the principal of Greenwald Middle School

Notable guest stars

• Selena Gomez as Alex Russo, Justin's younger sister and Milo and Roman's aunt. She holds a seat on the Wizard Tribunal and is the Russo Family Wizard.
• Maria Canals-Barrera as Theresa Russo, Justin, Alex and Max's mother and Milo and Roman's grandmother
• David DeLuise as Jerry Russo, Justin, Alex and Max's father and Milo and Roman's grandfather
• Jake T. Austin as Max Russo, Justin and Alex's younger brother and Milo and Roman's uncle

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code
1	"Everything Is Not What It Seems"	Andy Fickman	Jed Elinoff & Scott Thomas	October 29, 2024 (2024-10-29)	101
Justin Russo lives an ordinary life with his wife Giada and two sons, Milo and Roman; however, when his sister Alex arrives with a young wizard named Billie, she asks him to be her wizard teacher, but he declines due to giving up magic after being fired from WizTech. When his sons find out about wizards after Billie conjures up a "Floogie" monster, he decides to help train her magic and destroy the monster. Justin, Billie, and Alex enter the family lair, where Alex tells Justin a prophecy that says Billie must prevent the world from ending. Special guest star: Selena Gomez as Alex Russo Guest star: Dee Bradley Baker as Floogie Absent: Taylor Cora as Winter
2	"Mortal Vibes Only"	Jody Margolin Hahn	Jed Elinoff & Scott Thomas	October 29, 2024 (2024-10-29)	102
Billie gets into trouble with Justin for using magic outside of the lair, and thus, Billie fears being kicked out of the house. When she accidentally reveals to Milo and Roman that their father is a wizard, they try to ask him, but Billie slows them down with a spell and brews an "erasing" potion to make them forget; however, it erases half of each of Milo and Roman's bodies, and in a moment of errors Giada finds out about magic and wizards. Billie leaves, but Justin apologizes and brings her back to the house. A green ghostly figure tries to find Billie to destroy her. Guest stars: Patrick Bristow as Wizardpedia, Dee Bradley Baker as Phantomus Absent: Taylor Cora as Winter
3	"Saved by the Spell"	Andy Fickman	Jed Elinoff & Scott Thomas	October 30, 2024 (2024-10-30)	103
It's Billie's first day of middle school and her goal is to make a friend. She uses magic to impress Roman's best friend, Winter. A frog warns Giada that a Phantomus is on the loose in Staten Island, and she spends all day trying to find Justin to tell him. Roman becomes jealous of Billie and Winter's newfound friendship and steals Billie's wand. This results in the Phantomus thinking Roman is a wizard and possesses him. Billie tells the Phantomus that she's the one who is a wizard and it goes after her instead. Giada and Justin come in and tell Billie to use a restraining spell. She successfully defeats the Phantomus and traps it inside Giada's purse. Billie apologizes for tricking Winter with her magic and is ultimately forgiven. Guest stars: Oscar Montoya as Marcus, Dee Bradley Baker as Phantomus, John DiMaggio as Frog
4	"Something Wizard This Way Comes"	Bob Koherr	Molly Haldeman	October 30, 2024 (2024-10-30)	104
It's Halloween, and Billie explains if she were in the wizarding world, she would be preparing for "Pumpkin Belly", a monster that eats children if their house doesn't have terrifying Halloween decorations. When their decorations disappear, Billie and Roman are eaten; inside the stomach, they find Winter, who was the one who stole their decorations to make the monster arrive. Billie uses soda and mints to make the beast throw up, which succeeds until Winter says she left her phone in the stomach, and they have to get eaten again to get it. Meanwhile, Justin discovers that as acting principal, the school students will egg his house.
5	"Wizards Just Wand to Have Fun"	Victor Gonzalez	Brittany Assaly & Danielle Calvert	November 8, 2024 (2024-11-08)	105
Justin gets tired of Billie using magic irresponsibly and takes her wand away from her until she can take it seriously. Billie orders a prank box from an online wizarding store; however, when she orders the wrong box and it arrives at Justin's office, he opens it, and it shrinks him down. Billie tries to help him with an interview with the superintendent, but when it goes awry, he ends up at the Russo home with Justin still shrunk. He tells Billie that Justin hasn't got the principal job, but she convinces him to give Justin a second chance just as Justin walks into the lair, which takes off the shrinking spell, and after a successful interview, is given the job. Meanwhile, Roman uses a muscle suit to win at dodgeball. Guest stars: Darien Sills-Evans as Superintendent Kowalski
6	"The Legend of Creepy Follows"	Andy Fickman	Rick Williams	November 8, 2024 (2024-11-08)	106
Billie receives a tablet and finds out about Badgebook, an online school program created by Justin that helps with the students' school work, but they mostly use it for followers. When Billie signs up and does not gain any followers, she uses a spell to gain more followers. However, they start physically following her in real life and she learns from Wizardpedia that she must undo the spell or they will destroy her. She transfers the spell to Roman, who comes close to being destroyed, but Billie and Giada destroy all the tablets to break the spell. Meanwhile, Milo breaks into the lair and shows Wizardpedia how to have fun. Guest star: Patrick Bristow as Wizardpedia
7	"We're Gonna Need a Bigger Float"	Andy Fickman	Robin M. Henry	November 15, 2024 (2024-11-15)	107
Special guest star: David DeLuise as Jerry Russo Absent: Taylor Cora as Winter
8	"You Can't Handle the Tooth"	Victor Gonzalez	Sandra Oyeneyin	November 15, 2024 (2024-11-15)	111
9	"Wiz-Taken Identity"	Lynda Tarryk	Jorge Thomson	November 22, 2024 (2024-11-22)	108
Billie struggles with a spell, and Roman offers to help her if he were a wizard; Billie uses an hourglass to transfer her powers to Roman for an hour, which she finds out is illegal to use on a mortal. A ministry member, Bigelow McFigglehorn, comes to test Billie's abilities, and Roman pretends to be her as she doesn't know her face. When another McFigglehorn enters the Russo home, the first McFigglehorn reveals herself as evil wizard Morphia Murkshadow, who has come to take Billie; however, when Billie's magic transfers back to her, she defeats her and is taken to prison. At the prison, a dark figure appears before Morphia, who sends her through a portal to an unknown place. Guest stars: Kirsten Vangsness as Bigelow McFigglehorn, JJ Nolan as Morphia Murkshadow, Eleanor Sweeney as Bella Bianchi, Kristin Hensley as Anita Bianchi Absent: Taylor Cora as Winter
10	"Ain't Gnome Party Like a Wizard Party"	TBA	Brett Maier	November 22, 2024 (2024-11-22)	109

Production

Development

On January 18, 2024, it was announced that Disney had ordered a pilot for a sequel television series of Wizards of Waverly Place. Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas, who developed Raven's Home, the sequel to That's So Raven, wrote the pilot episode. It was directed by Andy Fickman. Elinoff, Thomas, and Fickman executive produce the series alongside stars Selena Gomez and David Henrie, as well as Gary Marsh, a former television executive, and Jonas Agin. The pilot was filmed on February 1, 2024, with Gomez guest starring and reprising her role as Alex Russo. In the series, Henrie's character is set to have given up his wizard powers to live like a normal human. On March 22, 2024, it was announced that Disney Channel had ordered the pilot to series. Production began in Los Angeles in April 2024. Wizards was used as the working title during early filming until its official title, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, was announced in May 2024. Raven-Symoné and Danielle Fishel directed episodes. Andy Fickman also directed additional episodes outside of the pilot.

Casting

David Henrie reprises his role as Justin Russo, while Selena Gomez guest starred in the pilot as Alex Russo. Mimi Gianopulos was cast to portray Giada, Justin's wife, and Alkaio Thiele plays their oldest son Roman. Additionally, Janice LeAnn Brown stars as Billie, a young wizard seeking Justin's assistance in wizard training. At the time it was ordered to series, it was reported that Max Matenko was cast as Milo, Justin's youngest son. Taylor Cora also appears as Winter, Billie and Roman's best friend. It was later announced that David DeLuise would reprise his role as Justin's father Jerry.

Release

The trailer for Wizards Beyond Waverly Place amassed 69 million viewers in 10 days across all social media platforms. It became Disney Channel's most-watched trailer for a comedy series of all time. The series premiered on October 29, 2024, on Disney Channel. The first nine episodes became available to stream on Disney+ the following day, with episodes 3–9 being released prior to their televised premieres.

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8/10, based on 6 critic reviews. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 78 out of 100 based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Aramide Tinubu of Variety said Wizards Beyond Waverly Place successfully blends nostalgia with fresh content. She praised the performances of both returning cast members like David Henrie and Selena Gomez, and newcomers such as Janice LeAnn Brown, Alkaio Thiele, and Max Matenko. Tinubu found the enhanced special effects and comedic timing of the child actors particularly impressive. She stated that the series retains the charm of the original, with its focus on family and magic, while introducing new adventures. She appreciated the show's lively and fun atmosphere, saying it appeals to both longtime fans and newcomers. Joel Keller of Decider noted that Wizards Beyond Waverly Place captures the silliness and family vibe of the original show, but observed a difference in Selena Gomez's performance. He praised her more subtle comedic timing, saying it may be influenced by her work on Only Murders in the Building, contrasting with the more exaggerated sitcom-like acting from the rest of the cast. Keller appreciated her nuanced portrayal of Alex Russo, balancing the childlike antics around her. He also highlighted the show's focus on Billie's integration into the mortal world and the return of original cast members, expecting the series to appeal to both nostalgic fans and new younger audiences.

Abigail Stevens of Screen Rant found Wizards Beyond Waverly Place to be a funny and heartwarming sequel that successfully captures the essence of its predecessor. She praised David Henrie and Selena Gomez for reprising their roles, noting their strong dynamic, while complimenting the performances of the new cast members. Stevens appreciated how the show mirrors the original family structure without feeling like a direct copy, maintaining unique characterizations. She stated that the series introduces darker emotional storylines, hinting at deeper themes of family and self-worth. Ashley Moulton of Common Sense Media rated Wizards Beyond Waverly Place four out of five stars. She complimented the show's comedic tone and found the moderate scariness of the wizards' encounters with monsters to be lighthearted and not overly alarming. Moulton appreciated the positive messages about perseverance and self-belief, while noting that the main character Billie is a complex role model, showing both rebelliousness and personal growth. She also found Justin Russo to be a good role model, while the relationship between brothers Milo and Roman was seen as affectionate despite typical sibling rivalry.

Ratings

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place debuted with 3.2 million views globally in its first 12 days on Disney+, making it the most-watched series premiere on the platform for Disney Channel. The show ranked as the top streaming series in the U.S. among Kids 6—11, Girls 6—11, Teens, and Adults 18—24 during its first five days. The release of the full first episode on YouTube attracted 1.1 million views, marking the channel's best performance for a new full episode since 2017. Social media activity generated over 125 million impressions and 13 million engagements on platforms including Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

External links

• Wizards Beyond Waverly Place at IMDb