Who says you can’t go back home? Actress Raven-Symoné successfully returned to her Disney Channel roots with new series Raven’s Home, a continuation of That’s So Raven, her popular series that ran for four seasons from 2003-07.
Symoné, who played teen psychic Raven Baxter in the original series, reprises that role in Raven’s Home, with the character now a divorced mother of two young children. Actress Anneliese van der Pol also reprises her That’s So Raven role as Raven’s best friend, Chelsea, in Raven’s Home, for which Raven-Symoné serves as executive producer.
The July 21 premiere of Raven’s Home drew 4 million viewers, the second biggest series premiere among all kid-targeted cable TV networks in total viewers this year.
While other Disney child stars have moved on as adults, Raven-Symoné — who most recently appeared as a co-host on TV talk show The View and in a guest role in Fox’s Empire — told B&C that she wanted to return to create a family-oriented show that attracted old fans of That’s So Raven as well as a new generation of viewers.
“I missed Disney Channel, and I wanted to return to something that was meaningful,” she said. “This is a different show with characters that you remember from your past. It shows what’s going on in society now — we’re not rich, but we’re two families living under one roof trying to make it work.
“What I love about it is the people that remember us as 15-year-olds now see us as 30-plus-year-olds — we’re hoping to show how these characters have evolved.”
