I'm in the Band
Encyclopedia
I'm in the Band, is a live-action sitcom airing on Disney XD
in the United States and on Family Channel
in Canada
. The pilot episode was taped on July 14, 2009, with a "sneak preview" airing on November 27, 2009; the show subsequently joined Disney XD's regular schedule on February 20, 2010, with the first episode being shown as a "sneak preview" in the United Kingdom on that same date. The show's January 18, 2010 premiere was watched by an estimated 860,000 viewers.
It was announced on April 26, 2010, that I'm in the Band has been renewed for a second season which premiered on January 17, 2011. On March 15, 2011, Caitlyn Taylor Love
and Greg Baker
announced on their official Twitter
accounts that the second season would be the show's last. On April 28, 2011, Disney XD officially announced the show's cancellation, with the remaining season 2 episodes to air for the remainder of the year.
, California
dreams of showing off his guitar skills by being part of a rock band. When he wins a radio contest to have dinner with his favorite band, Iron Weasel, his dream comes true. He manages to impress them with his guitar playing and miraculously lands the lead guitarist role. Iron Weasel is made up of three middle-aged stooges – lead singer, Derek Jupiter, bass player, Burger Pitt, and drummer, Ash. The band mates initially scoff at the idea of having a kid in the band, for fear of losing their cool, edgy appeal. But, tired of living in their cramped van, they succumb when Tripp offers the guest room at his mom's house.
Luckily, Tripp convinces his divorced mom, Beth, that the band members will be great role models for him. In their own wacky way, the band will try to mentor Tripp through his high school years with the goal of turning him into a bonafide rock star in the process. Along for the adventure is Tripp's best friend, Izzy Fuentes, an aspiring singer, who will try to keep him not grounded and out of trouble.
Tripp has high hopes for Iron Weasel and will do everything he can to help the band make an epic comeback, from booking concert tours, to getting a well-known music agent to listen to their music.
Unfortunately, the members of Iron Weasel always seem to find themselves in uncomfortable situations – from their nationwide concert tour which ends up being a three venue gig, to protesters boycotting their music because of a silly viral video that was intended to make them popular again. Regardless of their mishaps, Tripp and his band mates always find a way to come together to resolve their issues and do what they love best – play rock n' roll.
described the series “the fertile premise evaporates amid bad puns, slapstick and fart jokes.” Also stated by Lowry, “content to blandly play the band as overgrown children turning Tripp into their unlikely babysitter.”
phase, until the premiere of Kickin' It
that garnered 873,000 viewers.
Disney XD
Disney XD is a brand of children's TV channels worldwide targeting young males, owned by The Walt Disney Company. The channel was formerly known as Toon Disney and/or Jetix in most areas. According to Gary Marsh, President of Entertainment for Disney Channel Worldwide, "XD" does not "stand for...
in the United States and on Family Channel
Family Channel
Family is a Canadian English language Category A premium television service marketed to children and teenagers aged 2-15. It is owned by Astral Media...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The pilot episode was taped on July 14, 2009, with a "sneak preview" airing on November 27, 2009; the show subsequently joined Disney XD's regular schedule on February 20, 2010, with the first episode being shown as a "sneak preview" in the United Kingdom on that same date. The show's January 18, 2010 premiere was watched by an estimated 860,000 viewers.
It was announced on April 26, 2010, that I'm in the Band has been renewed for a second season which premiered on January 17, 2011. On March 15, 2011, Caitlyn Taylor Love
Caitlyn Taylor Love
Caitlyn Taylor Love is an American actress and singer. She currently co-stars in the Disney XD sitcom I'm in the Band.-Career:...
and Greg Baker
Greg Baker
Gregory Baker is an American television and film, actor and musician. He is perhaps best known for his recurring roles as Elliott, a producer on the show Sports Night, Mr...
announced on their official Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
accounts that the second season would be the show's last. On April 28, 2011, Disney XD officially announced the show's cancellation, with the remaining season 2 episodes to air for the remainder of the year.
Premise
Fifteen-year-old Tripp Campbell who lives in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
dreams of showing off his guitar skills by being part of a rock band. When he wins a radio contest to have dinner with his favorite band, Iron Weasel, his dream comes true. He manages to impress them with his guitar playing and miraculously lands the lead guitarist role. Iron Weasel is made up of three middle-aged stooges – lead singer, Derek Jupiter, bass player, Burger Pitt, and drummer, Ash. The band mates initially scoff at the idea of having a kid in the band, for fear of losing their cool, edgy appeal. But, tired of living in their cramped van, they succumb when Tripp offers the guest room at his mom's house.
Luckily, Tripp convinces his divorced mom, Beth, that the band members will be great role models for him. In their own wacky way, the band will try to mentor Tripp through his high school years with the goal of turning him into a bonafide rock star in the process. Along for the adventure is Tripp's best friend, Izzy Fuentes, an aspiring singer, who will try to keep him not grounded and out of trouble.
Tripp has high hopes for Iron Weasel and will do everything he can to help the band make an epic comeback, from booking concert tours, to getting a well-known music agent to listen to their music.
Unfortunately, the members of Iron Weasel always seem to find themselves in uncomfortable situations – from their nationwide concert tour which ends up being a three venue gig, to protesters boycotting their music because of a silly viral video that was intended to make them popular again. Regardless of their mishaps, Tripp and his band mates always find a way to come together to resolve their issues and do what they love best – play rock n' roll.
Main characters
- Tripp Ryan Campbell (Logan MillerLogan MillerLogan Miller is an American actor and musician.Miller was born in Englewood, Colorado on February 18, 1992, and currently lives in Dallas, Texas. He played a teenage Connor Mead in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. He has a role in the Disney XD series I'm in the Band, playing Tripp Campbell...
) is the teenage lead guitarist of Iron Weasel who has always dreamed of joining a rock band. Despite his age, Tripp is the most mature of all the members of Iron Weasel and is determined to help the band make a comeback. Tripp is only Iron Weasel member of the group that is still finishing schoolSchoolA school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
. He usually takes out his anger by playing the guitar, as seen in the episode "I Wanna Punch Stuff". He has had a lot of dates and crushes and is allergic to nuts. Tripp is the one who usually solves the band's problems. Throughout the series, Principal Strickland in Season 1 and Principal Jenkins in Season 2 gives him detention if does something by accident, mean, minor, etc.
- Ash (Stephen FullStephen FullStephen Full is an actor and comedian, best known for his role as Ash in the Disney XD show I'm in the Band.-Personal life:Full married actress Annie Wersching at their Los Angeles home in September 2009...
) is the band's amiable drummer, who is often depicted as being the dumbest one out of the members of Iron Weasel. He used to have a pet fish named Sushi (and Sushi 2), which both got killed after Burger's shorted-out bass zapped it. It is shown that he knows random bits of trivia. In the episode "Slap Goes the Weasel", it is revealed that his real name is Ashley. If someone called him that (like Izzy in this episode), he would go into wild tantrums after someone calls him that, almost similar if someone would call Charles, Chucky. It has never been revealed what Ash's last name is. He seems to be slightly smarter is Season 2.
- Burger Pitt (Greg BakerGreg BakerGregory Baker is an American television and film, actor and musician. He is perhaps best known for his recurring roles as Elliott, a producer on the show Sports Night, Mr...
) is the food loving, slightly dim, bass player of Iron Weasel. He has a very electrified personality as a rock star, and is shown to have a lot of joy in physical acts, such as smashing his own bass or smashing his head into a wall. He is noticeably overweight and has disgusting habits, including eating worms. Burger is known to have a secret crush on Tripp's mom, Beth and he often sports black nail polish on his fingers. He also won the first Weasel Prank in the episode "Prank Week".
- Derek Jupiter (Steve ValentineSteve ValentineSteven John Valentine is a Scottish actor, singer and magician who has performed on stage and screen, but is best known for his role as the eccentric Nigel Townsend on NBC's crime drama Crossing Jordan...
) is the British, cocky, usually selfish but charming and handsome singer. He is known to be a very good magician as shown in episode "Magic Tripp" and is multilingual. He delivered a baby in the episode "What Happened?". Vic Blaylock claims that Derek causes all the problems in the band, though Tripp claims that Derek is the heart and soul of Iron Weasel. He is also the tallest of the guys (Tripp, Ash and Burger) and seems to be a little smarter than Ash and Burger. He admits to have his very own dungeon when Ash found a strange set of keys in "What Happened?". He can also play guitar as seen in "Slap Goes the Weasel", "Road Tripp", etc as well as key board, as seen in episode "Izzy Gonna Sing" and in several other episodes.
- Isabella "Izzy" Fuentes (Caitlyn Taylor LoveCaitlyn Taylor LoveCaitlyn Taylor Love is an American actress and singer. She currently co-stars in the Disney XD sitcom I'm in the Band.-Career:...
) is one of Tripp's best friends and also a huge fan of Iron Weasel among other rock bands. She is also an aspiring singer and has attempted many times to become Iron Weasel's back-up singer. She apparently doesn't know what a prank is according to the episode "Prank Week". In the episode "Izzy Gonna Sing?", she temporarily becomes the band's lead singer when Derek loses his voice. She was in a band with Tripp called Booger Smack in the third grade as seen also in "Izzy Gonna Sing?". Despite being a main character, she appears almost as a recurring character due to her absence from many episodes. She is also known to have a crush on Iron Weasel's old lead guitarist (Bleed) in the episode "Bleed Guitarist".
Recurring characters
- Elizabeth "Beth" Campbell (Beth LittlefordBeth LittlefordElizabeth Anna Halcyon "Beth" Littleford is an American actress, comedienne, and television personality. She is perhaps best known for being one of the original correspondents on the popular Comedy Central satirical news series The Daily Show from 1996 to 2000; she is also known as Tripp's mother...
) is Tripp's loving and supporting mother. She is 41 years old in Season 1, and 42 years old in Season 2. She loves Tripp so much and lives (excluding the other members of Iron Weasel), with him, after she and her husband got a divorceDivorceDivorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
. She regrets having Iron Weasel living in her house. It is revealed in the episode "Weasels vs. Robots" that she is a dental hygienist and also has a large set of plastic teeth.
- Cornelius Strickland (Reginald VelJohnsonReginald VelJohnsonReginald VelJohnson is an American actor of film, stage and television, well known for his role as Carl Winslow on the sitcom Family Matters, where he was the only cast member to appear in every single episode. He also portrayed LAPD Sgt...
) is Tripp's hot-tempered principal who deals with a lot of shenanigans at the school, especially involving Iron Weasel, which he really loathes. He is featured in the first season but reappears as the Superintendent in the episode "Iron Weasel Gets Schooled".
- Jared (Aaron Albert) is Tripp's nerdy, exceptionally smart, and odd friend and uses charts a lot. He is 15-years old. He screams like a girl when he gets freaked out. He also has been to a bird calling camp, has a crush on the lunch lady and has a father who builds robots. It is unknown if he will appear in the last episodes of the second season.
- Ernesto the Besto (Hollywood Yates) is Iron Weasel's former roadie who is now a mixed martial artist. He's gotten pantsed by Iron Weasel a numerous amount of times (including when he was proposing to his girlfriend at a concert and was even arrested for attempting to attack the band after they pantsed him). He eventually returns to get revenge on Iron Weasel for pantsing him, but gets arrested again at the end.
- Charles "Chucky" Albertson (Zayne Emory) is the 12-year-old (13 years old in Season 2) kid who got injured because of the Weasel Slap. He is Simon Craig's new stepson, who he loves very much, and is mean and disrespectful to only Iron Weasel, without his dad finding out. He hates being called Chucky because it rhymes with Sucky and even goes into wild tantrums after someone calls him that. He also once had a crush on Izzy. He first appears in the episode "Slap Goes the Weasel," and did not appear again until "Chucky's Revenge." He has since appeared in some season 2 episodes.
- Simon Craig (Alan ThickeAlan ThickeAlan Thicke is a Canadian actor, songwriter, and game and talk show host. He is best known for his role as Jason Seaver, the patriarch on the ABC television series Growing Pains.- Early life :...
) is Iron Weasel's manager and Charles' stepfather introduced in Season 2.
- Maurice Jenkins (Mark Teich) is Tripp's principal who took the spot Cornelius Strickland had in the first season and dislikes Strickland becoming superintendent. He was introduced in the second season. He is easily agitated by Tripp's behavior and is bothered by Tripp flirting with daughter Gia.
- "Annoying" Arlene Roca (Raini RodriguezRaini RodriguezRaini Alena Rodriguez is an American actress, best known for playing Maya Blart in Paul Blart: Mall Cop. She also appeared in an episode of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, as Betsy, and on the new Disney XD show I'm In The Band as Annoying Arlene...
) is an annoying classmate at Tripp's school, who has a major, yet somewhat creepy crush on Tripp. She used to have a cat named Hip Hop and has a turtle named Jazz. She is of SpanishSpanish peopleThe Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
descent, as revealed in the episode "Annoying Arlene" when her rival Bianca Ortega saying that SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
sent Arlene back, which wasn't the case (because she moved from Spain due to inner ear infection). She appeared in the episodes "Annoying Arlene" and "Cat-Astrophe".
- Barry Roca (Carlos AlazraquiCarlos AlazraquiCarlos Jaime Alazraqui is an American actor, comedian, impressionist and voice actor. He is best known for his role as Deputy James Garcia on the Comedy Central series Reno 911!. His voice-over work includes the role of Bobbi Fabulous on Phineas and Ferb, the Taco Bell chihuahua, Denzel Q...
) is Arlene's record producer father, who Iron Weasel has often attempted (but failed) to get a record deal with. He likes Iron Weasel despite their record deal loss.
- Lana (Katelyn Pacitto, credited as Katie Belle) is Tripp's ditsy, materialistic girlfriend. She appeared in I Wanna Punch Stuff and Money Bags and dumped him for Bryce Johnson in both episodes, but also dumped Bryce to fall in love in Tripp in both episodes. She is rich and pretty as well. Her catchprase is "I'm Lana!"
- Martin (Grayson RussellGrayson RussellGrayson Russell is an American film and television child actor best known for playing Texas Ranger Bobby, son of the title character in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Fregley in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies....
) is a little red headed kid who lies most of the time. He is a neighbor of Tripp and he only appears in the episode "Birthdazed".
- Bianca Ortega (Camilla Banus) is a Spanish exchange student that Tripp had a crush on.
- Bryce Johnson (Spencer Boldman) is a rich, smart, and handsome jock. He stole Tripp's first crush in kindergarten and he stole Lana from Tripp twice. He really dislikes Tripp and made his first appearance in the episode "Money Bags".
- Jack Campbell (James Patrick Stuart) He is Tripp's father who Tripp hadn't seen for several years. He only appearnce is in, Raiders of the Lost Dad.
Critical reception
The series’fds premiere earned mixed to negative reviews. Emily Ashby of DisneyFamily.com stated that “while it’s [the show] lighthearted, the show isn’t exactly realistic when it comes to portraying adult responsibility.” In addition she claimed that “there’s no shortage of laughs in I’m in the Band and “none of this is likely to be new to tweens familiar with the likes of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. Brian Lowry of VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
described the series “the fertile premise evaporates amid bad puns, slapstick and fart jokes.” Also stated by Lowry, “content to blandly play the band as overgrown children turning Tripp into their unlikely babysitter.”
Viewership
The series premiered to an estimated 863,000 viewers proving to be the networks second highest-rated series premiere for a Disney XD Original Series, including the Toon DisneyToon Disney
Toon Disney was an American cable television channel owned by The Walt Disney Company. A spinoff of Disney Channel, it mostly aired children's animated series and some live action programming. Its format had similarities to those of Cartoon Network and Nicktoons...
phase, until the premiere of Kickin' It
Kickin' It
Kickin' It is an American martial arts inspired comedy television series, which debuted on June 13, 2011 on Disney XD. Created and executive produced by Jim O'Doherty, the series is rated TV-Y7 and follows the karate instructor at an under-performing martial arts academy, played by Jason Earles,...
that garnered 873,000 viewers.
International release
| Country / Region | Series Premiere | Channel | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 18, 2010 | Disney XD Disney XD Disney XD is a brand of children's TV channels worldwide targeting young males, owned by The Walt Disney Company. The channel was formerly known as Toon Disney and/or Jetix in most areas. According to Gary Marsh, President of Entertainment for Disney Channel Worldwide, "XD" does not "stand for... |
I'm in the Band | |
| February 15, 2010 - May 29, 2011 | Family Channel Family Channel Family is a Canadian English language Category A premium television service marketed to children and teenagers aged 2-15. It is owned by Astral Media... |
||
| May 22, 2011 | Disney XD (Canada) Disney XD (Canada) Disney XD is a Canadian English language Category B specialty channel. It is wholly owned by Astral Media. The channel launched on June 1, 2011 in both standard and high definition, as well as a video on demand platform.... |
||
| October 13, 2010 | Disney XD (India) Disney XD (India) Disney XD is a television channel broadcasting in India, owned by The Walt Disney Company. It is a merger between Jetix and Toon Disney as one channel, unlike Toon Disney which aired action shows under a block called Jetix and animated in the channel itself, Disney XD will have no action dedicated... |
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| March 5, 2010 | Disney XD (Australia) | ||
| March 6, 2010 | Disney XD UK & Ireland Disney XD (UK and Ireland) -Programming:Like the US Version it includes original shows minimium disney channel programming and shorts.-Original Shows:Aaron Stone Zeke and Luther Kick Buttowski... |
||
| March 20, 2010 | Disney XD Poland | Ja w kapeli | |
| May 29, 2010 | Disney Channel Poland Disney Channel Poland For the Disney Channel in other countries, see Disney Channel . For the original Disney Channel, see Disney Channel USA.Disney Channel Poland is an edition of the The Walt Disney Company-owned Disney Channel broadcasting to Poland... |
||
| March 20, 2010 | Disney XD Greece | Είμαι στο συγκρότημα | |
| March 20, 2010 July 2, 2010 |
Disney XD Latin America Disney XD (Latin America) Disney XD Latin America is a cable television channel and is an edition of the The Walt Disney Company-owned Disney XD broadcasting to Latin America and the Caribbean. It was launched on November 8, 1996 as The Fox Kids Network. The network took on its current name on July 3, 2009. It is broadcast... Disney Channel Latin America Disney Channel Latin America Disney Channel Latin America is an cable television channel and is an edition of The Walt Disney Company-owned Disney Channel, broadcasting to Latin America and the Caribbean. It is broadcast in five feeds, North Zone, Center Zone, South Zone,and the Pacific Zone... |
Estoy en la Banda | |
| March 20, 2010 | Disney XD Disney XD Disney XD is a brand of children's TV channels worldwide targeting young males, owned by The Walt Disney Company. The channel was formerly known as Toon Disney and/or Jetix in most areas. According to Gary Marsh, President of Entertainment for Disney Channel Worldwide, "XD" does not "stand for... Disney Channel Disney Channel (Brazil) Disney Channel Brazil is an cable television channel and is an edition of the The Walt Disney Company-owned Disney Channel, broadcasting to Brazil. It is marketed to mostly children; however, in recent years the diversity of viewers has increased with an older audience... |
Uma Banda lá em Casa | |
| March 26, 2010 | Disney XD Italy | I'm in the Band | |
| March 26, 2010 (Advance) April 30, 2010 (Premiere) |
Disney XD Germany Disney XD (Germany) Disney XD is a Germany TV channel that replaced Jetix Germany on October 9, 2009. On April 15, 2010 it replaced Toon Disney Germany, too. At the same time Disney XD +1 started its broadcast in Germany.-History:... |
Tripp's Rockband | |
| March 30, 2010 | Disney XD Turkey | Bizim Rock Grubu | |
| April 10, 2010 | Disney Channel Korea Disney Channel Korea Disney Channel Korea is a television channel which is a local version of the Disney Channel for South Korea. It launched on July 1, 2011... |
나의 밴드 살리기 | |
| Disney Channel Asia Disney Channel Asia Disney Channel Asia, a franchise of Disney Channel, airs in most parts of Southeast Asia.- Programming :Disney Channel Asia airs a variety of shows, aimed particularly at children and teenagers. Most of the programming is similar to the American counterpart with some shows exclusive to the Asian... |
I'm in the Band | ||
| April 12, 2010 | Disney Channel Malaysia Disney Channel Malaysia Disney Channel Malaysia is a Disney Channel-branded pay cable television channel for viewers in Malaysia and Brunei based in Klang Valley and Brunei-Muara and is available in three languages: English, Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin... |
||
| April 19, 2010 | Disney XD Scandinavia | ||
| May 21, 2010 | Disney XD Spain | Esta es mi Banda | |
| May 17, 2011 | Disney XD South Africa | I'm in the Band | |
| July 17, 2010 | Disney Channel HU, CZ & SK | Jsem v kapele | |
| Benne vagyok a bandában | |||
| Disney Channel Romania Disney Channel Romania Disney Channel Romania is a Romanian language children's television channel that broadcasts in Romania and Moldova since September 19, 2009, after replacing Jetix .... |
Sunt în Formaţie | ||
| Disney Channel Bulgaria Disney Channel Bulgaria Disney Channel is a Bulgarian language children's television channel that began broadcasting on September 19, 2009 , after replacing Jetix CEE... |
В групата съм! | ||
| August 1st, 2010 | Disney XD Japan | 爆音家族 (Bakuon Kazoku) | |
| 2011(Disney XD) November 7, 2011(Disney Channel) |
Disney XD France Disney Channel France |
I'm in the Band: Ma Vie de Rocker | |
| 2011 | Disney Channel Portugal Disney Channel Portugal Disney Channel Portugal is Portuguese simulcast of Disney Channel. Broadcasts Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior originals and non-originals... |
A Minha Banda | |
| Disney Channel Russia | Я — рокер | ||
| December 9, 2010 | Disney Channel Israel | (The Band and I) אני והלהקה | |
| August 22, 2010 | Disney XD (Netherlands) | I'm in the Band | |
| June 23, 2010 | Disney XD Serbia | I'm in the Band | |