New episodes of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place will air weekly as part of the 2024 TV schedule. However, if you have a Disney+ subscription, you can watch the first eight episodes on the streaming platform right now.
When it comes to Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, a spinoff of Wizards of Waverly Place, there's a lot that goes into bringing it to life. With child stars like Selena Gomez and David Henrie coming back at the helm as the new adults, the new kids had plenty of pressure on them to bring the magic for the sequel show. So, when I interviewed the Wizards Beyond Waverly Place cast, I had the chance to ask the young actors if they had ever seen the original show and what they did to prepare, and their answer was adorable.
For some background information, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place is the new series that follows Justin (David Henrie) training a new wizard at the request of his sister (Selena Gomez). Of course, Justin has children now: two sons – Milo and Roman, played by Max Matenko and Alkaio Thiele. Matenko had admitted he had never watched it before but had binged after he booked the show – and then he became instantly "a little nervous" about the sequel series but was relying on the fanbase from before:
I had never really watched it, but once we got into the show, I just binge-watched it, and it was amazing. I think it made me a little nervous because I was like, how are we ever going to live up to this amazing legacy of a show? But then I also realized it's kind of a little bit of a jumpstart for a show, because we already have a whole fan base and all that. And I think that the show's really amazing and fun. And though I didn't watch it, I wish I did.
Thiele also agreed that he was nervous, especially about capturing the same energy as "the original show" and putting it into this new one. But the way he prepared was by relying on Henrie and Gomez aiding them in the process, and from there, it was "easy" to play off on their comedy and bring that magic:
I was nervous that we weren't going to capture the same elements from the original show. Because it's supposed to be for the new generation, but also some old tidbits that the original show fans would love. But then I realized with David Henrie on the show and Selena Gomez in the first episode, they really bring that original show energy to it, and so it's so easy to play off of them and capture that feeling and that energy, and bringing back those old themes that those original fans will really love.
It makes sense that Henrie and Gomez almost unconsciously aided the kids in relaxing into the series, which is honestly the sweetest thing—it's almost like the torch passing to the next generation of Disney actors. Gomez even gave advice to Janice LeAnn Brown, the lead of the series. As both producers and stars of the new show, it's clear that she and Henrie have influenced the entire young cast of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place in the best way with these two.
But as with any fun Disney show, there's always the lead character who has a best friend. In Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, that's Winter, Billie's best friend, who Hollywood newcomer Taylor Cora plays.
Cora also admitted that she had never seen the original show before but that the nervousness was still there even before she got the role for the same reason – living up to the hype. Eventually, she watched an episode so she could base her audition on Harper, Alex's best friend in the original series:
I hadn't really even heard of the show before auditioning, but I did look at one episode during the auditioning process. I only looked at one because I was worried that I was going to have that nervousness of having to live up to all the characters in the original show. And so, I really wanted to bring my own to it, but also I based a lot of my auditions off of Harper. Because Winter and Harper are really similar. But yeah, I think the original show is really great, and I think this show is going to be just as great.
I’ve seen the first couple of episodes, and I'm eager to see where their friendship takes them and whether it ends up becoming one of the best Disney Channel friendships. Judging from Cora’s dedication, I have a feeling it just might be.
Even so, it's sweet to hear how excited and nervous the kids were about filming this show, all of whom are pretty much newcomers to the world of Hollywood. But personally, as someone who grew up with the original show and has waited years for a Wizards of Waverly Place reunion or sequel, I can openly say they killed it and I'm so thankful the older cast members were there to help them along. It just makes me want to rewatch Wizards of Waverly Place all over again.
Now, it's all about where the story is going to go next and how much trouble these kids are going to get into, just like Alex, Justin, and Max, and hopefully not end up on the darkest moments of Disney's list like these original Russo siblings somehow did. But I've been surprised before.
