47 Fun Facts About Jessie

In which years did the sitcom Jessie run?

Jessie ran from 2011 to 2015 on Disney Channel: it premiered on 30 September 2011 and ended its fourth season on 16 October 2015.

Who created the series?

Pamela Eells O'Connell created Jessie and served as its executive producer; her earlier credits include writing for the sitcom Charles in Charge.

Which actress plays the title role?

Debby Ryan plays Jessie Prescott; the creator developed the series as a starring vehicle for her after they had worked together on an earlier Disney show.

Which earlier Disney series had the creator and star worked on together?

The Suite Life on Deck: Debby Ryan played Bailey Pickett there while Pamela Eells O'Connell was one of its executive producers.

Which 1990s sitcom did the creator co-executive produce?

The Nanny, Fran Drescher's CBS sitcom that ran from 1993 to 1999, credited Pamela Eells as a co-executive producer.

Where does the heroine grow up before moving to New York?

Jessie Prescott grew up on a military base in Texas, Fort Hood, as the daughter of a strict military father, before leaving for New York.

What job does she take in New York?

Jessie takes a job as a nanny, looking after a wealthy Manhattan family's children after arriving in New York hoping to become an actress.

What is the wealthy family's surname?

The family is the Rosses: parents Morgan and Christina Ross, whose constant travel leaves their children in Jessie's care.

Where in Manhattan is the penthouse?

The Ross penthouse is on Manhattan's Upper West Side, in a high-rise whose condo board Jessie repeatedly clashes with.

How many Ross children are there?

There are four Ross children, Emma, Luke, Ravi and Zuri, three of them adopted.

What kind of animal is Mr. Kipling?

Mr. Kipling is an Asian water monitor, a very large lizard, and the devoted pet of Ravi Ross.

What twist does the show reveal about that pet?

Mr. Kipling turns out to be female after laying a clutch of eggs, and is promptly renamed Mrs. Kipling.

How long is that reptile?

Mr. Kipling is seven feet long, a full-grown Asian water monitor that Ravi keeps as a pet in the penthouse.

What is the family butler called?

The butler is Bertram Winkle, a grouchy, lazy and only reluctantly helpful presence in the Ross penthouse.

Which actor plays the butler?

Kevin Chamberlin plays Bertram; a Broadway veteran, he originated Horton the Elephant in Seussical and Uncle Fester in The Addams Family.

Which of the Ross children is the parents' only biological child?

Emma, the eldest, is the only biological child of Morgan and Christina Ross; Peyton List plays her as a fashion-obsessed diva.

Where was Luke born?

Luke was born in Detroit and adopted by the Rosses as a small boy, the only adopted Ross child born in the United States.

Which country was Ravi adopted from?

Ravi was adopted from India: he grew up in Kolkata and was the newest member of the Ross family when Jessie arrived.

Which country was Zuri brought to New York from?

Zuri, the youngest, was adopted from Uganda as a baby; Skai Jackson plays her as sassy and wildly imaginative.

What is the building's 20-year-old doorman called?

The doorman is Tony Chiccolini, played by Chris Galya, whose crush on Jessie turns into an early-series romance.

Which first lady appeared as herself on the show?

Michelle Obama appeared as herself in the 2014 episode From the Earth to the Moon, helping Zuri bring a friend's soldier mother home for her birthday.

What was Emma's character originally going to be called?

Emma was called Anabel in the original script; several character names and backstories were reworked once the cast was in place.

What was the mother originally going to be, before rewrites?

In the original script the mother was a photographer named Pandora; she was reworked into Christina Ross once the cast was set.

What unusual step did the production skip entirely?

Jessie skipped the pilot phase entirely: Disney Channel ordered it straight to series and production began in June 2011.

Which Disney series had used the same sound stage before this one?

Wizards of Waverly Place had filmed on Stage 3/8 at Hollywood Center Studios, the stage Jessie took over for its own production.

How many episodes actually aired?

98 episodes of Jessie aired on Disney Channel over four seasons, from September 2011 to October 2015.

Why was 'Quitting Cold Koala' pulled from its May 2013 slot?

The episode was pulled after viewers complained that a character mocked coeliac disease by ridiculing a gluten-free boy; Disney said the scenes would be re-edited.

What is the spin-off series called?

The spin-off is Bunk'd, announced by Disney Channel in February 2015, which sends three of the Ross children to summer camp.

Which three cast members carried over to that spin-off?

Peyton List, Karan Brar and Skai Jackson reprised Emma, Ravi and Zuri in Bunk'd, with the three Ross kids packed off to summer camp.

Where is the spin-off's camp located?

Camp Kikiwaka sits in Moose Rump, Maine; Morgan and Christina Ross met there as teenage campers, which is why their children are sent.

What is the camp in the spin-off named after?

Camp Kikiwaka takes its name from the Kikiwaka, a legendary Bigfoot-like creature said to haunt the surrounding woods; founder Jedediah Swearengen looms in camp lore.

On which date did the spin-off premiere?

Bunk'd premiered on 31 July 2015, during Jessie's final season, scheduled straight after a Disney Channel Original Movie premiere for a big lead-in.

Which Disney Channel Original Movie did the spin-off premiere follow?

Descendants, the Disney Channel Original Movie that premiered on 31 July 2015, gave Bunk'd its lead-in audience that night.

What is the Hindi-language adaptation of the show called?

Oye Jassie, the Hindi-language remake, premiered on Disney Channel India in October 2013 with a localised version of the same premise.

How was the first episode released a week before its broadcast?

Disney offered the first episode, New York, New Nanny, as a free iTunes download a week before its 30 September 2011 broadcast.

Which record did the premiere set for Disney Channel?

Jessie's premiere drew about 4.6 million viewers, Disney Channel's most-watched Friday debut since The Suite Life on Deck launched in September 2008.

Which cast member announced in October 2014 that the fourth season would be the last?

Peyton List said in October 2014 that the fourth season would be Jessie's last; Disney Channel confirmed the ending in February 2015.

Which recurring character is a rival British nanny?

Agatha, played by Jennifer Veal, is the scheming British nanny who feuds with Jessie in Central Park; Veal also plays her twin sister Angela.

Which actor plays Luke Ross, the break-dancing prankster of the family?

Boyce's Luke fancies himself a ladies' man and takes a particular shine to Jessie from the start.

What is Morgan Ross, the mostly absent father, famous for?

The pilot reveals he is friends with George Lucas; Charles Esten plays him in the handful of episodes where the parents appear.

Before becoming a business magnate, what was Christina Ross's career?

Christina Ross was a supermodel before building a business empire; Christina Moore plays her in the few episodes featuring the parents.

Who is the snooty head of the condominium board in the Ross family's building?

Rhoda Chesterfield, played by Carolyn Hennesy, chairs the building's condo board and wages a running feud with the Ross household and its nanny.

Jessie's first crossover, a New Year's special in December 2012, was with which Disney show?

The hour-long special Austin & Jessie & Ally All Star New Year aired on 7 December 2012, pairing the show with Austin & Ally.

What is the name of the boyfriend who becomes Jessie's fiance?

Brooks Wentworth, played by Pierson Fodé, proposes to Jessie; she calls off the wedding at the altar when he expects her to move with him to Africa.

In the original concept, Ravi was a South American boy named Javier with what pet?

In the original concept Javier had a pet capybara; after Karan Brar was cast, the character became Ravi from India, with a monitor lizard instead.

Luke was originally written as a boy adopted from Korea with what name?

Luke was first conceived as Hiro, a boy adopted from Korea; the part was rewritten for Cameron Boyce once he was cast in 2011.

Which actress plays Creepy Connie, the girl obsessed with Luke, across three episodes?

Sierra McCormick plays Creepy Connie in three episodes, from Creepy Connie Comes a Callin' to Creepy Connie 3: The Creepening.