Trivia / That's So Raven

• Acting for Two:
  • More like "Acting for Four" in the two-parter "Country Cousins", with Raven-Symoné donning heavy makeup to play Cousin Delroy, Auntie Faye, and Baby G, all of whom are relatives of her character.
  • In "True Colors", Rondell Sheridan (Victor), T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh (Tanya), and Orlando Brown (Eddie) play Frederick Douglass, Bessie Coleman, and Scott Joplin in Cory's Imagine Spot.
• Actor-Shared Background: Both Raven Symone and Raven Baxter are terrified of snakes.
• Adored by the Network: It was the first show to break past 65 episodes, make it to 100 hundred episodes and get a spin-off.
  • It was the longest-running show to air on the ABC Kids block, lasting from 2003 all the way until the block's end in 2011 (although from 2006-2011 it was the same few episodes on autopilot like the rest of the ABC Kids block at that point)
• The Danza: Raven Baxter is played by Raven-Symoné.
• Dawson Casting: Raven, Chelsea, and Eddie are supposed to be 8th graders at the start of the show. This is even Lampshaded in "Driven to Insanity" where Raven goes out on a date with a 17-year-old boy: I forgot to tell you, I'm 14. *gestures towards her body* I know, it's hard to believe!
• Directed by Cast Member:
  • "Numb and Numb-er", "Cake Fear", and "Teacher's Pet" were directed by Rondell Sheridan, Victor's actor.
  • "Double Vision" was directed by T'keyah Crystal Keymáh, Tanya's actor.
• Fake American: Anneliese Van der Pol, the actress who portrays Chelsea in both the original series and the spin-off, was born in the Netherlands, however she and her family moved to the United States when she was three, so she's spent almost her entire life in the United States (and has since become a legal citizen).
• Follow the Leader:
  • The show was created following the runaway success of another Disney Channel series with a female protagonist, Lizzie McGuire.
  • The success of That's So Raven's Musical Episode inspired Disney Channel to produce High School Musical.
• Harpo Does Something Funny: While the young actors weren't usually allowed to deviate from the script, Raven herself was often allowed to improvise comic bits.
• Hey, It's That Place!: Raven and her friends go to the school used in Saved by the Bell.
• I Want You to Meet an Old Friend of Mine: Geoffrey Owens plays Eddie's father, reuniting him with Raven Symone from The Cosby Show.
• Out of Order:
  • The clip show episode 'Vision Impossible' contains the happy ending moment from episode 'The Four Aces', which was the very next episode broadcasted.
  • Most of the series actually suffered from this. Continuity Errors such as Mr. Lawler being promoted to principal, Raven developing a crush on Devon, and the main characters' shifting ages wouldn't have existed if Disney Channel had aired the episodes in production order. As if that wasn't enough, three episodes from the first season went unaired until Season 2 had already premiered.
• Real-Life Relative: Kyle Massey's brother Christopher Massey plays one of the kids who convinced Cory to shoplift in "Five Finger Discount".
• Real Life Writes the Plot: Tanya is Put on a Bus in Season 4 because T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh needed to care for her grandmother (who had Alzheimer's) and chose not to renew her contract.
• Recycled Script: Ricky Ullman played Chelsea's love interest in one episode; the turns out to be a cheater and somewhat of a Jerkass. The same plot was also used in the very first episode of Phil of the Future.
• Referenced by...: Animaniacs (2020) referenced the show during their song about reboots.
• Star-Making Role: Kyle Massey looked for work in Hollywood for a while. He and his family were in the airport and about to return to their home in Atlanta when he got his big break.
• Those Two Actors: Kirsten Storms and Adrienne Bailon have individually shared this with Raven, each playing a friend of hers in a DCOM, and an enemy of hers in this show:
  • Kirsten Storms as Zenon and Nicki.
  • Adrienne Bailon as Chanel and Alana.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Raven's name was constantly changing during production. Early drafts had it as Dawn, and Rose was another popular contender. They changed it to Raven when they cast the lead actress. According to Anneliese van der Pol, Chelsea's name was originally supposed to be "Emma."
  • Raven-Symone actually auditioned to play Chelsea. Additionally Anneliese van der Pol was turned down for the part of Chelsea. When shooting the pilot, Raven said she preferred Anneliese for the part and she was subsequently cast.
  • There was supposed to be a spinoff called Better Dayz starring Alyson Stoner. The show would later be developed into Hannah Montana, Cory in the House became the spin-off instead.

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