There are so many old, forgotten shows on Disney+, and recently I rediscovered one that'd been buried so deeply in the recesses of my brain, I basically convinced myself that I made it up. That's right, it's THE JONAS TV SHOW!
The show went by a few names: Jonas, JONAS (for maximum emphasis), and eventually, Jonas LA. But you might also remember it as the show that brought us gems like "I Fell In Love With The Pizza Girl," a song that I somehow still remember the lyrics to today.
Well, being the nostalgic Jonas fan that I am, I decided to rewatch the first episode to see if it was as wild as I remembered and ~spoiler alert~ IT IS.
The show is basically about the Jonas Brothers being normal, everyday dudes. They go to school. They do their homework. They crush on a girl who just happens to be pre-Good Luck Charlie Bridgit Mendler. Typical!
The show really seems to dive into the teen magazine Jonas stereotypes, like Nick being the sensitive one while Joe is edgy and Kevin is a goofball.
Like, they really go for it.
Anyway, Joe and Kevin do what all good older brothers do — gang up on their little brother and roast him. They should really consider a comedy career if this whole music thing doesn't work out. They're good.
They also break the fourth wall here, and while it gives me major ~Office vibes~, I'm also kinda confused as to what the show is meant to be? Is it a mockumentary? A regular ole sitcom? Or are the Jo Bros so powerful that they can just Do That™️?
Well, Nick decides he really is gonna take it slow with future-Teddy Duncan. And by that he means he's gonna go to her first show, invite her to the Jonas studio to record a demo, and do what any rock star with a crush would do — write her a song!
Listen, the song — "Give Love A Try" — is good. But do you know what really sells it? The impromptu music video.
Another thing I'm really enjoying about this show is how much they poke fun at themselves. There's a whole bit about Nick writing a boatload of music for Penny that features lyrics from the songs that made them famous. Which, I guess don't exist in the show's universe? The Jonas Brothers Universe? JBU?
I also love nothing more than the fact that their father is decked out in Jonas merch head to toe. We stan a supportive dad. I'd also really love one of those robes, please.
Nick, Kevin, and Joe all decide to go to Penny's show in disguise, which sets up this big romantic moment that sounds like something straight off of Wattpad. BUT WAIT! HERE COMES THE PLOT TWIST TO END ALL PLOT TWISTS.
The next day, Penny asks Nick what he thought of her performance of the song and he literally forgets how to function. To be fair though, I think most people would assume that if a Jonas Brother wrote them a song, they weren't just casual friends.
Penny goes to the Jonas recording studio — which is of course located inside the literal firehouse they live in. The recording studio appears to be in their room, complete with a fruit juice vending machine and buckets of citrus?? There's a lot going on here. But there's also a lot going on for Nick ~emotionally~ so he makes a very dramatic exit from the studio.
Joe and Kevin do what any good brothers would do: slide down the fire-poles that lead directly to their kitchen and give Nick a classic brother-to-brother pep talk...
...which, of course, really drives home the fact that Nick is serious and intense, in case you missed it the first few times.
Nick comes clean to Penny about why he really stormed off and decides it'd be best for her to just leave and forget all about it. Which almost happens until we learn that Penny broke up with her ~soulmate~ Jimmy because he has awful taste in music.
And last but not least, we get A THIRD version of "Give Love A Try" with both Nick and Penny while they record her demo.
Overall, I enjoyed the first episode! I'm a little sad we didn't get more of the Jonas's stylist/childhood best friend Stella or superfan Macy, though — especially if I remember Season 2 correctly. 👀
In conclusion, was it cheesy? Yeah. But it was also pretty funny and just as weird as I remember it being. It definitely makes me wanna binge the rest of the show...and that "Pizza Girl" episode.
