TV

9 things we'd like to see in the Lizzie McGuire revival

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Published on January 3, 2020 08:00AM EST

Hey now, hey now…this is what dreams are made of! And by dreams, we mean our personal wish list of what we hope will be part of the highly anticipated Lizzie McGuire revival.

We’re edging ever closer to the revival of the Disney Channel series, which will feature Hilary Duff returning as Lizzie, now on the cusp of turning 30 and living in NYC

On Wednesday, Disney released a teaser for Disney+ including our first glimpse of the new series featuring the earnest Lizzie, grinning in the yellow coat showcased in the first look photos, and announcing, “Hey, it’s me.” Plenty of details have already been announced, including the return of Lizzie’s parents and brother, with actors Hallie Todd, Robert Carradine, and Jake Thomas reprising their roles. Adam Lamberg is also back as Lizzie’s middle school BFF turned first love, Gordo.

The series, once more overseen by showrunner Terri Minsky, will follow Lizzie just before her 30th birthday. She seemingly has it all — a dream job as an assistant to a fancy New York City decorator, her perfect guy, and a picturesque Brooklyn apartment. But as we know, our lives aren’t always as perfect as they appear. With a little help from her friends, her loving family, and her 13-year-old alter ego in animated form, Lizzie navigates the ups and downs of adulthood.

Even with all of that on the table, here are nine things we’d like to see in the Lizzie McGuire revival.

More Returning Cast

Lizzie’s life was chockful of friends and foes, from her BFF Miranda (Lalaine) to hunky crush Ethan Craft (Clayton Snyder) to mean-girl Kate (Ashlie Brillault). Even if they’re not series regulars this time around, we’d love to check in on all those characters and see where they’re at. Has Kate received her just desserts for her mean-girl ways or is she a Queen Bee in adulthood too? Is Ethan still hot? Is Miranda still bitter she didn’t get to go on the school trip to Italy? Inquiring minds need to know.

An Honest Depiction of Millennial Dating

Let’s be honest, dating is really hard right now. So hard, in fact, it’s spawned multiple socio-anthropological texts — and everyone believes they live in the WORST city for dating (even though, sorry, it’s Los Angeles). Lizzie’s romantic woes were always a fun, relatable part of the series, and we’d love to see her grappling with things like dating apps and ghosting. She starts off with the perfect guy, but we hope it doesn’t stay too picture-perfect. Unless it’s Gordo. Then forget I mentioned it.

Filling in the time gap

The Lizzie McGuire Movie ended the series run in 2003, and a lot has happened in the decade since. We want to know what Lizzie, her family, and Gordo have been up to in the intervening years. Most pressingly, what happened after Gordo and Lizzie finally kissed in Italy? Were they high school sweethearts? Decided they were better off as just friends? And does he still carry a torch for her?

Lanny & Crazy Ideas from Matt

As much as Lizzie McGuire was about its titular heroine, it also devoted considerable energy to the harebrained schemes and inventions of her little brother, Matt. Schemes he often enacted along with his best friend Lanny, who only communicated through facial expressions and gestures. We’d love to see those two back in action again.

What became of Paolo?

When Lizzie took her own Roman Holiday in The Lizzie McGuire Movie, it was complete with dashing Italian scoundrel Paolo. We would love an update on him. C’mon, Lizzie McGuire revival, why not take a crazy chance?

A Murder Mystery Party

The original series excelled at wacky concepts for their leads, from the time Gordo went full Rat Pack retro to that episode where the gang went on a Mexican game show to that Christmas they all snuck into Aaron Carter’s music video. But perhaps the greatest concept episode they ever did was when Lizzie threw a 1920s murder mystery party (am I biased because this episode inspired my 14th birthday party? A thousand percent yes). We’d love to see more of these off-the-wall concepts come into play, but more than anything, we’d love to see another murder mystery party provide a backdrop for Lizzie’s personal drama.

Guest Stars

The show had some fun guest stars over the years, most notably rock star Steven Tyler. We hope at least one or two buzzy guest stars will make an appearance this go-round.

Musical Numbers/A Bumping Soundtrack

Lizzie McGuire also launched a singing career for Hilary Duff, including her debut album Metamorphosis (well, technically she debuted with 2002’s holiday album Santa Claus Lane but this was her first real studio album). Most notably, her two songs in the movie, “Why Not?” and “What Dreams Are Made Of,” showcased her bubbly voice and a fun bubblegum pop sensibility. The show also included other musical numbers, like that time Aaron Carter guest-starred, and the soundtrack for both the TV series and the movie boasted fun Disney-fied pop tracks. We hope the new series taps into the current musical zeitgeist and allows Duff at least one breakout musical moment.

Heartfelt Life Lessons

The reason the original Lizzie McGuire endeared itself to so many families was its perfect blend of humor, relatable situations, and heartfelt life lessons. Each episode managed to convey something poignant and true about the challenges of growing up without ever dipping into saccharine territory. With showrunner Terri Minsky back on board, we hope the reboot will offer more of the same, just updated for those of us trying to make sense of our extended adolescence and the struggles to become fully-fledged adults. Because, honestly, we could use some advice.

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