Liv and Maddie

Did You Know?

• The pilot episode aired as a preview on July 19, 2013.
• The series aired on Family Channel in Canada until September 1, 2015, then moved to Disney Channel on September 5, 2015.
• In French Canada, La Chaîne Disney premiered the episode 'Home Run-a-Rooney' on March 24, 2016, 17 days before the US and Canada airing on April 10, 2016.

Plot

Actress Liv Rooney, a girly girl, returns to Stevens Point, Wisconsin, after four years filming the television series Sing It Loud! in Hollywood. Her identical twin sister Maddie, a tomboy and talented basketball player, welcomes her home. The twins have two younger brothers: Joey, an awkward teen, and Parker, a mischievous tween. Their parents are Karen, the high school psychologist and later vice principal, and Pete, the high school basketball coach who later coaches a college team in Beloit, Wisconsin. The series follows Liv adjusting to normal family life, with most events at the Rooney residence or Ridgewood High School. At the end of season three, the Rooney house collapses and Maddie enrolls in a Los Angeles college, prompting the family (except Pete) to move to Malibu, California, to live with Karen's sister Dena and her daughter Ruby for the fourth season.

Production

Production on Liv and Maddie kicked off in April 2013. John D. Beck and Ron Hart, the writing-production duo behind According to Jim, Hey Arnold!, and Shake It Up!, created the show and executive produced it alongside Andy Fickman. Before this, they had pitched a project called Bits and Pieces, a blended-family comedy in the vein of The Brady Bunch and Step by Step. The series was a joint effort from Beck & Hart Productions, Oops Doughnuts Productions, and It's a Laugh Productions.

Disney Channel ordered a second season of 13 episodes on January 13, 2014, later bumping it up to 24; that season aired starting September 21, 2014. A third season was greenlit on April 3, 2015, and premiered on September 13, 2015. On December 21, 2015, star Dove Cameron revealed the show had been picked up for a fourth season. Co-creator Ron Hart tweeted on June 19, 2016, that the fourth season would debut in fall 2016.

Cameron confirmed on July 1, 2016, that the final episode had been shot. On August 19, 2016, Beck and Hart announced the last season would be called Liv and Maddie: Cali Style and would premiere on September 23, 2016. Casting happened in spring 2012, but only a pilot for Bits and Pieces was made, featuring Kali Rocha, Dove Cameron, Joey Bragg, Benjamin King, Cozi Zuehlsdorff, and Tenzing Norgay Trainor as a blended family. Disney later shifted the concept to focus on twins, kept the same cast, and filmed a new pilot.

Cozi Zuehlsdorff’s role was downgraded to guest star. The Rooney family name came from Sullenger’s fondness for the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team owned by the Rooney family.

Reception

Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media rated the series three out of five stars, calling it a 'jovial family sitcom' suitable for ages seven and above. She credited its 'comical spin' on common family issues like sibling rivalry, noting that the series glosses over teen issues, making it a 'worry-free pick for kids.' Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times compared the series to The Patty Duke Show, describing it as 'a gentle, moderately amusing comedy' and praising Dove Cameron's portrayal of the down-to-earth Maddie and diva Liv, stating the premise gives writers plenty of opportunities.

Merchandise

Brand marketing continues with ACCO Brands under the Day Dream brand featuring a 2015 wall calendar and Disney D'Signed clothing line at Target and Kohl's. Wooky Entertainment owns Style Me Up, a fashion brand for tween girls, including Liv and Maddie: Dreams Come True and Liv and Maddie: A Rising Star sketchbooks. Payless ShoeSource offers Liv and Maddie-themed character footwear. A novelization titled Liv and Maddie: Sisters Forever, adapted by Lexi Ryals and based on the episodes 'Twin-a-Rooney' and 'Team-a-Rooney', was published by Disney Press on January 6, 2015, alternating viewpoints of Liv, Maddie, Joey, and Parker with eight pages of photos. Another novelization, Liv and Maddie: Double Trouble, adapted by Lexi Ryals and based on 'Sweet-16-a-Rooney' and 'Dodge-a-Rooney', was published on August 4, 2015, also with eight pages of photos and alternating viewpoints.