Jessie, one of Disney Channel’s newer shows, stars Debby Ryan as Jessie- a Texas- born country girl with big plans who heads to the big city of New York to make them come true. She plays nanny to the children of the very wealthy Ross family, whose headship consists of a dad who’s a movie producer and a mom who’s a former supermodel. Because of their busy lifestyles, Jessie has been hired to watch their four kids- Emma, Luke, Ravi, and Zuri. Rounding out the clan is Bertram, the somewhat cranky butler, and Mr. Kipling, a seven foot long water monitor.

One of the first things that strikes me about this show is the unusual family type- all but one (Emma, the oldest) of the kids are adopted. Thus, their family is of a multinational heritage- Zuri, the first to be adopted, is from Africa; Luke is from Detroit, and Ravi is from India. It makes for an interesting mix, and definitely keeps things interesting.

Because each of the Ross kids has a distinct personality, they keep Jessie on her toes! Here’s the rundown on the cast:

Zuri is the youngest, with a sweet and peppery personality. She loves playing make- believe and has many imaginary friends. She is closest to Emma, her older sister.

Emma, the only natural- born Ross child, is a very girly, typical high- school aged teenager. She is also somewhat of an overachiever, although she can be an airhead at times.

Luke considers himself to be somewhat of a ladies man, and has a not-so-secret crush on Jessie. He is also very mischievous, and loves to pull pranks.

Ravi was the last to be adopted by the Ross’. Ravi is originally from India, and brought along the seven foot monitor lizard that he hatched from an egg. Although Hindi is his native language, he speaks English very well, and is eager to learn all he can about American culture.

Bertram is the sometimes lazy, moderately cranky butler. Although he complains a lot about the Ross kids, inside he loves them very much.

If you haven’t checked out the show, it’s worth watching, although not one of my faves. It has a distinctly different feel from Suite Life, which is a good thing for those wondering if it will be more of the same. Debby Ryan has definitely grown up, and does a good job in her role as nanny. My teens enjoy watching the antics of the kids and seeing how Jessie manages to fix everything by show’s end. Check it out on Disney Channel at your earliest convenience!