Production

[edit] Development

On February 4 2008, it was announced that the Disney Channel was developing a new contemporary spin-off of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. The announcement was made by Gary Marsh, the President of the Disney Channel. He stated, "Our audience has shown us that after 88 episodes, 'The Suite Life of Zack & Cody' remains one of their favorite sitcoms ever, we decided to find a new way for Zack, Cody, London and Mr. Moseby to live 'The Suite Life' in a whole new setting -- this time aboard a luxury cruise liner."[11]

The series original creator, Danny Kallis was announced to be involved with the project. The elements from the original series remain the same though the setting is completely different.[11] The series main concepts were created by Kallis and Pamela Eells O'Connell. Kallis, O'Connell, Jim Geoghan and Irene Dreayer are the executive producers. The series is produced by It's a Laugh Productions and Danny Kallis Productions.[11]

In 2007, a Suite Life spin-off which was based on the life of the hotels engineer, Arwin Hawkhauser (Brian Stepanek) and his family and friends was considered for distribution by the Disney Channel. The series name ideas consisted of Arwin! and Housebroken. The spin-off was never picked up by the Disney Channel.[12] In May 2009, Gary Marsh, the president of Disney Channels Worldwide said: "With this second-season extension, the cast of ‘The Suite Life’ makes Disney Channel history by becoming the longest running continuous characters on our air - 138 half-hour episodes. We are thrilled for them, and for the brilliant, inspired production team that made this extraordinary run possible."[9]

[edit] Settings

According to show creators and producers, the choice of setting was made to appeal to an international audience with different ports-of-call, such as India, Greece, and Italy. An on-board theater serves as an "organic" set-up for musical numbers.[2] Most of the action in the series occurs onboard the "S.S. Tipton." However, the ship travels to places such as India, Greece, Italy, and "Parrot Island," which are unfamiliar places to both Zack and Cody Martin.

[edit] S.S. Tipton

The S.S. Tipton is a cruise ship belonging to London Tipton's father. Unlike most cruise ships it also includes a school, "Seven Seas High School," which is a common setting on the ship, as are The Sky Deck, the lobby, and the students' cabins. There are also various areas on the S.S. Tipton that are mentioned, but never seen, including The Lido Deck, The Fiesta Deck, and the ship's Putt-Putt Golf Course, where the captain spends most of his time.

[edit] Other settings

  • Greece - The S.S. Tipton visits Athens, Greece in the episode "It's All Greek to Me." The students visit the museum of Greek Antiquities.
  • India - In the episode "The Mommy and the Swami," the S.S. Tipton docks somewhere along the coast of India. The only place shown in India is the Swami Temple on top of a tall mountain, where Zack and Cody arrive after a long climb.
  • Linchtenstamp - The S.S. Tipton visits this fictional country in the episode "Maddie on Deck". The only place ever shown in the country is the Royal Palace.
  • Parrot Island - The S.S. Tipton makes a special trip to Parrot Island in order to rescue London in the episode "Parrot Island". Places on Parrot Island where the characters visit include the jail and the market.
  • Rome - The S.S. Tipton docks in Rome during the episode "When In Rome..." The only places seen in Rome are Gigi's Restaurant and the courtyard outside.

[edit] Cast and characters

[edit] Cast

Actor Character Main cast
seasons		 Recurring cast
seasons
Cole Sprouse Cody Martin 1, 2
Dylan Sprouse Zack Martin 1, 2
Brenda Song London Tipton 1, 2
Debby Ryan Bailey Pickett 1, 2
Phill Lewis Mr. Moseby 1, 2
Matthew Timmons Woody Fink 1
Erin Cardillo Emma Tutweiller 1
Larramie Shaw Marcus Little

[edit] Main characters

See also: The Suite Life on Deck recurring characters

[edit] Zack and Cody Martin

Main articles: Zack Martin and Cody Martin

Zack and Cody Martin (Dylan & Cole Sprouse) are identical twins living in the luxury passenger cruise liner, The S.S. Tipton. The Martin twins attend classes at Seven Seas High, which is a S.S. Tipton school program. Zack Martin (Dylan Sprouse) is typically the non-studious, outgoing, and immature twin. He works in the juice bar on the ship as a result of using up both Cody and his money for the semester. Cody was forced to obtain the job as a towel boy.[13] Zack does not perform particularly well academically, but he manages to perform well physically and enjoys physical sports especially basketball. Zack acts aggressive at times. Zack seems to care about his brother, but at times he does not show this. His brother, Cody Martin (Cole Sprouse), is the erudite, mature, intelligent, wise and sensitive twin. Cody performs well academically, he is a straight A+ student and has shown to have a great interest in academics. Cody does not perform well in sports. Cody has been noted to be several minutes younger than Zack and also often plays along with Zack's crazy schemes. In the beginning of the second episode in the first season, Zack and Cody were both fighting over the new Seven Seas High student, Bailey Pickett (Debby Ryan) since they both seemed to have a crush on her. But in the end, when they found out more about Bailey's life and her ex boyfriend, Zack decides to lose interest in Bailey letting Cody have her. Cody attempts several times to attract Bailey, but is, thus far in the series, unsuccessful as Bailey seems oblivious to his advances. But, in "International Dateline," he gets really close to her. Zack usually picks on his little brother, but becomes very protective of him when someone else picks on him.

[edit] London Tipton

Main article: London Tipton

London Tipton (Brenda Song) is the socialite of the four main teen characters (Zack, Cody, Bailey, and London). She is the daughter of Wilfred Tipton, a multibillionaire who is the owner of the Tipton Hotel chains, including the Boston Tipton Hotel and the S.S. Tipton. She is described as a "dim-witted, spoiled, gullible, and an often airheaded teenager". When she is happy, she usually claps her hands repeatedly jumps up and down, while saying her catchphrase, "Yay me!" Mr. Moseby fools London into thinking that she is on the S.S. Tipton for a vacation, to get her on the ship. London gets enrolled at the Seven Seas High school program because her father wants her to live in the real world. London does not live in a first class suite at the S.S. Tipton, she resides in a small cabin. London reluctantly agreed to accept Bailey Pickett (Debby Ryan) as her new roommate, although she did so after unsuccessfully trying to bribe Bailey into leaving as she did with her previous roommate. The two later become friends. Bailey and London form a close friendship and end up becoming best friends. In the beginning of the Suite Life series, when London resided at the Boston Tipton Hotel it seemed she was living in her own bubble. On the S.S. Tipton, London has become more aware of the real world and has faced several difficulties.

[edit] Bailey Pickett

Main article: Bailey Pickett

Bailey Pickett (Debby Ryan) is a fifteen-year-old teenage girl from the fictional town of Kettlecorn, Kansas. She is seemingly the perfect girl next door and has been described as a "small town, down-to-earth girl." She shares a room with the wealthy socialite London Tipton, in which the two later form a close friendship together and end up becoming best friends. Bailey is a student at Seven Seas High and attends classes with her new friends Zack, Cody, London, and Woody. She came on the ship to leave Kettlecorn, where she lived on a farm, because she hated the fact that the town is so small. She pretends to be a boy in the pilot in order to get a room on the S.S. Tipton because the girls' cabins were filled. Eventually, she moves in with London when people find out she is a girl. London tries to bribe her not to move in but Bailey refuses. In the beginning of the second episode in the first season, Zack and Cody were both fighting over Bailey since they both seemed to have a crush on her. But in the end, when they knew more about Bailey's life and her ex boyfriend, Zack lets Cody have Bailey claiming that Bailey was carrying too much baggage and that he liked girls with just carry-ons. Cody tries several times to attract Bailey, but is, thus far in the series, unsuccessful as Bailey seems oblivious to his advances.

[edit] Mr. Moseby

Main article: Mr. Moseby

Marion Moseby (Phill Lewis) is the uptight and serious former manager of the Tipton Hotel in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Moseby is now the chaperon and manager of the S.S. Tipton. He speaks with a wide vocabulary and an urbane vernacular, and is often annoyed by Zack and Cody's schemes. His repeated catch phrase, "Good Luck with That" has become his trademark. Though he acts as though he does not care about the boys, he actually has a great deal of affection for them. He's constantly running from stem to stern keeping the Martin twins and London out of trouble. Moseby is a father figure in London's life, because of London's father absence in the series he looks after her. Moseby reportedly tricked London in order for her to be enrolled in the Seven Seas High school program. He told London she was going on a vacation at the S.S. Tipton to get her on the ship.

[edit] Special guest appearances

[edit] Reception

[edit] U.S. Nielsen ratings

The show's pilot premiered on the Disney Channel in the US on September 19, 2008, and gathered approximately 5.7 million viewers on the night of its premiere.[4] The series premiere in Canada was also the most watched series premiere on Family channel.[5] In December 2008, Business Wire reported the show was 2008's #1 top scripted television series for children between the ages 6 to 11 and pre-teenagers between the ages 9 to 14 , beating the veteran series Hannah Montana and Wizards of Waverly Place in the ratings.[6] The show was in the #1 spot for the top rated childrens television series for many months.[14][15][16][17] The show has been one of the top 4 live-action television series for many months.[18][19]

[edit] Season 1

#  ↓ Episode  ↓ Air date  ↓ Rating  ↓ Viewers (in millions)  ↓
1.01 The Suite Life Sets Sail 2008-09-19 4.8 5.7[4]
1.02 Parrot Island 2008-09-27 4.7 5.66 [20]
1.03 Broke 'N' Yo-Yo 2008-10-03 3.0 4.0[21]
1.04 The Kidney of the Sea 2008-10-10 N/A N/A
1.05 Showgirls 2008-10-17 N/A N/A
1.06 International Dateline 2008-10-24 N/A N/A
1.07 It's All Greek to Me 2008-11-07 N/A N/A
1.08 Sea Monster Mash 2008-11-14 3.1 4.45[22]
1.09 Flowers and Chocolate 2008-10-21 3.0 4.07[23]
1.10 Boo You 2008-12-05 3.2 4.30[24][25]
1.11 seaHarmony 2008-12-12 3.0 4.28[24]
1.12 The Mommy and the Swami 2009-01-09 N/A N/A
1.13 Maddie on Deck 2009-01-16 4.8 5.08[26]
1.14 When in Rome... 2009-01-23 N/A N/A
1.15 Shipnotized 2009-01-30 3.3 4.05[27][28]
1.16 Mom and Dad on Deck 2009-02-20 2.3 3.25[29][30]
1.17 The Wrong Stuff 2009-03-27 2.9 3.4[31]
1.18 Splash & Trash 2009-04-17 TBA TBA
1.19 Mulch Ado About Nothing 2009-05-01 TBA TBA
1.20 Cruisin' for a Bruisin' 2009-06-05 TBA TBA
1.21 Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana 2009-07-17 TBA TBA

[edit] iTunes

Before the series officially made its debut on air, the first episode was made available as a free download on iTunes. The show's first season is available on iTunes, the unaired episodes are also available on iTunes.

[edit] Episodes

Main article: List of The Suite Life on Deck episodes

Seasons Episodes First Air Date Last Air Date
Season 1 21 September 19, 2008 July 17, 2009

[edit] Merchandise