Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh

What’s the Story?

With their parents away on a tropical vacation, stepbrothers Drake Parker (Drake Bell) and Josh Nichols (Josh Peck) are left to fend for themselves for the holidays. Ever the traditionalist, Josh's plans include baking cookies and singing carols, but a mishap at Drake's rooftop holiday party lands him in the slammer instead. When Drake is caught trying to break Josh out, both teens face hard time, but the judge (Henry Winkler) suspends their sentence pending their promise to fulfill a young girl's (Bailee Madison) holiday wish for her foster family. With a vindictive parole officer on their tail, the guys are hard-pressed to spread holiday joy, but with a little help from crafty sister Megan (Miranda Cosgrove), Josh's wacky co-worker Crazy Steve (Jerry Trainor), and a big-hearted ex-con named Bludge (Kimbo Slice), the brothers might uncover the true Christmas spirit after all.

Is It Any Good?

Bell and Peck won over young fans with their comic portrayal of mismatched stepbrothers during Drake & Josh's four-year run, earning the show two Kids' Choice Awards for Favorite TV Show. MERRY CHRISTMAS, DRAKE & JOSH will surely please the duo's established tween fans by reuniting the entire original cast and not missing a beat with the characters' trademark tomfoolery. Add to that some holiday fun, the spirit of giving, and a couple of toe-tapping tunes from charming guitarist Drake, and it's sure to appeal to the tween crowd.

That said, despite the fact that Drake and Josh are now seasoned teens (apparently old enough to be trusted at home alone, anyway), they indulge in a fair bit of iffy behavior in the name of comedy, including driving erratically, not wearing seatbelts, evading a law officer, and breaking into a federal prison. In the real world, most of the brothers' actions would result in far more serious consequences than they suffer in sanitized TV land. Older tweens can probably put the exaggerated content (and, at times, acting) into context, but if they're not already fans, they may be turned off by the corny plot and overacting. If your kids do end up watching, it's worth having a talk afterward about responsible behavior and real-life repercussions.