JONAS L.A. (Disney Channel)

common sense media says

Teen rock stars bring good, clean fun to Tinsel Town.


parents & educators say
  • 47% say there are positive messages
  • 40% say there are positive role models

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this upbeat series stars the Jonas Brothers as members of an ultra-popular teen rock band. While the show isn't necessarily based on the guys' real-life selves, their characters do have the same first names, and the "fictional" band's name is Jonas, making publicity for the Jonas Brothers an unavoidable byproduct of the series. The show's move to Los Angeles in its second season changes its tone to a degree, and viewers will find more mature themes like dating and the guys' explorations of their inidividual endeavors taking the place of the slapstick antics of the past. But true to form, the JoBros still manage to send positive messages to kids about family ties, self-acceptance, and healthy relationships.

Educational value: The show is intended to entertain rather than educate, but there are some nice takeaway life lessons.
Positive messages: The show emphasizes the importance of family and friendship, and the guys learn positive (if obvious) lessons about staying grounded and appreciating what really matters in life.
Positive role models: Despite their celebrity status, the brothers and their parents strive for a "normal" existence at home and school. They're unassuming and unaffected by the throngs of young girls clamoring for their autograph everywhere they go. Girls often act silly around them (stuttering, giggling, even fainting), but the guys quickly put them at ease. Even the developing romantic relationships offer a positive example for tweens -- as the girls and guys move slowly from friendship to something more, they communicate their feelings openly, and they always respect each other.
Violence & scariness: Not applicable.
Sexy stuff: Some flirting; lots of female fans have massive crushes on the three guys -- and they're sometimes chased by throngs of adorers. Dating becomes a stronger theme of the show starting in season 2; Joe and Stella's relationship develops beyond mere friendship, so there's some hand-holding and and close embraces.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: Obviously the Jonases are part of a mega-marketing franchise (clothing, music, books, etc.), but there's no direct product pitch in the show. Each episode incorporates a few selections of the guys' music.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not applicable.

More on JONAS L.A.

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Families can talk about how society views celebrities. Kids: Why do we treat stars with such reverence? Do you think some celebrities are more deserving of our admiration than others? Who do you admire, and why? 

  • Should celebrities be considered role models? Do we hold them to higher standards than other people? Why?

  • This show explores many different kinds of relationships. How do the characters' relationships with their siblings, friends, and peers compare to your own? Do you think this show gives an accurate impression of anyone's (including the real Jonas Brothers') lifestyle? Why or why not?

What's the story?

What's the story?

In JONAS L.A. (originally titled simply JONAS), the real-life Jonas Brothers star as Kevin, Joe, and Nick Lucas, the three sibling stars of fictitious rock band Jonas (named after the street they live on ... of course). Fresh off their world tour, the guys are planning a fun-filled summer in the California sun, joined by their good friends Macy (Nicole Anderson) and Stella (Chelsea Staub). The vacation also allows the guys to explore their individual interests, as Joe tries out acting, Nick delves into writing new songs, and Kevin studies film directing. And if that's not enough, things on the romantic front are heating up for the guys as well, ensuring that this will be a summer to remember.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

Jonas, Lucas, Midas -- no matter what name the trio uses, the result seems destined to be golden. It speaks to the Jonases' immense likeability that they can star in a show that's so entwined with their real-life selves (they don't even change their names, for heaven's sake) and still not come across as self serving. On the contrary, their charm and chemistry are bound to win over viewers who aren't already on the Jonas bandwagon.

The show's move to L.A. means a focal change from the guys' attempts to stay grounded in the "real" world to the decision to embrace their celebrity status and the opportunities it offers. This gives the show a more mature feel (the guys are on their own, after all) and opens the door to developing romances for both Joe and Nick. But despite these changes, the JoBros prove they're still the poster boys for kid-friendly entertainment, and the show imparts positive messages about healthy teen relationships, communication, and, of course, strong family ties.

TV themes & details

TV Details
TV Rating: TV-G
Network: Disney Channel
Cast: Chelsea Staub, Jonas Brothers, Nicole Anderson
Genre: Comedy
Where to watch: Disney Channel

This review was written by Emily Ashby
 
 

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What parents & educators say

7
Based on 15 parent & educator reviews:
  • 47% say there are positive messages
  • 40% say there are positive role models
  • 27% say they noticed product placement

Most useful reviews by all members

alyson968
teen, 15 years old
 
HATE this show !
well . . . this is probably the worst show known to man . the diologue is stupid and fake. its like they are tying to make a soap opera on disney channel . every second you watch is dramatic . also, none of them can act .

DisneyChannelFan
kid, 10 years old
 
Jonas L.A.
Crushes And Fame Are Put Into The Original Show Jonas.Now Originally As Jonas L.A. Now.Good Show But L.A. Episodes Can Get A Little Bit Lousy.Good For Ages8 And Up.

The_Beatles_Ar ...
kid, 12 years old
 
I personally hate the Jonas Brothers..... so, I'm bias.

SilverSnake
teen, 15 years old
 
Its all the same.... (yawns)
Why is it everything with the Jonas Brothers they are famous and Nick is always singing to a girl he has a crush on with his gutair? No offence to the fans, but I'm so tired of hearing about the Jonas Brothers every single day, its annoying, and you know it. You'd think after 2 or 3 years people would stop watching this plot copying stuff.

ThreeDaysGrace ...
teen, 15 years old
 
No. No. No. This show is just terrible, end of story. Bias or not, this show is horrible.

Never Mind
parent of 17 year old
 
This sitcom lacks in humor and the ability to sustain a plot. The speech used has no trend or feeling to it, and the actors are stiff and obviously have no real experiences in the acting comity. The only reason this show has any publicity, though having very little of it, is due to the deranged fans that have devoted themselves to indulging them with everything 'Jonas'. Even if it's garbage.

ParamoreFan09
teen, 15 years old
 
Awful.
Explain to me why common sense gave this 4 stars...?

wizkid705
teen, 14 years old
 
Love this show!
It's appropriate for basically all ages, but younger kids might get bored with it. Great for tweens/teens, especially Jonas Brothers fans!

makeupmissy123
kid, 13 years old
 
Terrible acting, they lipsynch, and i really hate them. Their songs are annoying they're lyrics are all the same. This show is poisoning america's kids.

HSMajor_94
teen, 17 years old
 
but this is one of the worse shows on TV. They are not all that talented of actors/actresses, maybe Nicole Anderson, Nick, and Joe being the best, but they are given stupid lines, bad directing, and a horrible layout. My 5 year old brother watches it, there isn't anything bad in it (except the acting). And I say all this with every JoBros CD ever made in my iTunes and posters on my wall!

KayKayD
teen, 16 years old
 
For Babies
These boys are idiots. They have most of the teenage population of teenage girls slobering over their useless, emotionless, pathetic music. Their songs have no meaning, they aren't funny and yet they try, and on the contrary to what everyone says, they are not even slightly good looking.

stellar2468
teen, 14 years old
 
I lost six brain cells watching the COMMERCIAL!
bad acting, predicatable plot line, idiotic charracters, this is the worst. Its fake funniness is stupid, their acting is awkward, -they can't even act- and the screaming klutz fan girl is an absolute loser. if ur daughters aren't already clung to the jonas brothers, keep them away. far away.

Dragonsrox1000
kid, 13 years old
 
I'm sick of it
Dull show. I'm so sick of the jonas brothers. I'm sick of their songs, I'm sick of their music, I'm sick of their show, I'm sick of people actually liking it. They're annoying, their show is annoying. I don't know why in the world anyone might actually like it

Frogster
teen, 17 years old
 
Absolutely Terrible (ie., "I lost six brain cells watching this!" )
This brand new "Disney Channel Original Comedy" is in fact not original at all. In fact, it is not only unorginal, but poorly acted, badly written, obnoxiously unfunny, preaches sappy morals that will not stick with anyone, is populated with cliche and uninteresting characters, storylines that could have been written by a 1st Grader (such as the CM review stated about family mishaps and "breaking their mom's prized possesion") and...oh wait I pretty much described the whole show for you. You can thank me later. It IS however sanitized so hard that the show squeaks super-clean when it finds its unholy way onto my TV. How patronizing! I pray that kids don't watch this and think that this is how it will be when they go to high school. Do you realize that this is the same grade and setting for movies like Superbad and Napoleon Dynamite? Which version is closer to reality hmm? Interesting how the CM reviewers work. Harper's Island gets criticized for being unoriginal despite also being decently written and acted, yet then for politically-correct Disney's new show "JONAS" they praised it with only minor setbacks like hmm; unoriginal, over-sanitized, not great acting. I don't know what they were talking about bringing people onto the Jonas bandwagon; this show is not bringing any new fans for the good-intentioned brothers. The only people who could possibly enjoy this are the fans that have already become obsessed with the J boys and are so blinded by their obsession that they miss the obvious destruction of minds this show will cause them. There is nothing offensive but if I had kids I would never let them watch this, they should have better things to do with their time (and so should yours).

SockifySocks
teen, 16 years old
 
TERRIBLE
I hate it I've seen 1 episode of Jonas and IT WAS AWFUL not funny and not entertaining. It is more of a chick show for young girls who like disney music who have never seen the disney with cartoons. This show isn't disney both Jonas and Jonas L.A. are terrible.

ink
teen, 15 years old
 
Ew.

happybatgirl
kid, 11 years old
 
this is barf
i hate it disney channel is a good channel but this show is barf too much drama for tweens

EspumaMarina
teen, 15 years old
 
I'm glad for their sucess, although.......
Why is America suddenly the home of annoying, preppy, so-called squeeky clean boybands and pop-culture? I'm sorry, but how many shows has Disney made like this? A lot. They have at least 3 shows about the Jonas Brothers and 2 movies. I'm sorry, but they cannot act, and in my opinion they cant sing either. I admit they are funny, and talented, but really? All they do is get chased by girls, drive fancy cars, sing to their crushes, and it seems like the girls love getting into hissy-fights. I don't want to be a downer, but its been years now that all I've heard is Jonas Bros, Miley Cyrus, and so on. And girls are constantly screaming about them. The world is just loosing its magic. All that matters is money, drugs, popularity and power. (It has more to do with the show than you'd expect)- although I'm glad the cast is having fun shooting the episodes 'so-they-say' But I think Disney is mostly using them to sell products. Walt Disney, I'm so very sorry they rubbed your name in the mud this way,

moviegirl987
kid, 11 years old
 
Bad
Really stupid not fuuny Bad acting

 
good for all ages really from kids to teens!!
omg dis is the best show ever... well on disney channel anyway!! the romance makes it brill!! it makes it much more interesting and older kids and teens will wnt 2 watch it because of this!! it is also VERY funny

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