The Jonas Brothers Disney TV Show Was Originally a Spy Show With a Slightly Different Name
The Jonas brothers rose to fame thanks to their stint on the Disney Channel. After a series of successful movies and tours under the Mouse, the trio left the network to pursue other ventures which have paid off. While many fans know Jonas, most don’t know that the Disney TV sitcom was originally a spy show.
A look at the Jonas brothers’ popular Disney show
The Jonas brothers appeared on several Disney Channel shows and movies before finally landing their hit show Jonas. The brothers first appeared in the Miley Cyrus vehicle Hannah Montana for one episode. Joe Jonas then landed a starring role in Camp Rock with Demi Lovato, while his brothers Nick and Kevinhad smaller roles. All returned for the sequel, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam.
It wasn’t long before the Jonas brothers landed their own show titled Jonas. Jonas followed the Lucas siblings as they tried to balance their lives as performers and teenagers in high school. The series was renewed in November 2009 for a second season, with the title changing the following year to Jonas L.A. to reflect the brothers’ move to Los Angeles. The sophomore season debuted in June 2010 and ended in October of that year. A month later, the series was canceled.
‘Jonas’ was almost ‘J.O.N.A.S.’ — a spy show
Fame came to the Jonas brothers in a wave, and they became huge stars in what seemed like overnight. This ultimately resulted in a total shift of their show’s premise. While Jonas shows the brothers living lives as rock stars in high school, the original concept would have seen them play spies.
As explained by Ms. Mojo, an earlier concept of the show was about the brothers playing concerts as a cover for their actual jobs as government secret agents seeking to save the world. The proposed show’s title was J.O.N.A.S which stood for Junior Operatives Networking as Spies. The series would have followed the brothers as they try concealing their identities from their friends and family.
Chelsea Staub, who appeared on Jonas as Stella, described the concept as “The Monkees and a little bit of Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” promising action and laughs. The pilot was filmed in 2007, but the writers’ strike that year impeded its progress.
Additionally, the Jonas brothers’ reality show Jonas Brothers: Living The Dream and concerts saw the trio become extremely popular for the original concept. The showrunner said watching the brothers live their lives as normal famous teens became more interesting.
The Jonas brothers call ‘Jonas’ their biggest regret
Although Jonas helped the brothers become even bigger stars, they ultimately felt it was a bad call on their end. In their documentary Chasing Happiness, the Jonas brothers reflected on their time on the show calling the popular sitcom “a big regret.”
According to Nick, Jonas “stunted” their growth and prevented them from evolving, as “it was not on brand” for them. Kevin said Disney Channel promised them the series would help further their brand, but that wasn’t the case. Joe said the sitcom had them stuck playing teens when they were becoming adults.
Kevin said the show’s cheesy jokes and general story arcs made them seem like a joke and resulted in them not being taken seriously. And Nick has openly claimed to hate one of the songs the Jonas brothers performed in the show, “Pizza Girl,” which was about falling in love with a pizza girl.
