Disney Channel’s brutal 65-episode rule revealed

In the glory days of Disney Channel’s reign, some of the network’s most popular shows were destined to end early due to a little-known rule.

A now-defunct, little-known Disney Channel rule has finally explained why 90s and 2000s kids said goodbye to their favourite shows prematurely.

Lizzie McGuire, which made a bona fide star of US actress Hilary Duff, abruptly ended after just two seasons in 2004 at the height of its popularity and shortly after the release of its successful feature film.

It turns out, that was all due to a 65-episode rule at the beloved children’s network at the time.

Prior to 2005, a flurry of shows including Lizzie McGuire, Even Stevens, and Phil of the Future were cancelled after, or even before, hitting the 65 episode count, despite favourable ratings and large fanbases.

Why 65 episodes, you ask? That count would allow four other shows to air during the week over a year so the network could keep delivering fresh content.

Hilary Duff starred in Lizzie McGuire, which despite its popularity, only had two seasons.

The Lizzie McGuire movie was released in 2003.

That was, until That’s So Raven, starring actress Raven-Symone, completely changed the game.

Debuting in 2003, the teen psychic series following the adventures of the Baxter family was a blockbuster hit for the network, becoming the highest-rating original program in the network’s history, surpassing Lizzie McGuire.

It was sensationally commissioned for a fourth season in 2005, which marked the first time in Disney Channel history that it had gone beyond three seasons for an original series.

That's So Raven became Disney Channel’s highest-rating show at the time.

“It is our most successful series,” former Disney Channel president Rich Ross said at the time. “It has taken us where we got with Lizzie and ratcheted it up to another level.”

That’s So Raven reached 100 episodes when its series finale aired in November 2007, and pioneered an entirely new generation of shows – the golden era for Disney Channel – to go beyond the dreaded 65-episode rule.

After Raven set a precedence, the animated spy series Kim Possible became the first to go over 65 episodes.

Upon releasing a movie spin-off So The Drama in 2005, which was initially intended to be the story’s finale, executives reversed its decision to cancel the show, giving it the green light for a fourth season following fan backlash.

It ultimately finished its run with 87 episodes in 2007.

Kim Possible was hugely popular on Disney Channel.

And so, the 65-episode rule became history.

The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, starring twins Dylan and Cole Sprouse, aired from 2005 until 2008, and rounded out its three-season run with 87 episodes.

Then came Hannah Montana, arguably the most popular Disney Channel show of all time.

Miley Cyrus took Disney Channel to new heights with the release of Hannah Montana in 2006. Picture: Disney Channel/Rick Rowell

Selena Gomez starred in Wizards of Waverly Place, another popular Disney series. Picture: Disney Channel/Peter "Hopper" Stone

The billion-dollar franchise first debuted in 2006, catapulting a then-unknown Miley Cyrus to global superstardom.

Ratings sat consistently at 3.5 million viewers per episode, with its most viewed episode in 2007 reaching a whopping 10.7 million households.

It reached 98 episodes by the time it ended in 2011.

Elsewhere, Selena Gomez’s Wizards of Waverly Place hit 106 episodes upon its finale in 2012, which became the most-watched final episode of any Disney Channel show with an audience of 9.8 million.