Dog with a Blog

Dog with a Blog is an American television sitcom that premiered on Disney Channel on October 12, 2012, following the premiere of Girl Vs. Monster. It stars G. Hannelius, Blake Michael, Francesca Capaldi, Stephen Full, Regan Burns, and Beth Littleford. The show was co-created by Michael B. Kaplan, who also co-created Disney XD's I'm In The Band, in which Hannelius, Full, Burns, and Littleford have all previously starred or appeared. On February 4, 2013, Disney Channel renewed the series for a second season. Its average Nielsen rating was 3.4 for season 1. A third season was ordered by Disney on February 4, 2014.

Premise
Avery Jennings and Tyler James are step-siblings from Pasadena who hate each other but come together in the pilot episode. The family faces an even bigger adjustment when they discover that their new dog, Stan, can talk and also has a blog, unbeknownst to the family. Only Avery, Chloe, and Tyler know he can talk. Stan uses his blog to discuss the happenings in the Jennings-James household. The children learn of Stan's talking ability in the first episode and agree to keep it a secret from their parents, fearing that if the world finds out that Stan can talk, he will be taken away and experimented on.

Cast

 * G. Hannelius as 12-year old Avery Jennings, the highly intelligent, hard-working step-sister of Tyler. She hates the fact that Tyler feels everything has to go his way, and that good things always seem happen to him, such as in the pilot when Tyler books the living room as an excuse to have the school cheerleading squad come over. Avery is very straight-forward in following the rules and reluctantly goes along with what Tyler does. She is very smart, an overachiever and knows what she wants, and what she wants is to get into law school. She wants everything to be handled in an orderly fashion, such as posting sign-up sheets for the living room and even the bathroom. Avery is socially responsible and despises boys like Tyler, although the two do have brother-sister heart-to-heart discussions showing that, at the end of the day, no matter how much Tyler annoys her, they love each other. Avery is a very good problem solver, and in addition, is the school president, and an amazing juggler.


 * Blake Michael as 16-year old Tyler James, Chloe's brother, and Avery's popular step-brother who seems to get by with his good looks, much to Avery's dismay, often causing the two to fight. Manipulative and occasionally a little vain, good things always seem to happen to him; he can get any pretty girl to go out with him and is extremely charismatic. Although very smart, Tyler is slacking off in school due to laziness, but in the pilot he learns he needs to act more like a brother towards Avery and will, on some occasions, show his soft, serious, mature side. Although he can sometimes be shown to be care-free and too laid-back, Tyler will rush to a person's side when they need help, showing that he cares about people and is not at all judgmental or a bad person, as seen in pilot when he comforts Avery after she breaks down crying over losing Stan. He can also be shown to be a little air-headed, but he has a quick wit and like Avery, he knows what he wants and he will not stop at anything to get it, showing that he has stars in his eyes and he is determined to show that he is more than just "the popular guy". Although he is very manipulative, ironically, Tyler is completely unaware when people are manipulating him, such as when Chloe convinces him to drive her to get her ears pierced when Ellen and Bennett refuse. In "The Bone Identity", it is revealed that Tyler is a math genius.


 * Francesca Capaldi as 7-year old Chloe James, the sister of Tyler and Avery. Chloe is naive, sweet and bubbly. She is shown to have psychological problems and often does crazy things. Avery notes in the pilot, that when Tyler tries to get Stan to fetch a ball and Chloe goes to get it, that it is "cute until she chases a car". A running gag in the show is that her parents always forget her at some place, and when they realize it, they scream at the same time, "Chloe!"


 * Stephen Full as the voice of Stan, the family's new dog who blogs and talks. He keeps his secret of talking from Ellen and Bennett, and the only people who knows that Stan can talk are Avery, Tyler and Chloe. Also, Stan has a deep love of poodles.


 * Regan Burns as Bennett James, Tyler's father and Avery's step-father. He is a psychologist who has his own book and tries to think of ways to get his kids to come together. Sometimes, his wife thinks he got his psychology degree online, as his attempts do not seem to work well.


 * Beth Littleford as Ellen Jennings, Avery's mother and Tyler's step-mother. She does not like dogs, sometimes does not like cats, and makes it known that she does not like Stan, but at the end of "The Parrot Trap" she and Stan get along. Her nickname is "Smellen" due to the medley of horrific odors in her car.


 * Kuma and Mick as Stan, is the dog of James-Jennings family. He has the ability to talk like a human. He dislikes Pomeranians and he loves Poodles. It is shown that Avery is his favorite. As shown in World of Woofcraft he likes the game Realm of the Tower. His catch phrase is Here's something to chew on.

Recurring characters

 * Kayla Maisonet as Lindsay, Avery's best friend. She and Avery try to make their school's cheerleading squad like them. Lindsay often talks fast when she panics. She also wears hats all the time, usually straw hats.


 * Denyse Tontz as Nikki Ortiz, Avery's friend, and Tyler's girlfriend. She has a dog named Evita, who Stan despises, because she yaps too much. Nikki moved from El Salvador and is sweet and talented. In "Wingstan", she was shown to be great at whistling and art.


 * L.J. Benet as Karl Fink, Avery's enemy. He and Avery are the smartest kids in school. Karl is a jerk and is very nosy. He also tried to find out Stan's secret. He has appeared in "The Bone Identity" and "Dog Loses Girl".


 * Danielle Soibelman as Max, Avery's second best friend. She has a passion for wearing dark clothing (often black) but is very loyal to Avery as a friend.


 * Peyton Meyer as Wes Manning, Avery's crush and ex-boyfriend. His first appearance was in "Too Short". After accidentally turning down his date to the movies, Avery and Lindsay once battled for his love but in the end, made up and moved on. However, Wes still had feelings for her and asked Avery to the dance. They began dating soon after, but were forced to break up in "Love, Loss and a Beanbag Toss".

Production
The series was co-created by Michael B. Kaplan, who previously co-created the Disney XD series I'm in the Band. Stephen Full was previously a cast member of that series along with Beth Littleford who had a recurring role. G. Hannelius and Regan Burns also previously guest starred on I'm in the Band, during the show's two-season run. Sesame Street and Muppets performer Paul McGinnis puppeteered specially made puppet legs for Stan for special effects shots (e.g. Stan's blogging) for several episodes. The show is set in Pasadena, California.

Reception
The series premiere was watched by 4.5 million viewers.