The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
For anyone born in the mid-90s to the early 2000s, the Suite Life of Zack and Cody is one of the most-watched programs. Even before Disney+ brought it back to our lives, fans remembered the laughs.
It stars twins Dylan and Cody Sprouse as Zack and Cody Martin. They live with their singer mother in a Hotel owned by the billionaire Wilfred Tipton.
However, the Manager of the Boston Tipton is who picks up the mess of the twins. Marion Moseby (Phill Lewis) is a stand-out character fans remember for his dancing, his comedic timing and teaching London Tipton (Brenda Song) how to drive.
The series ran from 2005 to 2008 on the Disney Channel but the story didn’t stop there. However, that’s something we’ll touch on later. Zack, Cody, Mr Moseby, and London are only four members of the ensemble cast.
The rest of the core cast comprises of Maddie Fitzpatrick (Ashley Tisdale), Carey Martin (Kim Rhodes), Arwin Hochauser (Brian Stepanek) and Esteban Julio Ricardo Montoya de la Rosa Ramirez (Adrian R’Mante).
While I’m recommending the whole series to watch, there are certain episodes that are definite must-watches.
Season 1, Episode 9 Band in Boston sees Zack and Cody taking part in a Battle of the Bands with their friends Max and Tapeworm. However, their constant bickering creates a rift that could cost them the win.
Meanwhile, Maddie’s band has been taken over by London after she buys them new instruments. With London’s tone-deaf singing, their chances of winning also seems slim.
Season 1, Episode 25 Commercial Breaks is my favorite episode of Season 1, and perhaps of the whole series. It centers around Mr. Tipton wanting a new commercial for the Hotel and wants to film it at the Boston one.
Soon, colleagues are fighting for the spotlight while London uses her name to get in the advert. It’s an episode that highlights Mr. Moseby’s singing and dancing talents.
Season 2, Episode 11 Twins at the Tipton sees an off-screen girlfriend breaking Cody’s heart while the Tipton hosts a twin convention. Zack and Cody end up on a date with two English twins, who later recur in more episodes, but an emotional Cody gets the last laugh.
Maddie and London hook up with fraternal twins. Unfortunately for Maddie, she ends up with somebody who would give Sheldon Cooper a run for his money.
Season 2, Episode 13 Bowling is another hit from the series. It’s part of several episodes through the series where the Tipton faces off against their rival, St. Mark through a game of bowling.
Guest star Caroline Rhea returns as Ilsa Schicklgrubermeiger, the manageress of the St. Mark.
It shows off Zack’s bowling talent but after he pranks his brother yet again, he’s grounded. With the team missing their star bowler all seems lost, especially if a certain handyman can’t get over his fear of bowling.
Season 3, Episode 9 Lip Synchin’ in the Rain is a strange episode. This is because the High School Zack, Cody, Maddie and London attends is staging High School Musical.
Maddie makes the joke people say she looks like Sharpay (since Ashley Tisdale plays both!)
As the title suggests, the episode borrows elements from the famous musical Singing in the Rain. However, it also features Ashley Tisdale singing Bop to the Top again so there are no complaints here.
Season 3, Episode 22 Mr. Tipton Comes to Visit is the series finale and is as the title suggests. Wilfred Tipton is visiting the Hotel and everyone is panicking. If he arrives in a good mood then someone receives a $50,000 bonus but if he’s in a bad mood then someone is losing their job.
It mostly consists of flashbacks but as a series finale, it’s important to watch. Especially since it brings back a character who disappears and explains what happens to them.
After the Suite Life of Zack and Cody finished, several of the characters spun-off onto another series. Zack and Cody are joined by Mr. Moseby and London in The Suite Life on Deck.
The series changes the setting from a hotel in Boston to a High School on a Cruise ship. While it’s not as popular as the original series, On Deck is a good continuation.
It introduces new characters to the series as well. Debby Ryan joins the series as Bailey Pickett, who the twins are instantly smitten with. While, Matthew Timmons comes in as Woody Fink, Cody’s new roommate who reminds him of an exaggerated Zack.
Mr. Mosey also meets his match in Emma Tutweiller, the Seven Seas High Teacher played by Erin Cardillo.
The Suite Life series is also famous for its number of guest stars. In the original series Zac Efron, Jaden Smith, Victoria Justice, Emma Stone, and Joey King to name a few.
As for its spin-off, stars such as Jordin Sparks, Dwight Howard, Deron Williams, Kevin Love and Andy Richter appear in episodes. Before I Fall actress Zoey Deutch also got her start on the show as Maya Bennett, a character who arrives in Season 3.
There is also a movie set between the penultimate and final episodes of the Suite Life on Deck, however, the continuity between the two could have been better. For that, it’s not vital to watch the movie but it is a fun add-on.
However, the Suite Life on Deck isn’t the only spin-off from the original series. Or at least, it’s the only one that made it to series. A pilot was filmed of a spin-off revolving around Arwin moving into his sister-in-law’s house to help look after his nieces and nephew.
The full pilot doesn’t appear to be anywhere but there are clips of it on YouTube. Interestingly, it seems Arwin! is the series Selena Gomez was supposed to be in before Wizards of Waverly Place.
