YMMV / Disney Channel Live-Action Universe

• Broken Base: The whole idea of Girl Meets World now being included into the DCLAU, and in the process bringing a whole host of other shows, the vast majority not otherwise even remotely related to actual Disney Channel productions, along with it. The vast majority of people on the opposing side feels that this extremely loosely connected universe of random TV shows that exists primarily for hype and marketing purposes cheapens these shows, particularly Girl/Boy Meets World and other beloved TGIF classics. A small minority feels the other way - that GMW has essentially invited in a bunch of interlopers that has given critics (particularly those harsh to tween and teen entertainment in general) ammunition for even more snark material. Most people point out that Disney Channel as a whole and in itself is a Spiritual Successor to the old ABC TGIF block to begin with, and that these tween/teen shows are just continuing the same legacy of these old "family" shows (that were really primarily aimed at tweens and teens to begin with, before that age group began to really be looked at by networks as an independent demographic) and picking up exactly where TGIF left off when that block imploded (which incidentally was around the same time when Disney Channel started to get big into live-action programming).
• Cash-Cow Franchise: As the most popular shows on the channel, they get quite a lot of merchandise.
  • The idea and official recognition of a DCLAU seems in part motivated to establish the DCLAU itself as a (Cash Cow) Franchise, much like the shared universes/franchises of the Marvel (now incidentally owned by Disney) and DC franchises (or alternatively, Disney's own "Princess" franchise).
  • Some of the most popular shows seem to be especially emphasized with crossovers, so far with Jessie, Good Luck Charlie, Hannah Montana and the Suite Life series having the most tie-ins.
• Fandom Rivalry: During the 2015 Kids Choice Awards, the fandom of Austin & Ally actively started campaigning against Jessie's KCA nomination on Twitter, creating a rift between those two fandoms.
  • There tends to be a fandom rivalry between fans of Girl Meets World (and to a lesser extent Liv and Maddie) and other shows on the network.
• Friendly Fandoms: Both Austin & Ally and A.N.T. Farm are this to iCarly, despite being on rival networks, have a friendship based around the supporters of the three major canon relationships on the shows, Carly/Freddie, Austin/Ally, and Chyna/Fletcher, Three of them being examples of the Just Friends.
• Girl-Show Ghetto: A major criticism of the DCLAU by critics and the adult fanbase is how it barely tailors to the male demographic in spite of its popularity. Moral Guardians also hate the DCLAU because they believe the content on the shows would tell girls it is okay to be snobby bitches, spend all their money on clothing they'll only wear once, and date guys based on appearance.
• Hollywood Homely: See Sliding Scale of Beauty. Hardly a DCLAU show will not invoke this trope at least once, if not in its main cast (sometimes even with its top-billed star).
• Hollywood Hype Machine: One of the most well known examples. As well as being on these shows, the actors also usually release an album and have a finale movie. Unfortunately, it rarely leads to lasting success outside of Disney (though that seems to be changing now, at least with Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato).
• Just Here for Godzilla: Many fans, especially male fans, tune in just for the female stars, such as Debby Ryan, Zendaya, Laura Marano, Olivia Holt, etc. Also likely a number of female fans tune in for the male stars, such as Ross Lynch and Peyton Meyer.
  • Older fans who tune in for Girl Meets World and tune to another channel as soon as that show's over.
• Periphery Demographic: Ostensibly, virtually every one of the shows on the Disney Channel side of the DCLAU is squarely aimed at tween/teen girls with the Disney XD side serving the same-aged male demographic. That said, there's a very sizable male demographic for all shows. Many boys enjoy the singing/dancing numbers, the antics and especially the attractive female actresses Disney tends to cast in their shows. Even Disney itself acknowledges this, at least to some degree - the number of times Suite Life on Deck reruns on Disney XD, for example. The Live-Action TV page has quite a few examples.
  • There's also a significant (typically male) older audience as well, ranging from late teens to well over typical college-age.
  • Girl Meets World and I Didn't Do It are direct shots at the Periphery Demographic: the former brings with it tremendous nostalgia appeal thanks to Boy Meets World and its fans who are roughly the same age as Cory and Topanga themselves (and thus potentially have children of their own fitting into the DCLAU "target" demographic); while the latter is a more straightforward appeal towards a slightly skewed demographic with a cast and humor and scriptwriting thought to be more appealing to an older teen demographic.
    • Shows that have been in production for a while (like Good Luck Charlie, Jessie and Austin & Ally) will make attempts to keep up with their aging fanbases as well.
• Retroactive Recognition:
  • G. Hannelius popped up on various Disney Channel shows before Dog with a Blog began.
  • Peyton Meyer appeared on several episodes of Dog with a Blog before Girl Meets World, as did Kayla Maisonet before Stuck in the Middle.
  • Miranda May of Bunk'd appeared on Liv and Maddie frequently.

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