Disney Channel Commissions ‘Jessie’ Spinoff

Disney Channel has greenlit a spinoff series of its popular sitcom Jessie, the network said Wednesday.

The new series will star Peyton List, Karan Brar and Skai Jackson reprising their roles of Emma, Ravi and Zuri Ross respectively from the original Jessie show, which will end its run after four seasons.

The yet-to-be titled spin-off series, which will begin production later this year, will be produced by Jessie series creator Pamela Eells O‘Connell. Jessie, which stars Debby Ryan, ranks as the second most watched cable Tv series among kids 6-11 with an average of 1.2 million viewers, according to Disney.

"Jessie has been a fan favorite for the past four years," said Disney Channels Worldwide executive vice president of original programming Adam Bonnett in a statement. "We are excited that viewers all over the world can continue to watch the humorous antics of Emma, Ravi and Zuri, beloved characters played brilliantly by Peyton, Karan and Skai."

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.