Dog with a Blog

Premise

Set in Pasadena, California, Avery Jennings' mother, Ellen, has just married Tyler and Chloe James' father, Bennett, and now the new family needs to adjust to living together. They face an even bigger adjustment when they discover that their new dog, Stan, can talk. Only Avery, Tyler, and Chloe know this. Unbeknownst to the family, Stan also has a blog where he discusses happenings in the Jennings-James household in hopes of finding other talking animals. The children learn of Stan's talking ability in the first episode and agree to keep it a secret from their parents, fearing if the world finds out that Stan can talk, he will be taken away for experimentation.

Cast and characters

Main

G Hannelius as Avery Jennings, the highly intelligent, hard-working step-sister of Tyler and Chloe. She hates the fact that Tyler feels everything has to go his way and that good things always seem to happen to him, such as in "Stan of the House" when Tyler books the living room as an excuse to have the school cheerleading squad come over. Avery is very straightforward in following the rules and reluctantly goes along with what Tyler does. She is very smart, an overachiever, and knows what she wants. She wants everything to be handled in an orderly fashion, such as posting sign-up sheets for the living room and bathroom. Avery is socially responsible and despises boys like Tyler, though 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. She did not always love to take risks, but this changes when she steals a large pig in one episode. Avery is a very good problem solver and is the school's class president.

Blake Michael as Tyler James, the popular brother of Chloe and step-brother of Avery. He seems to get by using his good looks, adding to Avery's jealousy, 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. Tyler is a math genius, found out later in the first season, and although he is very smart, Tyler slacks off in school due to laziness. In the episode "Stan of the House", he learns he needs to act more like a brother toward Avery and begins, on some occasions, to show his soft, serious, and mature side. Although he can sometimes be perceived as carefree and too laid back, Tyler will rush to a person's aid when they need help, showing that he cares about other people and is not at all judgmental or a bad person, as seen in "Stan of the House" 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.

Francesca Capaldi as Chloe James, the younger sister of Tyler and step-sister of Avery. A running gag in the show is that the family will go somewhere and forget to bring Chloe home, and when they realize their error, they scream her name at the same time. Chloe is known to love candy, though her parents do not allow her to eat much. She secretly hides sweets around the house in places like pillowcases and TV remote battery compartments. She has a very active imagination, making up new names for various body parts and enjoys scaring Tyler while he sleeps.

Recurring

Kayla Maisonet as Lindsay, Avery's best friend. Lindsay's unique quality is that she always wears a hat, even when it is inappropriate. Lindsay often talks fast when she panics, often leading Avery to also talk fast. Except for her lack of intelligence, she has much in common with Avery. They love the same books and movies and often say the same things at the same time involuntarily, and she also dislikes Karl just like Avery. However, Avery dislikes Karl more than she does. In Avery B. Jealous, Wes, Avery's crush, asks Lindsay out on a date. Lindsay promises Avery that she will call off the date, but when they get in a fight, she decides to go out with Wes. Lindsay admits that she has always had a crush on Wes. In Avery-body Dance Now, she and Max confront Wes when he turns Avery down on an invite to the school dance after Karl tells Wes he is going with Avery.

Denyse Tontz as Nikki Ortiz, Avery's friend and Tyler's current 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 is shown to be great at whistling and art. In Avery's First Crush, Nikki accidentally reveals her confusing and mysterious secret: "My brother didn't fall. He was pushed." In Love Ty-Angle, she becomes jealous of Tyler's girlfriend and is confused about it. Nikki asks Tyler to dump Emily for her, but since he can't trust his dream girl, he chooses Emily; however, she learns about Nikki's pursuit of Tyler. This leads to Tyler being broken up with by Emily and, despite never being picked second for anything, Nikki accepts when Tyler chooses her. It is later revealed in Dog on a Catwalk that they decided to take a break because the president of El Salvador asked Nikki to stay to increase tourism with her beautiful traits.

LJ Benet as Karl Fink, Avery's frenemy. He and Avery are the smartest children in school; however, in contrast to Avery, Karl is a shameless jerk. Being very nosy, he often barges into the Jennings–James house without knocking. He also tries to find out Stan's secret in The Bone Identity. He despises Avery because when they were much younger, she stole his graham crackers at a science camp. He often has tea and snacks with Ellen, much to the discomfort of others, though they both claim that it is not weird. He once admits that he likes to send Ellen flowers under the alias of Walter Perkins. Karl has mentioned several times that his father is up on the International Space Station and talks often about his obsessive bodybuilding mother, who he says is the strongest woman in the world, though she has never been seen on the show. In Avery-body Dance Now, he teaches Avery how to dance for the school dance with Wes; however, he tells Wes that he is going to the school dance with Avery. In Karl Finds Out Stan's Secret, it is revealed that Karl has been spying on Stan and the children for a while. Now he knows that Stan can talk, but keeps it a secret.

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.

On February 4, 2013, Disney Channel renewed the series for a second season. On February 4, 2014, the series was renewed for a third season by Disney Channel.

Kuma, the mutt who originally portrayed Stan, was replaced after five episodes due to a dispute with Kuma's owner. Another dog named Mick would portray Stan for the remainder of the series, with both dogs artificially painted with the same color scheme.

Broadcast

Worldwide, the show aired on Disney Channel. The series premiered in the United States on October 12, 2012, and in Canada on November 23, 2012. The show later premiered in the United Kingdom and Ireland on December 21, 2012. In India, the series premiered on December 1, 2013 on Disney Channel India and on October 30, 2017 on Disney International HD. The second season premiered on November 26, 2014. The series premiered in Singapore on March 2, 2013, and in Australia and New Zealand on March 25, 2013. In Thailand the series premiered on February 18, 2017.

The series was made available on Disney+ on February 26, 2021.

Reception

Critical

Dog with a Blog has received generally mixed reviews from critics. Critic Brian Lowry for Variety gave the show a mixed review, saying that "young kids should enjoy hearing Stan express dog-like thoughts", but concluded that "Dog with a Blog is strictly low-hanging-biscuit fare". Common Sense Media gave the show two stars out of five, calling it a "so-so sitcom" with "lackluster writing and cliche humor" while praising it for having "some heartwarming messages about families".

In a review on Gawker entitled "There Is a TV Show Called Dog with a Blog and It's About a Dog Who Blogs," Adrian Chen gave Dog With A Blog a mixed review, and remarked, "Unfortunately, there are only two short scenes where we see Stan blog in the pilot."