*Spoilers ahead!*
If you’re any normal person who watches normal college shows, there’s a very small chance that you’ve heard of the Netflix original sitcom “Prince of Peoria.” I’m here to change that.
So far, I’ve only gotten through the first of two seasons of this show. The first season is only 8 episodes, each of them only lasting about 20-30 minutes in run time. That alone makes it a really fast watch; I was able to get through it all in one night toward the end of winter break. Along with being a fast watch, it was also enjoyable. Obviously, going in, you can tell it has the same energy as old Disney shows like “Good Luck Charlie” and “Wizards of Waverly Place,” but it’s pretty much “Hannah Montana” if Hannah was a princess and in Peoria.
The overall premise of the show is when Prince Emil of Buronia turns 13, he is presented with the opportunity to wish for whatever he wants in celebration. He’s in love with two YouTubers, Stank Man and Daryl. He hopes to find them in Peoria, where they film all of their videos. Upon getting his wish, he’s sent as a foreign exchange student to stay with the other main character, Teddy, and his mom in Peoria. The show follows Prince Emil wanting to be Teddy’s best friend, while Teddy pushes back slightly. However, no one knows Emil is a prince when he first gets to Peoria, so he’s living a double life. *Cough cough* Hannah Montana.
Over the span of the first season, there were plenty of moments that showcased just how dated this kid’s show is since it first aired in 2018. One of the biggest moments that comes to my mind is in the first or second episode when Teddy’s mom flosses as a celebratory dance. It’s just a ton of things like that sprinkled throughout. I won’t lie, there were some points where I almost turned off the show because it was too much like 2018 kid’s humor. However, if you go into it knowing that it’ll be full of childish humor, it’s not a terrible watch by any means. It has a great message about being yourself and others will accept you.
The overall plot of the story is relatively well put together, where each episode can be watched by itself, but it all ties together to create the overarching plot. For example, in the beginning of the season, no one knows that Emil is a prince, but then it slowly comes out to a few people. Teddy begins by being extremely into school work and not so much on prioritizing friendship, but then you see him become more comfortable with the concept of friendships. He begins getting more comfortable being friendly with Prince Emil. Teddy’s character development allows them to inevitably become “bros,” which was the most consistent plot point throughout the season. The acting is what you would expect from a younger group of children that don’t necessarily have a lot of acting experience yet. It’s not fantastic, but it does what it’s supposed to.
Despite some of the cringey moments, there are a lot of fun parts of having a TV show set in Peoria, especially with the skyline shots of the river. I honestly recommend watching it if you want to turn something on that you don’t have to pay a lot of attention to, and you just want a laugh for a little while. It’s especially interesting because then you can see how Peoria is portrayed on TV, which is weird when you’re living on campus and Bradley is never mentioned.