This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CWU chapter.
It isn’t often that I obsess over a TV show. Okay, that’s a lie, but it isn’t often that I obsess “this much” over a TV show. But Julie and the Phantoms has me absolutely hooked. I realized that buying ghost band plushies on Etsy wasn’t normal just-liking-a-show behavior. But this show deserves it!
Julie and the Phantoms is about three boys—Luke, Reggie, and Alex—with a love for music who die in 1995. They are transported to 2020 and land in the garage studio of Julie, a sixteen-year-old girl who lost her love for music after her mom died. The boys realize they can play music and have other people hear it when Julie plays with them, so they form their band Julie and the Phantoms. The show is about the boys being able to follow their passion while also grappling with their unfinished business and Julie finding her love for music again and gaining a new family along the way.
Music
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The music is phenomenal! Since this is a show geared towards children I thought I would be hearing some Disney Channel type music, but no. This music is catchy and each song in the soundtrack absolutely slaps. Madison Reyes, the girl who plays Julie, is an amazing singer at only sixteen. The band also plays all their own instruments and performs the songs in the show because Kenny Ortega, the show’s director, plans to have them go on tour after the pandemic restrictions have been lifted. It’s difficult for me to rank my top favorite songs from the album, but they are probably Flying Solo, Edge of Great, and Unsaid Emily. Catch me at their concert hopefully this year.
I know what you’re probably thinking. “This is a kid’s show. Do I really want to watch it?” Yes, you do. Great kid’s shows are enjoyable for all ages, and this one appeals to an adult audience as well. Sure, some of the drama in the show is very high school, but I find myself laughing out loud in some scenes and crying my eyes out at others.
Some shows feel a bit heartless like they were written without real meaning or intention behind them. This one is so full of heart. There are themes about family, about death and the meaning of life, about passion, friendship, love…I can’t even list all of them. And these themes aren’t thrown in for the sake of having them. You end up feeling for these characters and learning something from them.
It’s Comforting
Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash
There is something about this show that lifts your spirits, pun intended. Last quarter was a really rough time for me and discovering this show was probably the highlight. I keep gravitating back to Julie and the Phantoms whenever I’m feeling sad, lonely, or stressed because the show just radiates happiness. The passion of these characters comes through the screen and just makes you feel hopeful about the world, no matter what is going on. It makes you want to chase your dreams. It makes you want to get up and dance and sing like no one is watching. I’ve been missing that so long since I’ve become an adult and it feels like this show has breathed new life into me.
So I’m just going to say this—try it out. Clicking play on the first episode might give you the wholesome fun that you need right now.
Sydney Erickson is an English and Public Relations Major. She is an enrolled Cowlitz Indian. She loves books, movies, spirituality, and Marvel. Sydney hopes to become an author and actress one day. This is her second year writing for Her Campus.
