The Real Reason The Suite Life On Deck Ended So Abruptly Compared To The Original Sprouse Twin Disne

June 26, 2024

While Cole Sprouse doesn't want a reboot, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody fans will always love remembering him and his twin brother Dylan Sprouse as the protagonists of this charming series. It's true that The Suite Life cast has moved on and that includes the siblings, who have explored other projects like Riverdale and various movies. But after the Disney Channel show ended in 2008, the spin-off The Suite Life on Deck aired for three seasons until 2011, and there's an interesting reason why it didn't last.

Both the original series and spin-off were equally popular, as Cody and Zack live at the Tipton Hotel and then become students at Seven Seas High School on the ship the SS Tipton. Since The Suite Life on Deck was so beloved, why did the spin-off series only last for three seasons?

Why Did The Suite Life On Deck Get Canceled?

Dylan Sprouse talked about The Suite Life series in a 2017 interview with Vulture and shared that he and his brother knew that they wanted to quit the series. By that time, they were 18 years old and starting to think about what to do next, and they didn't like the way that they were treated.

Dylan said, “we had a really awesome idea for where the show needed to go. We were 18. “If that isn’t old enough to know exactly what the show needs, then … well, I would beg to disagree. I don’t think [Disney] were willing to work with us, really ever. So we stopped the show.”

Dylan Sprouse explained more about why he and Cole wanted to leave The Suite Life on Deck in a YouTube video, according to Digital Spy. He said, "We said, 'If we're going to do one last season it's going to be on our terms - we're going to produce it and it'll be a set up for a new show.'"

The siblings wanted their characters to become close to a kid character who they met at the hotel, which would allow a spin-off series where Cody and Zack leave the hotel behind for the next phase of their lives.

Dylan shared that this meant that they could become college students themselves and the crew members and actors could stay on the spin-off. It's really sweet that they were thinking about other people who they had known for a long time as they were setting up the next part of their careers.

According to Digital Spy, Dylan Sprouse said that when they met with people at Disney, they learned that they wouldn't be allowed to produce the series that they came up with.

He said, "[They said,] 'You guys don't get producer credits'... And they pitched us our idea in Miami with Selena Gomez. And Cole and I turned to each other and we basically laughed in their faces and walked out, and that was the last meeting we had with Disney."

Entertainment Weekly reported that the video, called Outtakes with Natalia, isn't up anymore, but according to the publication, Dylan explained that Zack and Cody would become friendly with this kid and silly things would happen at the hotel. He would then become the main character.

It sounds like a great idea that would be as cute and family-friendly as the original series The Suite Life With Zack and Cody and also the spin-off The Suite Life on Deck, so it's too bad that it didn't end up happening.

After so many years of starring on their Disney Channel series, it makes sense that Cole and Dylan Sprouse would have thoughts about where their characters should go next, as they had been living with these fictional people since 2005 when The Suite Life with Zack and Cody started.

Why Did The Suite Life With Zack And Cody End?

Disney's 65-episode rule was a bad idea and according to J-14, this is likely the reason why Cole and Dylan Sprouse's original Disney series, The Suite Life With Zack and Cody, was taken off the air. It's definitely interesting to think about this rule since the shows that ended after only 65 episodes were still beloved and had big fanbases who seem like they would have continued to watch.

However, The Suite Life had 87 episodes across three seasons, not 65, so the series did last longer than some others, such as The Lizzie McGuire Show. Most Disney Channel shows in the 1990s and 2000s had three seasons, though, so the show did fit into that mold.

According to The A.V. Club, That's So Raven lasted more than 65 episodes, as it had 100 over 4 seasons.

Many child stars age out of the content that they have been creating, and that seems to be the case with Dylan and Cole Sprouse. They began starring on The Suite Life with Zack and Cody when they were 13 years old and it's only natural that by their 18th birthdays, they were wondering what was next and whether they could really continue starring on the same type of show.

Both brothers have starred in less noticeably sweet and wholesome TV shows and movies since, which has allowed them to grow up.

The Suite Life Spin-Off That Didn't Happen

It's interesting to hear Dylan Sprouse share the story of Disney telling him and his brother about a spin-off series with Selena Gomez. A pilot episode of a Suite Life spin-off was filmed in 2007, according to MTV, and that one did include Gomez.

The show was called Arwin! and featured Arwin Hochauser (played by Brian Stepanek), who fans know from being the engineer at the Tipton Hotel. He begins living with his sister and her kids, who would have been played by Nia Peeples, Samantha Droke, and Selena Gomez.

The show didn't end up happening, and it does sound tough to picture a Suite Life spin-off that doesn't include Cole and Dylan Sprouse. At least their idea for a spin-off series would still take place at the beloved setting of the Tipton Hotel, which would make it feel cozy and familiar.

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