J.O.N.A.S. (partially found original pilot of "Jonas" Disney Channel comedy series; 2007)

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J.O.N.A.S. Logo.jpg

The logo that was used for J.O.N.A.S..

Status: Partially Found

In 2007, a pilot for the Disney Channel TV series Jonas (later titled Jonas L.A.) was filmed. At this time, the show was titled J.O.N.A.S. This original pilot had a completely different premise from the final show.

This pilot featured the Jonas Brothers as secret agents, and they played concerts as a cover to keep their work secret. They worked for the organization J.O.N.A.S. which stood for "Junior Operatives Networking as Spies." They tried to keep their agent work hidden from their mother and their younger brother Frankie. The Jonas brothers' real life parents played the parents in this version of the show. Additionally, John Ducey, who plays their father in the version of Jonas that made it to air, originally had the role of the head of J.O.N.A.S.[1]

In an interview with Radio Free Entertainment, Chelsea Kane (then Chelsea Staub), revealed that the character of Stella was a writer for a teen magazine who does not realize the brothers are secret agents. She goes on dates with all three of the brothers without them knowing. She then writes about this in her magazine column. While describing the show, she said;

"So pretty much the entire show, it's all of us lying to each other, and kind of everything backfiring, and us getting caught in awkward situations. It's really funny. It's a little confusing, but…"[2]

Airing

According to an interview in the June 2008 issue of Popstar! Magazine, the Hollywood writers' strike impacted when the pilot was shot, so the planed premiere was pushed back from June 2008 to fall/winter 2008.

The pilot for J.O.N.A.S. is speculated to have aired once as a sneak preview on Disney Channel Asia in 2008, which has been confirmed from a contact who lived in Singapore at the time. After this airing, multiple stills from the pilot were passed around. There is no evidence to suggest that the pilot episode for J.O.N.A.S. was broadcasted outside of Disney Channel Asia.

Also, according to the article, Disney Channel aired a sneak-preview of the pilot that was posted to YouTube.

Change of the Show

The premise of the show was changed in 2008 to be about the brothers balancing their lives as popstars and their lives as normal students in high school. The concept was changed because after the release of Camp Rock, the reality series Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream, and the film Jonas Brothers: the 3D Concert Experience, the brothers were too popular to imagine as anything other than heightened versions of themselves.

Availability

The only footage of the pilot available comes from the 2008 Disney Channel sneak preview. Many writers and crew members who worked on this pilot have been asked to release it by fans of the Jonas Brothers. They have stated that they do not have permission to release it. Because of this, it is unlikely that this pilot will surface unless Disney releases it or the airing from Disney Channel Asia is found.

Gallery

Images

Screenshots

Footage

A collection of images from the Jonas pilot.

Another collection of images from the Jonas pilot.

A promo that contains short clips of the J.O.N.A.S. pilot (1:00-1:05).

See Also

Disney Channel

Playhouse Disney

Disney Junior

Toon Disney

Disney XD

Other

References