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

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.

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…"

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

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  An interview from the June 2008 issue of Popstar! Magazine that describes the pilot.

Screenshots

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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

• 101 Dalmatians: The Series (partially found pitch pilot of Disney animated TV series based on animated film; 1996)
• Amazing Animals (found Disney Channel educational animated series; 1996-1999)
• Amphibiland (found pitch pilot of "Amphibia" Disney Channel animated series; 2018)
• Arwin! (partially found pitch pilot of cancelled spin-off of "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" Disney Channel sitcom; 2007)
• Bonkers "Fall Apart Bomb Squad" (found episode of Disney Channel animated series; 1993)
• Country Club (partially lost test pilot of "Big City Greens" Disney Channel adventure-comedy animated series; 2015)
• Disney Channel Interactive (lost Dish Network game channel; late 2000s)
• Disney Channel "Disney's One Too" (partially lost "Recess" gags of TV channel block; 1999-2003)
• Disney Channel "Wand Idents" (partially found bumpers from TV channel; 2003-present)
• Disney's Coyote Tales (found Disney Channel extended version of "The Coyote's Lament" animated short; 1991)
• Disney's Doug (found episodes of animated TV series; 1996-1999)
• Dreamfinders (unproduced Disney Channel series based on "Journey Into Imagination" Epcot ride; 1983)
• Dumbo's Circus (partially found Disney Channel live-action puppet series; 1985-1986)
• Fish Hooks (partially found test pilot of Disney Channel animated series; 2009)
• Going Wild with Jeff Corwin (partially found Disney Channel documentary series; 1997-1999)
• Gravity Falls (found Comic Con 2012 promo of Disney Channel animated mystery comedy series; 2012)
• Gravity Falls (found pitch pilot of Disney Channel animated mystery comedy series; 2010)
• Hannah Montana (lost production material of cancelled anime adaptation of Disney Channel teen sitcom; 2009-2010)
• Herbie the Lovebug (lost Disney Channel animated pilot; late 1990s-2000s)
• Katbot (partially found unreleased Disney Channel animated series; 2005)
• Lizzie McGuire "Season 3" (lost production material of cancelled season of Disney Channel comedy series; 2020)
• Minnie Takes Care of Pluto (found Mickey Mouse Works animated short; 2000)
• Mousercise (partially found Disney Channel exercise series; 1983-1996)
• Mouseterpiece Theater (partially found Disney Channel cartoon compilation series; 1983-1990)
• Pepper Ann (partially found Nickelodeon pitch pilot of Disney animated series; 1996)
• Phineas and Ferb "Delivery of Destiny" (partially found Simon Pegg version of Disney Channel animated series episode; 2013)
• Phineas and Ferb: Spot the Diff (found Disney Channel animated special; 2008)
• Recess "The Break In" (partially found pitch pilot of Disney animated TV series; 1996)
• Shooting Star Milkshake Bar (found full version of "Phineas and Ferb" song; 2008)
• Star and the Forces of Evil (found pitch pilot of Disney Channel animated series; 2011)
• Talespin (lost Phil Harris audio recordings from Disney Channel animated series; 1990)
• Teen Angel (partially found Disney Channel serial drama; 1989)
• The All-New Mickey Mouse Club (partially found revival of Disney variety TV series; 1989-1994)
• The Jersey (partially lost Disney Channel sports-themed comedy series; 1999-2004)
• The Owl House (found test animation of Disney Channel animated series; 2017)
• The Proud Family (partially found Nickelodeon pitch pilot of Disney Channel animated sitcom; 1999)
• Welcome to Pooh Corner (partially found Disney Channel live-action puppet series; 1983-1986)
• What's Stevie Thinking? (lost pitch pilot of cancelled spin-off of "Lizzie McGuire" Disney Channel comedy series; 2005)

Playhouse Disney

• Adventures in Nutrition with Captain Carlos (found Playhouse Disney animated short series; 2004-2007)
• Bear in the Big Blue House (found unaired pilot of Disney Channel puppet series; 1997)
• Bear in the Big Blue House (found Playhouse Disney puppet series; 1997-2006)
• Breakfast with Bear (partially found spin-off of "Bear in the Big Blue House" Playhouse Disney puppet series; 2005-2006)
• Handy Manny (partially found DKP Studios pilot of Playhouse Disney CGI animated series; 2005)
• Imagination Movers (found pitch pilot of Playhouse Disney series based on children's music group; 2006)
• JoJo's Circus (partially lost Playhouse Disney stop-motion animated series; 2003-2007)
• Little Einsteins (partially found British dub of Playhouse Disney animated series; 2005-2010)
• Little Einstein (partially found pitch pilots of Playhouse Disney animated series; 2003-2004)
• My Friends Tigger & Pooh (partially found test pilots of Playhouse Disney CGI animated series; 2005/2006)
• Out of the Box (partially lost Playhouse Disney children's series; 1998-2004)
• PB&J Otter (found original credits sequences of Playhouse Disney animated series; 1998-2000)
• Playhouse Disney UK (partially found interstitial material of TV channel block; 1999-2006)
• Stanley (found pitch pilot of Playhouse Disney animated series; 1999)
• The Book of Pooh (found Playhouse Disney puppet series; 2001-2004)

Disney Junior

• Beverly Hills Chihuahuas (found pitch pilot of cancelled Disney Junior animated adaptation of film series; 2012)
• Jake's Team Pirate (found pitch pilot of "Jake and the Never Land Pirates" Disney Junior animated series; 2009)
• Jungle Junction (lost pitch pilots of Disney Junior CGI animated series; 2003-2008)

Toon Disney

• Teamo Supremo (partially lost Toon Disney animated series; 2002-2004)
• Toon News (partially found Toon Disney CGI animated interstitial series; 2004/2005)

Disney XD

• The 7D (found pitch pilot of Disney XD animated series; 2012)
• Billion Dollar Freshmen (lost pitch pilot of "Lab Rats" Disney XD live-action comedy series; 2010)
• Commando Crash (lost pitch pilot of cancelled spin-off of "Crash & Bernstein" Disney XD sitcom; 2014)
• DXP (partially lost Disney XD video game block; 2017)
• Power Rangers Animated Series (lost Disney XD pilot of animated adaptation of live-action superhero series; existence unconfirmed; 2007-2009)
• Very Important House (found Disney XD animated pitch pilot; 2016)

Other

• Green Monkeys (lost Disney animated pitch pilot; 1999)
• Kingdom Hearts (found animatic of cancelled Disney animated TV adaptation of game series; 2003)
• La Chambre Folle (lost French Disney children's TV block; 1998)
• Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers (found English dub of anime series; 2015)
• Robodz (partially found Disney Toei animated TV series; 2008)
• The Mouse Factory (found Disney live-action/animated TV series; 1972-1973)
• The Shnookums and Meat Funny Cartoon Show (found episodes of Disney animated TV series; 1995)
• X-Heart (partially found unreleased English dub of "X-Coração" Brazilian animated TV series; 2014)