User blog comment:Bowl108/Mitchel Musso's arrest could mean trouble for Disney and Phineas and Ferb/@comment-406459-20111018051316

I was aware of this incident, but felt it was inappropriate to bring up or comment upon due to its insignificance. Since it has been brought up alongside some incredibly silly ideas, I thought it would be best to give my thoughts on the matter.

ON THE INCIDENT

On Sunday at 3:45 am, Mitchel Musso drove through the intersection of Buena Vista Street* and Chandler Boulevard in Burbank, California, failing to follow the instructions of a police officer who was directing traffic. It was determined that Mr. Musso had been drinking, and it was discovered that he had well over the legal limit of alcohol in his system- though given that Mr. Musso is 20 and the legal drinking age in the United States is 21, technically any amount of alcohol would be illegal for him. Mr. Musso was arrested and later released on bail.**

THE POPULARITY/SUCCESS OF PHINEAS AND FERB

Phineas and Ferb's star has been rising ever since its debut in February 2008. The series has gotten to the point where it is a consistent ratings winner for Disney Channel, despite the network's irregular scheduling of the series. The made-for-TV movie Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension, which aired on August 5, is one of the highest-rated non-sports-related cable events of 2011, its total viewership of nearly 11 million viewers being very close to the number who viewed the original preview of the series after High School Musical 2 in August 2007.***

With the exception of "Bullseye!" [September 30, 2011] and "That's the Spirit/The Curse of Candace" [October 7, 2011], every episode of Phineas and Ferb that has aired since the movie has taken the #1 spot on Friday night cable in terms of total viewers. Since that time, including the movie, the show has done well in not only its key demographics, but adult viewership as well, proving the multi-generational appeal of the series.****

THE FUTURE OF MITCHELL MUSSO AND PHINEAS AND FERB

Mr. Musso's future is hard to tell right now. Sadly, what happened to him happens to a lot of young people, famous and otherwise. Perhaps it works well as a cautionary tale.

With Hannah Montana having come to a close earlier this year, Mr. Musso's main appearances are on Pair of Kings, the monthly series Prankstars, and yes, as the voice of Jeremy on Phineas and Ferb. As far as Phineas and Ferb is concerned, however, Jeremy is not a major character on the series, as he does not appear in every episode nor does he often contribute much to the plot of an episode save as a foil for Candace. Offhand, I can only think of one episode- "Nerdy Dancing"- in which Jeremy himself serves as a major player in the plot. (If I am wrong, please feel free to correct me).

Given the evidence, it seems highly unlikely that Phineas and Ferb would take a ratings decrease or be cancelled as a result. The show has already begun production on a fourth season, and Disney is so hopeful for the series that it's promoting the heck out of it in various realms of its company as well as preparing a feature adaptation which, given as it now has a release date, is pretty much confirmed to be released. As for the future of Mr. Musso himself, my Magic 8-Ball® says "Cannot predict now. Ask again later." I wish Mr. Musso the best and hope that he's able to bounce back from his unfortunate incident. Given the evidence, I don't have to wish the same to Phineas and Ferb. They're going to be just fine.


 * As an aside, as you might have guessed from the name, Buena Vista Street is where The Walt Disney Company is headquartered.
 * Source for the details of the incident is The Burbank Leader
 * Live+7 ratings for AT2D were 10.7 million, as per Disney Channel press release dated August 22, 2011. Same-day ratings for Phineas and Ferb "Rollercoaster" preview (8/17/07) were 10.8 million, as per Variety article] dated August 18, 2007.
 * For the record: "Tour de Ferb" [August 12, 2011] 3.9mil, "Skiddley Whiffers" [August 26, 2011] 3.8mil, "My Fair Goalie" [September 9, 2011] 4.7mil [most-watched regular episode of series to date], "Bullseye!" [September 30, 2001] 4.2mil, "That's the Spirit/The Curse of Candace" [October 7, 2011] 2.8mil [7pm airing]/3.3mil [9:30pm airing]. "Bullseye!" was second to the night only to Jessie, which seems to show how the new series is helping as a lead-in as well as standing on its own. Ratings are courtesy Ryan Stoppable and Isabella and Lego Liker of the Phineas and Ferb Wiki and The Voice of TV.