Grown-up movies and TV shows such as The American President and The West Wing have already offered a somewhat stuffy take on life at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Now it's the Disney Channel's turn—to loosen up things! As a spin-off from That's So Raven, the Mouse's latest series finds Raven Baxter's wily little brother, Cory, living in the nation's most famous digs—thus the show's title, Cory in the House. As you'd expect, this version of the presidential abode is all about fun.

Bahavian Rhapsody
Cory's ticket to the White House is his dad, who takes a job as head chef to the newly elected President Richard Martinez. Mom is still studying at a law school in England, while sister Raven is away at college. That leaves Cory (played by Kyle Massey) and Dad (Rondell Sheridan) on their own as they adapt to the various demands of serving the first family. Chief among those tasks—at least for Cory—is keeping an eye on the president's daughter, Sophie. While the world knows the 8-year-old as "America's Angel," Cory has some less-flattering names for the spoiled girl who has the entire staff wrapped around her finger.

If only he had the same kind of influence over his classmate and good friend, Meena Paroom. The beautiful daughter of the Bahavian ambassador (yes, it's a made-up country) immediately takes to Cory, but only in a "best buds" kind of way. So far, that's sent the smitten chef's son on several mishap-filled crusades to win her heart—while fending off the equally Meena-adoring CIA head's son, Jason Stickler. Meanwhile, Meena's been too busy fawning over the captain of the polo team to realize all the commotion she's causing.

So goes tween life at Washington Preparatory Academy, where Cory rubs shoulders with the wealthy kids of senators, dignitaries and Supreme Court justices. These are kids who arrive at school via limo—or helicopter. Kids who take guitar lessons from Aerosmith. Kids who, when they don't mind their manners at certain functions, can cause "international incidents."

Four Score and a Few Episodes Ago ...
Of course, Cory finds himself at the center of most of those incidents. One week he's trying to impress Meena's parents but ends up insulting them after getting bad advice from a friend on Bahavian etiquette. The next, he's tricking Sophie into letting him and his rock band play on national TV for her father's fundraising concert.

It's not always Cory who's in the wrong, though. During one episode Meena disobeys her father's wishes for her to stay true to their culture. She wants to dress like an American teen (and secretly has been at school), listen to Cory's "hot jamz" and rock out in his band. Dad wants her to (literally) stay under wraps and soak up the rhythms of Ichbad, master of the nose flute. But after the president offers some well-intentioned, U.S.-of-A.-typical sentiments about meeting in the middle, everything—disobedience and lying included—gets smoothed over. Add to this case of mixed messages some name-calling ("dimwit," "yak butt," etc.), a few utterances of "shut up" or "what the heck," and the occasional dose of mild bathroom humor.

Then, as always, there are the lame jokes, intentional overacting and adults generally playing the dummies (President Martinez in particular). It's typical fare on the Disney Channel. Silly, impractical, sometimes corny ... but ultimately redeeming. Because more often than not, the moral center is clear, despite the occasional flub.

When Cory advises Meena to pretend that they're boyfriend and girlfriend in an effort to play hard-to-get with her real crush, for instance, the schemer gets a serving of truth from his Abraham Lincoln-looking conscience. Lying is no way to start a relationship, Honest Abe preaches. Similarly, Cory's dad explains about compromising with others for the common good. One final plus: As so many of its sister shows do, Cory in the House hammers home the self-affirming point that if you do the right thing you can be proud of who you are, regardless of your background ... and regardless of where you live—even if it's at the White House.