Stick with Disney Channel ‘cause Phineas and Ferb are coming back!
Even after the show culminated in 2015 – a decade ago – Disney Channel will premiere a fifth-season revival of Phineas & Ferb on the 5th of June 2025. The show will also premiere on Disney+ the proceeding day.
Most of the original voice cast returned for the new season, including Ashley Tisdale as Candace and Dan Povenmire as Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz. David Errigo Jr., who took over Thomas Sangster as the voice of Ferb Fletcher since Milo Murphy’s Law, also returned, And significantly, Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh came back as executive producers.
The House of Mouse shared that the new season will “follow the inventive stepbrothers as they tackle another 104 days of summer”, including Candace’s determination to bust her brother and Perry the Platypus’ exploits to stop Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s return to his evil scheme on taking over the Tri-State area.
Throughout the years, Phineas & Ferb has become a valuable property for the Disney Channel. Even after the series concluded, the stepbrothers made future appearances in Milo Murphy’s Law (alongside the gang and Doofenshmirtz) and their other feature-length picture with Candace Against the Universe last 2020.
Their popularity endured throughout the years. So, in a fiscal perspective, a revival would seem reasonable. However, in this writer’s opinion, any revival from a Disney series with a proper conclusion would run into the Futurama conundrum: running through the motions, even after “last episode” to another “last episode”.
Considering that the show will have to pick up a year after their last vacation, it means that the events of “Last Day of Summer” would be inconsequential to Candace’s character arc and would have a tepid impact in running. Time will tell if that will be the case. As of this point, any concern is stemmed from the revival settling on the safe P&F formula that fans love.
However, in this writer’s opinion, overexposure can also hurt Phineas & Ferb. Within the first four seasons, the novelty of the P&F template is solid and improved upon by its unforgettable song numbers and Perry antics. Though, if it endures for long, without any innovation, it might fall victim to formula. Not helping is the overreliance on Doofenshmirtz, whether as a promoted supporting character in Milo Murphy’s Law or the main comic relief in Candace Against the Universe.
Up to this point, all cards are on Povenmire and Marsh to capture the same spark that the previous seasons had. Perhaps, a tweaking of the formula or a new setting will do. In the meantime, as seen from the trailer, the boys are back to square one. Just no crossovers.
In the meantime, the original series offers kids and adults with a hefty amount of wild adventures, hummable melodies, clever gags and summertime fun that they can revisit. Phineas & Ferb is indeed one of Disney Channel’s crowning jewels, but such precious items need our hands away from touching it.