Nestled on the Disney Channel alongside the likes of Hannah Montana and Phineas and Ferb, Wizards of Waverly Place is regarded as one of the best sitcoms to rise up from the House of Mouse. The series, which was likely inspired by the Harry Potter franchise, ran for four seasons between 2007 and 2012, and is largely responsible for the immense success of its lead, Selena Gomez. The series is one of those rare sitcoms that kept a high standard of quality over its run, capping off with a series finale that at one time was the Disney Channel's most viewed ever, with 9.8 million viewers watching the January 8, 2012, broadcast. In a word, the finale is magical.
Wizards of Waverly Place centers on Jerry Russo (David DeLuise), his wife Theresa (Maria Canals-Barrera), and their three kids: sarcastic and witty Alex (Selena Gomez), talented bookworm Justin (David Henrie), and dimwitted Max (Jake T. Austin). The family business is a sandwich shop, made to look like a subway station, on Waverly Place. Nothing crazy, other than the fact that the three siblings are wizards-in-training. See, Jerry used to be a wizard and is now teaching his kids how to use their magic responsibly in a secret lair (fun fact: they don't always use their magic responsibly). He also insists on teaching them not to rely on their magic, and for good reason. According to the rules of the Wizarding World, once their training is complete, the three will compete against one another to see who keeps their magic powers, leaving the other two as mere mortals.
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That competition comes to fruition in the Wizards of Waverly Place series finale "Who Will Be the Family Wizard?" The episode begins with the Russos eating the dinner that Alex prepared on her own, without the use of magic. Unexpectedly, Headmaster Crumbs (Ian Abercrombie) arrives from Wiz-Tech, informing them that with Alex's selfless act, the Russos can, at long last, have their Family Wizard Competition to see who will be the Russo wizard. The competition begins right away with a trivia game about magic. Justin takes the lead, with Max closely behind.
During the second round, friends Harper (Jennifer Stone) and Zeke (Dan Benson) appear, but only to be taken away by a griffin. Alex convinces Max and Justin to use their timeouts to rescue the pair, but although they are successful, they collectively have gone well past their allotted time. As a consequence, the three are disqualified from the competition. At first, Justin and Max are angry with Alex, blaming her for the loss of their powers. However, over the next few weeks, the family heals and learns to work together with their new reality.
In a flash, they are returned to the competition. Dumbfounded, they learn from Chancellor Rootie Tootietootie (Andy Kindler) that the events that led to their disqualification were a ruse to see if the family bond could withstand trial. Having passed the second round, they head to the third round, where scenes from their lives, at times without magic, are shown. Alex calls the correct spell that would have fixed the situation displayed three times in a row, putting her even with Justin. They head to the final round, where they must enter a massive labyrinth and find their way out, with the first one out to be declared the Russo Family Wizard.
Justin emerges from the maze first and is about to be awarded when he declines the role. He explains that Alex was going to be the first one out, but sacrificed her shot when she turned back to free Justin from a tree root he had become stuck in. So Justin passes on becoming Family Wizard, deferring the title to Alex. Professor Crumbs then declares that he is retiring from the role of Headmaster at Wiz-Tech, and, taken with Justin's honesty and intelligence, appoints Justin as the new Headmaster, allowing him to also retain his magic abilities. This leaves Max the sole Russo child without magic, but he is overjoyed at Jerry's pronouncement that he will one day pass the Sub Shop to Max. Alex assesses the moment and speaks to how the whole family is happy at the same time.
'Wizards of Waverly Place's Similarities to 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'
The Wizards of Waverly Place series finale continues the recurring nod to the franchise that likely inspired it: Harry Potter. The wizard school Wiz-Tech is, for all intents and purposes, Hogwarts, with Professor Crumbs the equivalent of Dumbledore (Michael Gambon). In both, the wizarding world is to be kept hidden from mortals, with consequences for surrendering information. The Family Wizard Competition plays out similarly to the Triwizard Tournament as seen in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, an almost too-perfect allusion. The trio fights off a large winged beast like Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) does against a dragon, and they save friends that have been taken hostage, just like the competitors in Goblet of Fire when they had to free their friends from the mermaids. The most obvious connection is the labyrinth, but with a much happier, Voldemort-free, ending.
Wizards of Waverly Place has an embarrassment of riches that isn't appreciated nearly enough. The casting is not only spot on, but they play off one another seamlessly. Jerry and Theresa aren't there to show how much smarter the kids are in comparison to them, but instead offer a more realistic hierarchy. Austin's Max is hands-down one of the best numbskulls to grace the small screen, while Gomez fills Alex with rebelliousness and a sarcastic wit without losing the goodness and relatable qualities of the character. The show is genuinely funny without relying on the use of a laugh track to drive home the comedy, which speaks to just how naturally the comic moments are set up. The series finale is a microcosm of what made the series a success, and as such should be heralded as an example of a sitcom that wrapped things up perfectly.
