This might be surprising, but my final Jenna Ortega deep dive focuses on a project she seems to have distanced herself from: Stuck in the Middle (Disney in general, actually).
It makes perfect sense for a young actor. There’s a well-trodden path: leverage Disney fame into music or mature acting roles. Jenna clearly chose the latter. It’s a familiar story, but fascinating to witness in real-time.
So, this quick look explores a different Jenna: the wholesome, family-friendly character she portrayed in Stuck in the Middle.
The show’s premise is fantastic (though we might have missed it, being post-cable and non-Disney viewers back then). It follows Harley Diaz, the witty and resourceful middle child navigating the chaos of a large family. Think of it as a light-hearted, problem-solving family sitcom with a nerdy twist – Harley invents solutions to her everyday predicaments.
Having only seen a few episodes, I can already say my sisters and I would’ve loved this growing up. Interestingly, Disney uploaded the entire series to YouTube a year ago, likely capitalizing on Jenna’s recent success with Wednesday.
Stuck in the Middle is funny, easy to follow, and avoids the slapstick humor that can push boundaries (unlike some Nick shows). The acting is appropriately broad for a sitcom, and the overall experience is a delightful thumbs-up for anyone who enjoys this genre.
This might surprise you, but I see a connection between Harley and Wednesday. Both characters are intelligent, witty, and driven. It seems these roles truly resonate with Jenna. While career exploration is important, Stuck in the Middle highlights a niche where she truly shines. This, to me, feels like her comfort zone, and I’m here for it.
Full disclosure: I wrote this article with Gemini, Google’s AI chatbot. I rambled to it and asked it to make sense of that rambling — to organize my thoughts better, and edit it the best way it can. I have a day job, I want to do other things, but I still want to blog. So I use AI to make that possible for me. I would go through the generated article a few times over. I would go back-and-forth with Gemini to at least make sure it still had my voice and the stuff that I actually wanted to say in my original rambling. It’s great help, but please don’t do this in your school essays or work (if you aren’t allowed to do so, obviously). This disclosure notice, though? No AI here. And you probably felt that because it sucks.