Crash & Bernstein is an American sitcom which premiered on October 8, 2012, and ended on August 11, 2014, on Disney XD.[1] Created by Eric Friedman, the series centered on a boy with three sisters who wishes to have a brother. His wishes come true when he builds his own brother. Production for the series began in April 2012.[2]

Crash & Bernstein
GenreSitcom
Puppetry
Created byEric Friedman
StarringCole Jensen
Landry Bender
Oana Gregory
Aaron R. Landon
Voices ofTim Lagasse
Opening theme"Crash & Bernstein" performed by Cole Jensen and Tim Lagasse
Ending theme"Crash & Bernstein" (short version) (season 2)
ComposerJamie Dunlap
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes39 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersEric Friedman
Mike Larsen
Camera setupMulti-camera
Production companyIt's a Laugh Productions
Original release
Network
ReleaseOctober 8, 2012 (2012-10-08) –
August 11, 2014 (2014-08-11)

Disney XD renewed the series for a second season on April 15, 2013,[3] which premiered on October 7, 2013.[4] On August 11, 2014, the series was cancelled after 39 episodes.

Sesame Street and Muppets performer Tim Lagasse stars as the voice and puppeteer for Crash. Greg Ballora works as the puppet captain.[2]

Premise edit

Wyatt Bernstein is a boy who lives with his mom Mel and his sisters Cleo, Jasmine and Amanda in the city of Portland, Oregon (the location was revealed in the series intro). For his 12th birthday, Wyatt is taken to a store called Build-A-Bestie where he creates a puppet named Crash, who joins the family as the brother he always wanted. Crash and Wyatt must deal with the sisters, while having their brotherly differences and still watching each other's back.

Episodes edit

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
126October 8, 2012 (2012-10-08)July 29, 2013 (2013-07-29)
213October 7, 2013 (2013-10-07)August 11, 2014 (2014-08-11)

Characters edit

Main edit

  • Crash (performed by Tim Lagasse) – Crash is a puppet character who was created at the time of Wyatt's visit to Build-A-Bestie. He has a reckless and destructive personality where he often causes some damages in the Bernsteins' apartment. Crash is very gullible and dim-witted and often gets either himself or others in trouble, but overall he has a good heart and his intentions are usually in the right place. However, he can be prone to jealousy at times. In "Monkey Business", it is revealed that he can temporarily gain the knowledge of different things by eating the books about that topic. It its hinted that Crash can also speak Spanish, and he is a professional "vomit whisperer", and on one episode when a loud noise was made, he developed some temporary alter egos. Tim Lagasse was assisted in performing Crash by Paul McGinnis and Rob Saunders who operated the arms, legs, and props of Crash.
  • Wyatt Bernstein (played by Cole Jensen) – Wyatt is a 12-year-old boy among three sisters who wishes to have a brother. Wyatt is the middle child in the Bernstein family. This results in his building Crash at Build-A-Bestie. He's often exasperated by Crash's antics, especially when they get him in trouble too, but generally loves spending time with his brother. He's best friends with Pesto.
  • Cleopatra "Cleo" Bernstein (played by Landry Bender) – Cleo is Amanda, Wyatt and Jasmine's 13-year-old sister who shares a room with Wyatt. She makes products for her "company" called "CLEO" where she serves as the self-proclaimed CEO. It's revealed that she has a crush on Pesto. Cleo is often bossy, but is considered to be the superior member of the family. Cleo is very business-savvy and will sell just about anything from makeup and lotions to "monster truck" dirt to make money.
  • Amanda Bernstein (played by Oana Gregory) – Amanda is Wyatt, Cleo and Jasmine's 16-year-old sister. She's very popular, and Pesto has a crush on her. She also seems to be a stereotype blond, or just has the personality of one. Amanda is very sociable, but can also be annoying to other characters (Especially Crash, Wyatt, and Pesto), She's the "it" girl for English and Australian boys, and just likes to enjoy herself and have fun. She's also a terrible cook.
  • Pesto (played by Aaron Landon) – Pesto is Wyatt's friend. His parents own Iconic Arcade which is where he works. Pesto has a crush on Amanda and often tries to woo her, but fails miserably. He's often shown to be a momma's boy and mentions his mother in several episodes. He used to hate Crash, but now seems to be somewhat friends with him.

Recurring edit

  • Jasmine Bernstein (played by Mckenna Grace) – Jasmine is Amanda, Wyatt and Cleo's 6-year-old sister. Jasmine is the youngest member of the Bernstein family. When Jasmine doesn't get her way she throws a tantrum. She owns a doll named Princess Glitter that Crash is in love with. She also has a signature scream that she lets loose when she doesn't get her way. Despite her age, she's shown to be very intelligent, and is very skilled at doing things that most kids in her own age group wouldn't be able to do. (e.g. Use electronics) She also has an assertive side, which she displays in several episodes. Jasmine's middle name is Erica.
  • Melanie "Mel" Bernstein (played by Mary Birdsong) – Mel is the wife of Karl and the mother of Amanda, Wyatt, Cleo and Jasmine. Mel doesn't approve of Crash.
  • Scottie (played by Curtis Harris) – Scottie is one of Wyatt's friends at Linus Pauling Middle School. He's also the host of the school's show "Good Morning Linus Pauling."
  • Martin Poulos (played by Danny Woodburn) – Martin Poulos is the landlord of the Bernsteins' apartment building. He carries around a swear jar which he swears into so that nobody can hear his profanity. In "Crashlemania," it's revealed that he was a wrestler named "Plunger" when he was a wrestling partner of Coach Urkhart.
  • Rufus "The Slapper" Reeds (played by Zachary Conneen) – Rufus is the school bully at Linus Pauling Middle School.
  • Mrs. Lopez – A tenant in the Bernsteins' apartment building who's a known cat lady. Although she owns a lot of cats, Mrs. Lopez also owns a Basset Hound as seen in "Comic Book Crash."
  • Roland (played by Ron Funches) – A newsdealer and vendor that works at the newsstand in Wyatt's neighborhood.
  • Coach Urkhart (played by Chip Chinery) – The coach of the wrestling team at Wyatt's school and one of Martin Poulos' old friends. He and Martin were a wrestling duo where Coach Urkhart was the "Cyclone." In "Health-O-Ween," it's revealed that Coach Urkhart is a member of the Nightmare Society.
  • Karl Bernstein (played by Richard Ruccolo) – Karl is the husband of Mel and the father of Amanda, Wyatt, Cleo and Jasmine who debuts in Season 2. He works as a wildlife photographer and travels a lot.

Broadcast edit

Crash & Bernstein originally premiered on October 8, 2012, on Disney XD.[5] It also aired on Disney Channel. It premiered on November 3, 2012, on Disney XD (Canada),[6] on January 10, 2013, on Disney XD (UK and Ireland),[7] and on February 9, 2013, on Disney XD (South Africa).[8] In Australia the series premiered on April 19, 2013, on Disney Channel and on April 10, 2014. It aired reruns at the end of 2015 on Disney XD.[9]

Reception edit

Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media, which informs parents about media choices for their children, gave Crash & Bernstein a three star rating out of five, stating, "This is one of those case-by-case shows that needs you to be mindful of your child's response to what he or she sees on TV". She added, "Since much of the show's laughs result from the characters' misbehavior, it's important that viewers understand the difference between fantasy and reality. If your son and his brother decide to remedy a lack of space in their bedroom by knocking down a wall, that will have more serious consequences than what they see Wyatt and Crash suffer from the same action. If your kids do watch, be sure you talk about how the characters' actions would be received in the real world instead of the TV universe."[10]

Interactivity edit

In July 2013 on DisneyXD.com online, viewers could vote for their favorite nose for Crash. The winning nose was revealed during the second season's premiere.[11] In conjunction with the second season's premiere, the website also launched "Crash & Bernstein: Cluck n' Chuck," an interactive game where fans play as Crash and Wyatt and take on the neighborhood. The game is playable on both computer and mobile devices.[4]

Cancelled spin-off edit

On July 10, 2014, it was reported that Disney XD had begun production for the pilot of a possible spin-off titled Commando Crash. The plot entails Crash enrolling in Oak Shield Military School. Adam Dorfman, Cameron Ocasio, Armaan Juneja, Nicholas Stargel, and Megan Goodman co-star in the pilot.[12]

References edit

  1. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (August 30, 2012). "'Crash & Bernstein' Premieres Monday October 8 on Disney XD". TV by the Numbers. Disney press release. Archived from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
  2. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (April 11, 2012). "Disney XD Greenlights Live-Action/Puppet Comedy Series 'Crash & Bernstein'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 11, 2012.
  3. ^ Bibel, Sara (April 15, 2013). "'Crash & Bernstein' Renewed for Season Two by Disney XD". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Archived from the original on April 19, 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  4. ^ a b 'Crash & Bernstein' Returns for a Second Season on Monday, October 7, Zap2It via Disney press release. Retrieved August 28, 2013.It aired reruns at the end of 2015
  5. ^ "Crash & Bernstein".
  6. ^ "Crash and Bernstein". Archived from the original on May 22, 2013.
  7. ^ "Crash & Bernstein".
  8. ^ "Disney XD".
  9. ^ "Crash & Bernstein". Archived from the original on May 25, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
  10. ^ Ashby, Emily. "Crash & Bernstein – Television Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  11. ^ Crooks, Amy (July 17, 2013). "Crash & Bernstein" Episode "Crash On The Run" Airs On Disney XD July 29, 2013 Archived July 22, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, dis411.net. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  12. ^ Team, The Deadline (July 11, 2014). "Disney XD Orders Comedy Pilot 'Commando Crash'".

External links edit