''The Healing Powers of Dude'' is an American

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

television series created by Erica Spates and Sam Littenberg-Weisberg that premiered on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

on January 13, 2020.

Premise

''The Healing Powers of Dude'' follows Noah Ferris, "an 11-year-old boy with social anxiety disorder" who gets an emotional support dog to help him manage his disorder.

Cast and characters

Main

* Jace Chapman as Noah Ferris, an 11-year-old boy who struggles with

social anxiety disorder Social anxiety disorder (SAD), also known as social phobia, is an anxiety disorder characterized by sentiments of fear and anxiety in social situations, causing considerable distress and impaired ability to function in at least some aspects o ...

is going to a public school for the first time with his emotional support dog named Dude after being homeschooled previously *

Larisa Oleynik Larisa Romanovna Oleynik (; born June 7, 1981) is an American actress who became a teen idol in the 1990s. Born in Santa Clara and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, Oleynik began her career as a child actor, first appearing ...

as Karen Ferris, Noah's mother, who works as a lawyer * Mauricio Lara as Simon, Noah's extroverted friend with an alter ego he calls "Turbo" * Sophie Kim as Amara, Noah's intelligent, disabled friend * Laurel Emory as Embry Ferris, Noah's younger sister who has a knack for fashion *

Steve Zahn Steven James Zahn (; born November 13, 1967) is an American actor and comedian. His film roles include ''Reality Bites'' (1994), ''That Thing You Do!'' (1996), ''Stuart Little'' (1999), '' Shattered Glass'' (2003), ''Sahara'' (2005), '' Chicken Li ...

as the voice of Dude, Noah's emotional support dog *

Tom Everett Scott Thomas Everett Scott (born September 7, 1970) is an American actor. His film work includes a starring role as drummer Guy Patterson in the film ''That Thing You Do!'', the protagonist in ''An American Werewolf in Paris'', and notable roles in ...

as Marvin Ferris, Noah and Embry's father and Karen's husband, who was an artist before he began homeschooling Noah and is starting to pursue art again

Recurring

* Peter Benson as Principal Myers, the principal of Roosevelt Middle School * Raylene Harewood as Ms. Fleckberg, Noah, Simon, and Amara's English teacher at Roosevelt Middle School * Gabrielle Quinn as Valerie, Noah's crush who shares his love of music * Ethan Farrell as Dale, one of Noah and Simon's two twin bullies * Vanessa Przada as Destiny, Noah and Simon's more aggressive bully * Katy Colloton as the voice of Ms. Grumpy Pants, a neighbor's poodle

Production

Development

On June 20, 2019, it was announced that

had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of eight episodes. ''The Healing Powers of Dude'' was created by Erica Spates and Sam Littenberg-Weisberg who were also expected to executive produce alongside Richie Keen and Dan Lubetkin. The series was released on January 13, 2020.

Casting

Alongside the initial series announcement, it was reported that

, Laurel Emory, Mauricio Lara, Sophie Jaewon Kim, Dude the Dog, Jace Chapman had been cast in starring roles.

Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...

for the first season began on June 14, 2019, and ended on August 13, 2019, in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Episodes

Reception

In 2021, the series won two

Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...

s for Outstanding Principal Performance in a Children's Program and Outstanding Casting for a Live-Action Children's Program.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Healing Powers Of Dude, The 2020s American children's comedy television series 2020 American television series debuts Canadian English-language television shows Netflix original programming Middle school television series Television about mental health Television series about children Television shows about dogs Television series by Blue Ant Studios