Selena Gomez Returns to TV in Iconic Role That Made Her Famous

Disney Channel fans received exciting news when Selena Gomez officially confirmed her return to the network by announcing she’ll reprise her iconic role as Alex Russo in Season 2 of “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place.” The announcement came via an Instagram story post on Thursday, June 26, where Gomez shared a photo of herself holding a wand on the familiar set, captioned, “Just feels right…”

The announcement marks another exciting chapter for the franchise that launched Gomez’s career. “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place” serves as a sequel to the original “Wizards of Waverly Place,” which aired from 2007 to 2012 and followed the magical adventures of the Russo family.

Gomez currently serves as an executive producer on the revival series and made notable guest appearances in the first season. Her character, Alex Russo, appeared in two of the first season’s 21 episodes, playing a crucial role in establishing the show’s new storyline.

Setting Up Season 2’s Magical Challenges

The upcoming season promises to expand the magical world significantly as new characters gain their powers. According to the official synopsis provided by Variety, “Billie grapples with the fact that being part of the Russo family might be more complicated than she thought — especially now that she’s not the only wizard in the house.”

The storyline will focus on Justin Russo, played by David Henrie, as he takes on an enormous responsibility. “Thanks to Roman (Alkaio Thiele) and Milo’s (Max Matenko) new magical powers, Justin is now tasked with training three young wizards for the Family Wizard Competition,” the synopsis explains.

The first season established the foundation for this expanded magical dynamic. Alex reached out to her brother Justin to ask if teenage wizard Billie, played by Janice LeAnn Brown, could move in with his family to receive proper magical training. This arrangement created the perfect setup for the family-centered magical education that fans remember from the original series.

The season finale of the first season, which aired in February, set up significant storylines for the upcoming season. It featured Billie and Justin’s son, Roman, going missing, requiring Justin and Alex to “work together to rescue them from an evil villain’s clutches.”

Building on Record-Breaking Success

The revival series has already proven its popularity with audiences. Deadline reported that the first episode of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place became Disney Channel’s most-watched series premiere ever on Disney+ with 3.2 million global views in the first 12 days.

Gomez has expressed genuine enthusiasm about returning to the role that launched her career. At the show’s premiere in October, she shared her feelings about the project with People, saying, “This is what gave me everything that I have today, and I’ll never forget that this is where I started.”

The actress also noted how natural it felt to return to the character after more than a decade. “This is the best feeling in the whole world to be able to bring this back for you and to all the people who have never seen it before,” she stated at the premiere.

David Henrie, who reprises his role as Justin Russo and also serves as an executive producer, has emphasized how the show maintains the spirit of the original while introducing new elements. He told People that returning to the series felt natural and that his real-life experience as a father has enhanced his portrayal of Justin as a parent.

“My character’s a father now. I have children and I am in real life too, so it was a very organic maturation process in the show,” Henrie explained.