50 Fun Facts About Liv and Maddie

Which actress plays both Liv and Maddie Rooney?

She had originally been cast as a character called Alanna in a different pilot before Disney reworked the show around a pair of twins.

The Rooney family's hometown, where most of the series is set, is in which US state?

The town's annual events in the show include a cheddar brat cheese-eating contest and a slippery sausage contest, which is about as on-brand for the state as it gets.

In which city do the Rooneys live for the first three seasons?

It is a real city of about 25,000 people and the seat of Portage County, home to a state university campus.

What was the name of the hit TV series Liv starred in for four years before returning home?

Liv's character on that show was called Stephanie Einstein, and its finale featured her singing an Imagine Dragons cover.

Maddie is captain of the girls' team at her school in which sport?

Her dad Pete coaches the team, wears his whistle at home and pushes her to keep improving.

What is Maddie's signature catchphrase?

She coined it at age 11 while telling her mother she had just beaten the boys at a pickup game.

What nickname do Liv's siblings affectionately call her?

Liv had left home at 11 to make the show and lived with her Aunt Dena in California the whole time she was away.

According to the twins' sweet-sixteen episode, which twin is older, and by how much?

Liv was born at 11:56 PM, so the twins were technically born on different days, a secret Karen kept for sixteen years.

Who plays the twins' awkward younger brother, the middle Rooney child?

He is a working stand-up comedian in real life, which the show eventually wrote in as Joey's own ambition in the final season.

Who plays Parker, the youngest Rooney?

He later voiced Jin in the animated film Abominable, a character who, fittingly, climbs Mount Everest.

The actor who plays Parker is the grandson of which famous mountaineer?

The Sherpa climber reached the summit of Everest with Edmund Hillary in 1953, and his grandson carries his full name.

Late in season three, Pete Rooney takes a college coaching job in which city?

Maddie is later offered a scholarship to the same school, and Pete stays behind in season four to oversee rebuilding the family house.

What is the name of the twins' school, home of the Porcupines?

Most of the show's non-house scenes take place there, and the school's teams are the Porcupines, complete with a Paulie the Porcupine statue.

How many episodes did the series run in total?

The eightieth episode was also the finale, airing on March 24, 2017.

What subtitle was added to the show's title for its fourth and final season?

The retitle was announced by the creators on August 19, 2016, about a month before the season premiered.

In the final season, the family moves in with Karen's younger sister. What is her name?

Liv had already lived with this aunt for four years as a child actress, so the move was a homecoming of sorts for her.

Who plays Ruby, the young cousin who joins the main cast in season four?

Ruby is 11, wants to be an actress like Liv, and ends up landing the lead role of Sasha in the sequel to Liv's old show.

What causes the Rooneys to leave their house at the end of season three?

Joey swaps the library book that was secretly holding up the house for Karen's yoga ball, which pops.

What did Parker secretly build beneath the Rooney house?

They ran all the way to the high school, and Karen eventually took them over as a hideout before the whole thing came down.

In the series finale, Maddie wins a grant to build tiny houses in which city?

Diggie decides to go with her, while Joey heads off on a comedy tour and Parker leaves for a bio-dome in Bolivia.

Who created the series?

The writing duo's earlier credits include According to Jim, Hey Arnold! and Shake It Up!, and Andy Fickman executive-produced alongside them.

The show began life as a pilot about a blended family. What was that project called?

Disney kept the same cast, scrapped the Brady Bunch-style premise and shot a brand-new pilot built around twins.

The family surname Rooney is a nod to the family that owns which NFL team?

In the original pilot the parents were called Jodie Sullenger and Pete Fickman, and the kids Alanna, Sticky, Crystal and Brody.

How were shots of both twins together achieved when the same actress plays each of them?

Emmy Buckner doubled for Liv and Shelby Wulfert for Maddie; both were credited on-screen as 'Liv 2' and 'Maddie 2' in nearly every episode.

What is the title of the show's theme song, recorded in full by the lead actress?

It topped the Billboard Kid Digital Songs chart, and an acoustic version closes the series finale with Diggie on guitar.

Which song does Liv perform that goes viral even though she hates it?

In the same episode she performs 'Count Me In', which became a number-one on Billboard's Kid Digital Songs chart.

What is the name of the band Liv forms with Willow, Andie and Holden?

They win the Battle of the Bands with 'Say Hey', with Willow on drums and Andie on bass, and reunite in season three to save the school music program.

Who plays Diggie, the boys' team captain and Maddie's main love interest?

He and the show's lead dated in real life from 2013 to 2016 and were briefly engaged; he later played Fiyero in Wicked on Broadway.

In season two, Diggie leaves town to spend time in which fictional country?

He later breaks up with Maddie over a planned trip to Australia, before the two finally get back together at a wedding in season three.

Who plays Willow, Maddie's best friend and teammate?

She was 26 when the show started and kept a restaurant job while filming; she later starred as Jasmine in Netflix's On My Block.

Who plays Holden, Liv's main love interest?

He recorded the ballad version of 'True Love' for the soundtrack and went on to play Evan Hansen and Orpheus on Broadway.

In the film Space Werewolves, Liv plays which character?

The role was a boy in the graphic novels and was rewritten as a girl for Liv, who trained for it with a real 'wolf girl' named Fangs.

In the series-within-a-series Voltage, Liv's cheerleader character Tess turns into which superhero?

Tess gets her powers by being struck by lightning, and the show is directed by Gemma, who later marries the town weatherman.

Which NBA star guest-starred as Joey's personal trainer, Bernard?

Maddie ditches her dad to partner with Bernard in a two-on-two tournament, only for him to team up with Diggie and win it.

Which comedian played Maddie's home economics teacher, Mr. Clodfelter?

Maddie has to out-cook Artie to stay on the team and wins him over with a 'Snackatorium'.

Which legendary director played Vic DeFazerelli, the Oscar winner hired to direct Space Werewolves?

In the episode the film shoots at a studio near the Rooneys' hometown rather than in Hollywood, and Liv insists on doing her own stunts.

Which 1960s 'identical cousins' sitcom star played Grandma Janice and her twin Great Aunt Hilary?

Janice was a former Olympic diver turned globetrotting nature photographer, and the episode has her twin pose as her when she runs late.

Which of the lead's Descendants co-stars played the twins' failed-magician cousin Krahgg?

Karen invites cousin Craig to be Maddie's prom date, not realizing he now performs as 'Krahgg the Insidious'.

Which Giants shortstop appeared as himself on Liv and Maddie when Maddie caught his home-run ball on a first date?

The ballplayer turns out to be a big fan of Josh's superhero show, which smooths things over after Josh sulks about not catching the ball himself.

Which Frozen star appeared as herself in the episode 'Ask-Her-More-a-Rooney'?

The episode's title comes from the real #AskHerMore campaign, and the plot has Liv noticing fans only ask her about her looks while asking Josh about the work.

In 2014, Joey and Parker crossed over into which other Disney Channel series for a holiday episode?

The episode was titled 'Aloha Holidays with Parker and Joey' and sent the Rooney boys to Hawaii with the Ross kids.

In 2021, Joey's actor starred in which short-lived ABC sitcom alongside Kyra Sedgwick?

He played Freddie Raines, and the show ran for a single season from January to May.

In 2018, the show's lead won which award for her dual performance in the final season?

The category was Outstanding Performer in a Children's Program, and she beat out Ed Asner, who was nominated for A StoryBots Christmas.

Which country's Kids' Choice ceremony gave the show Favorite International Program in both 2016 and 2017?

It also took the same prize in Argentina both years and in Mexico in 2017, and picked up a Teen Choice nomination for Choice TV Show: Comedy in 2016.

Roughly how many viewers watched the pilot's preview, the biggest Disney Channel series debut in two and a half years?

It was the biggest launch since Shake It Up!, a show the creators had previously written for.

In Canada, the series originally aired on which network?

It moved to Disney Channel Canada in September 2015, and French Canada's La Chaine Disney once aired an episode 17 days before the US did.

What was the title of the first junior novelization of the show, published by Disney Press in 2015?

Adapted by Lexi Ryals from the first two episodes, it alternates between the viewpoints of all four Rooney kids and was followed by Double Trouble.

In the Descendants films, the show's lead played Mal, the daughter of which Disney villain?

The first film drew 6.6 million viewers in 2015 and its soundtrack topped the Billboard 200, the first Disney Channel movie soundtrack to do so since High School Musical 2.

Which 2022 single by the show's lead went viral on TikTok and reached number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100?

It also hit number 9 in the UK and helped her win Best New Artist at that year's MTV Video Music Awards.

The show's lead and the actor who played Diggie formed a real-life pop duo with what name?

They released one EP, Negatives, in July 2016 and disbanded that October when the couple split.