True Jackson, VP - TV Show Review

Bottom line: Keke Palmer has the talent to entertain kids and make them laugh in True Jackson, VP, and her accomplished character, True, is a good role model who stays "true" to her values but doesn't forget to have fun.

True Jackson, VP - Overview

In True Jackson, VP Keke Palmer (Akeelah and the Bee, Jump In) plays the talented and accomplished 15-year-old True Jackson. Tapped to head the youth division of a major fashion label, True is capitalizing on her talent at a young age, but she doesn't let that go to her head. She stays close to her best friend/assistant Lulu for support and does her best in any difficult situation.

Unfortunately, True does find herself in a few fixes, mostly due to her jealous and conniving co-worker, Amanda. Despite all of Amanda's attempts to make True look bad, though, True always seems to come out on top. Even in situations fraught with challenges such as mean girls from school, cranky models, looming deadlines or problems getting her designs done, True's proactive drive and positive attitude help her shine.

True Jackson, VP - Guide Review

Since she first become well-known for the role of Akeelah in Akeelah and the Bee, Keke Palmer has established herself as a talented actress with a bright future, and True Jackson, VP is a credit to her name. Keke's character, True, provides a great role model for kids and tweens who watch the show.

Relying on her talent and work ethic to help her succeed, True displays integrity in the "workplace" (the tween TV version of one anyway) and stays loyal to her friends. Sure, she takes a lot of heat from her conniving, jealous, and older co-worker Amanda, and she may even delight in proving Amanda wrong or thwarting the woman's attempts to make her look bad, but True would probably be the first one to lend a hand if Amanda really needed it.

Like many shows for kids, some adults in this series are portrayed as kind of stupid and undeserving of respect. Also, the teen characters sometimes behave disrespectfully and do ridiculous things that they could not get away with in real life; however, True seems to keep it cool most of the time so she can save the day.

Even though she is all wrapped up in the world of fashion, True seems to stay grounded; so viewing kids will likely get the message that, while fashion and glamor are fun, there are definitely more important things in life. The show also conveys positive messages about friendship, loyalty, honesty and more.

Aimed at kids and tweens, True Jackson, VP uses situational and physical comedy to entertain. Many of the silly situations revolve around Amanda's deceitful attempts to undermine True, but the situations all play out in a light-hearted manner. Viewing kids may hear a word like "butt" or "stupid" every now and then, but the writers seem to really keep the language appropriate, and even more remarkably, they keep the put-downs and sarcasm in check compared to other shows aimed at tweens. Some episodes of the show deal with boy-girl crushes, but again, most topics are covered in a light-hearted, comical manner. The show, as a whole, appears to be as upstanding as the main character.

True Jackson, VP - Topics and Themes

• Despite the fact that Amanda is constantly trying to make True look bad, True takes it with a grain of salt and doesn't seem to hold a grudge. She takes responsibility for herself and doesn't try to throw the blame on others, even though they may deserve it.
• True is a successful career woman at such a young age, but she stays grounded and tries not to get too caught up in everything.