Hilary Duff, with Lizzie McGuire 1st aired on the Disney Channel on January 12, 2001. Hilary Duff, with Lizzie McGuire was a ratings hit, drawing in 2.3 million viewers per episode.Hilary Duff's participation in the show led to her becoming highly popular among children between the ages of 7 and 14, with critic Richard Huff of the New York Daily News calling her "a 2002 version of Annette Funicello".After Hilary Duff fulfilled her 65 episode contract with Lizzie McGuire, Disney considered continuing the franchise further, through films and a prime-time television series to be broadcast on ABC. However, the plans failed because Hilary Duff's representatives said she was not being paid enough for the proposed series. Hilary Duff also starred in the Disney Channel television film Cadet Kelly. Cadet Kelly became the network's most watched program in its 19-year history. In Cadet Kelly movie, Hilary Duff plays a free-spirited girl who enrolls in a military school and finds it hard to adjust to its strict and disciplined environment.
