The show revolves around three siblings, Alex (Selena Gomez), Justin (David Henrie) and Max (Jake T. Austin), who are all wizards. Most episodes center on Alex, who is the middle child and usually overshadowed by her older brother, Justin. While this usually wouldn't be a problem, the tradition in the wizard community is that once they are of age, the sibling that shows the greatest mastery of magic gets to keep their powers while the others must give them up. Alex enjoys having her powers, but is a bit overzealous when trying to show that she's just as good as Justin, often times leading her to take shortcuts and using magic when she isn't allowed. This always leads to Alex getting in some sort of trouble.
The first volume of Wizards of Waverly Place features four episodes. The first, "Wizard School", is a two part episode that is essentially a parody of Harry Potter. After Alex accidentally sucks the entire house into a portal, she is sent to Wiz Tech for summer school. There she gets tangled up in a plot by one of the professors to steal Justin's magic powers, allowing her to become the most powerful wizard in the world. The general plot is enjoyable, but it is one episode too long, forcing a few too many jokes and unrelated sub-plots. These really drag things down and aren't the best introduction to the show.
The final two episodes, on the other hand, are good examples of what the show can be. My favorite was "Curb Your Dragon", where Alex buys a beagle for Justin because she feels bad about losing his dog. Of course, the beagle isn't really a beagle and is really a dragon, so the two need to find a way to explain the dog to their parents while also keeping its ability to fly and breathe fire under wraps. Though it isn't something that will grab everyone, it is an enjoyable episode and shows the type of things the show's magical premise can add to plots.
"Disenchanted Evening" is another good episode, but for different reasons than "Curb Your Dragon". Alex meets a young wizard, T.J., who is allowed to use his powers whenever he wants - a privilege Alex would do anything to have. In an attempt to convince her parents that she needs unlimited use of her abilities, Alex invites T.J. over to help convince her parents, but the results aren't what she wanted. Although magic plays a big part in the episode, I liked the "Grass is Greener" premise and thought it was relatable.
Although Wizards of Waverly Place starts out flat, it ends up being an enjoyable show. The show is squarely aimed at the under-10 crowd, so kids older than that may not enjoy it unless they are fans of other Disney Channel original shows. For the younger set, it's an enjoyable show and a safe purchase.
