'Zoey 101' star Matthew Underwood of Florida returns for reboot with Jamie Lynne Spears

Fort Pierce native Matthew Underwood is back on the big screen, except this time he isn't breaking hearts.

Underwood is reprising his role as Logan Reese in the Paramount+ movie "Zoey 102", a spinoff of the hit 2000s comedy-drama Nickelodeon show "Zoey 101." Series stars Jamie Lynne Spears, Erin Sanders, Christopher Massey, Sean Flynn, Abby Wilde and Jack Salvatore Jr are returning for the movie.

"Zoey 101" was Underwood's first breakout role as a young actor, working on 60 episodes from the show's run from 2005 to 2008.

Here are things to know about Underwood, his ties to the Treasure Coast and one of Nickelodeon's most popular shows.

Who is Matthew Underwood?

Underwood was born in Fort Pierce on April 23, 1990. He lived in Sunrise City until about age 13 when he and his family moved to California for his acting and modeling career.

He attended Fairlawn Elementary and Lincoln Park Academy in St. Lucie County, according to TCPalm archives. He also participated in the Fort Pierce community theatre at Pineapple Playhouse and was part of its thespian summer camp.

Underwood began auditioning for "Zoey 101" in 2004 and, after several rounds of auditions, he was offered the role of Logan Reese, an egotistical jock and ladies' man.

After the show ended in 2008, Underwood did not work on another production until 2017, when he starred in the movie "The Golden Stars", according to IMDb.

According to the St. Lucie County Clerk of Courts, in 2012 Underwood was charged with three misdemeanor charges − contributing to the delinquency or dependency of a child, possession of 20 grams or less of cannabis and use or possession of drug paraphernalia.

He pleaded no contest and was not convicted of a misdemeanor. His sentence included 12 months' probation, with certain conditions, such as: attend and complete a victim impact panel, undergo random urinalysis, substance abuse evaluation and follow recommended treatment.

Records show Underwood was accused of violating probation by testing positive for marijuana and failing to complete a victim impact panel. In January 2013, a judge dismissed a warrant for it and reinstated probation.

In 2017, Underwood made national headlines after saving a 4-month-old baby from a car accident in Port St. Lucie. He pulled the infant out of the car after watching it crash into a tree, according to reports. The infant's parents were unconscious, from an apparent heroin overdose, when the car crashed, according to WPTV.

Why did "Zoey 101" end so abruptly?

Rumors circulated for years the show ended because Spears, the younger sister of pop star Britney Spears, was pregnant. Spears has disputed this.

In a since-deleted Instagram post from 2019, Spears made a post for the 14th anniversary of the show where she included in the caption, "#itdidNOTendbecauseofpregnancy” and “#contractwasfinished."

In October 2020, Spears further discussed why the show ended.

“I didn’t become pregnant until probably six months after we wrapped or something like that, but some of the episodes had not aired yet,” she told Nylon magazine. “I think that there was a conversation with Nickelodeon, rightfully so, of, ‘Do we air these episodes?’ But the show had already wrapped and there was never a negotiation to go into any more seasons. We were too old. It was done.”

What is "Zoey 102" about?

More than a decade after viewers said goodbye to the Pacific Coast Academy gang, they're back again.

The movie focuses on Spears' Zoey Brooks, who is struggling to find love in her 20s. Her best friend Quinn Pensky, portrayed by Sanders, asks her to be her maid of honor in her wedding with her PCA beau Logan Reese.

The wedding turns out to be a high school reunion where she's reunited with her PCA ex-boyfriend Chase Matthews, played by Flynn.

Where can I watch "Zoey 101"?

If you want to catch yourself up or have never seen the early 2000s show, "Zoey 101" is streaming on Paramount+ and Netflix.

Netflix only offers the first two seasons, but Paramount+ hosts all four seasons of the show.

Where is "Zoey 102" streaming?

"Zoey 102" is streaming exclusively on Paramount+ starting Thursday. In order to watch, you must have a subscription to Paramount+.

Gianna Montesano is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at gianna.montesano@tcpalm.com, 772-409-1429, or follow her on Twitter @gonthescene.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: 'Zoey 101' star Matthew Underwood returns to 'Zoey 102' reboot