New series coming to Nickelodeon starring Drake & Josh's Megan, Miranda Cosgrove.

It looks like it could get intresting. Hopefully it's better than the usual Zoey 101, Unfabulous, Just Jordan garbage Nickelodeon's been spewing recently. I miss the good old days of Nickelodeon.

Her name is Miranda Cosgrove. At least Nick gave somebody their own show for once that earned it (unlike no-talent losers like Emma Roberts & Jamie Lynn Spears). Her character Megan was very funny and very pretty on Drake & Josh, so I'm happy for her.

Anyway, I've seen previews of this new show & already its an improvement over such utter crap like Just Jordan, Unfabulous, Zoey 101 (except for Quinn), & those new horrible Spongebob episodes. Her friend Sam is going to be very annoying, however.

Here is more info about iCarly.

iCarly

iCarly.com

I love Miranda Crosgrove! My nieces will most definetly force me to watch this, and for once, I can't blame them.

Thanks. Fixed it.

I actually hate her character in Drake & Josh. There are so many evil genius type little siblings...it's really annoying.

But iCarly looks interesting, I suppose. I don't think she has that much talent; but let's see if she can play a nice normal girl instead of the annoying brats she usually plays. Her bf (at least in the commercials) looks interesting, though.

So the first two episodes aired last night. It was......okay. Could have been worse. I liked Sam (and her interaction with Freddie) better than Carly.

I actually enjoyed it honestly. It has some good jokes and the actors weren't terrible. I agree with "", I also enjoyed Freddie's interaction with Sam. Their bickering and sniping were far more interesting to watch, and they have great chemistry together. In fact, the cast really does show some great chemistry. I hope this show will get much success like those Disney shows.

I can see why Freddie hates Sam so much. Sam was very annoying & she is really not very bright.

I don't know in the first episode why Freddie has a crush on Carly. Hopefully, we will hear the last of it.

Overall, it was a good show & its a major improvement over such utter crap like Emma Roberts, Jamie Lynn Spears, & Just Jordan.

That seems to happen in a lot of kid/teen sitcoms. Where there's a female best friend and a male best friend who secretely has a crush on the female lead. See "Taina", "That's So Raven", "Lizzie McGuire", "Zoey 101", "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch", "Moesha". I'm surprised it hasn't happened on "Hannah Montana" and "Unfabulous" yet.

Did any other parent have a heart attack when the girls on their webshow showed the apartment building where they lived even showing the name of the building while they were making fun of the doorman? Today we're supposed to be teaching our kids about internet safety and this show has teenaged girls, unsupervised, broadcasting themselves on the internet, with no obvious adult around, except for the frequently absent older brother. Very bad example Nick!

I've so far seen almost all of the episodes and I have to admit that I like the show a lot. It's much better than the Zoey 101, Unfabulous, Just Jordan and more crap. I like the friend, Sam. She seems to have more talent than Miranda (if I do say so myself). I think that she is pretty funny. And also the brother! He reminds me SO much of my brother. I think he's hysterical. The only thing that bugs me is how everyone seems to have a crush on Carly. Truthfully, I don't think that she's that pretty. It just bugs me how everyone likes her. Why not let someone finally like Sam? Sam is kinda the bully but I don't think that they should make everyone go and love Carly and hate Sam.

At first I did not like Sam, but now she is pretty funny. Plsu, her and Freddie do have some great scenes together.

I agree that the girl playing Sam is actually a better actress than Miranda. I think Miranda is very lovely, but her eyes don't really change in expression. Sam's eyes come alive when she talks, and her line readings seem a lot more natural.

And the older bro reminds me of Jerry O'Connell! Cute.

I thought this show would become another one of my "I'm too old for this but can't stop watching," guilty pleasures, like Drake & Josh. But the few times I've watched, the only thing I really enjoyed is the older brother. But he's just not around enough.

I find Miranda to be kinda stiff, to be honest. She was stiff on Drake & Josh too, but it worked with her slightly sociopathic secondary character.

Maybe Sam would grow on me if I watched more but, since I don't, I just think she's obnoxious.

I agree about Miranda Cosgrove's acting. She's a decent enough actress for a TV actor her age, but a few times an episode she will deliver a line that comes across as ridiculously forced. She reminds me of the kids in the plays my middle school used to produce, the ones who were so focused on projecting their voices and enunciating properly that putting any emotion into the scene was completely forgotten. I barely watched Drake and Josh, but I didn't notice her wooden acting in School of Rock, which makes me wonder if the director for iCarly is partially at fault.

I enjoy Sam and Freddie together, but I get bored or annoyed if one's in a scene without the other.

Has anyone seen the episode about the dance video submissions? Carly has a dream where she dances through her apartment with some of the cute boys who sent in videos to the iCarly site. Then, in the final "throwaway" scene of the episode, Spencer (her older brother) has the same dream, complete with the same outfit, same choreography, and the same dance partners that Carly had. I had to laugh, because the actor was hilariously over-the-top throughout the entire scene (although really, what else can you do with a scene like that?), but it also gave me a creepy NAMBLA-like vibe to see a mid-to-late-20s man frolicking around in a cocktail dress and heels with a bunch of barely-teenage boys.

Luckily for me, this was one of the few eps I've watched. I love how, in the beginning, Spencer (thanks for giving me a name) seems to be all confused and resistant. Then it's like the spirit of Ginger Rogers comes over him or something, and he completely gets into it. It cracked me up.

There's another scene I remember where Spencer is making all these big plans for marketing Carly's show, and really getting all excited and enthusiastic. And Carly's guy pal (Freddy, right?) says, "You can really do all that?" And Spencer, still sounding excited and enthusiastic, cheerfully exclaims, "No!" Another moment that cracked me up.

It's too bad Spencer isn't around more. But he's a 20-something guy on a Nick show, so it's understandable, I guess.

Re: the acting skills of the ensemble.

I feel everyone is ridiculously forced on this show, 100% of the time. IMO it comes with the nature of the program. Look at MadTV, SNL, D&J, Zoey 101, etc. I don't think the actors get enough time to develop believable characters so they just go for over the top.

I don't think Miranda is all that great, even for her age. She may have a better sense than your average kiddie in their town's version of High School Musical, but I've seen plenty of kids far more natural than Miranda or anyone else on these Nick shows.

Aside from Drake Bell. I actually think it's the material, but in a different setting I think he'd be pretty good

Granted I could only make it through this show a few times, but I agree that most of the acting here comes across as stilted or middle school production-ish. But some of that I chalk up to bad directing. I'm sure the director is probably directing them that over the top as they do with most Nick and Disney shows.

But I agree that I just don't think Miranda is that great an actress. Obviously she's young and might get better, but I don't think she's strong enough to carry a whole show. Meaning many teen actors who have their own shows aren't the best actors, but they do usually have enough charisma to make up for what they lack in talent. I don't think Miranda is all that charismatic either and that is where the problem lies. I could live with not so great acting if the lead came off as likable and fun and etc.

Miranda is decent enough in supporting roles, but as a lead she is just very boring.

I enjoy watching this show with my children. I figure, any show they watch that is clean and can make me laugh, is a winner. While Miranda Cosgrove's acting leaves much to be desired, Spencer's scenes more than make up for it.

I'm always a little wary of the premise of kids living without parents in the picture, but the character in Spencer really enhances the show, so I'm willing to forgive it.

I did watch the first 8 episodes of this.

I did like the Spencer part of the Halloween episode. Even though the whole "Adult-doesn't-have-candy-gives-batteries" thing has been done to death on so many other shows, the idea of the kids rolling him down the street in the giant pumpkin was hilarious.

Its nice to see Mindy "Frau Farbissina" Sterling as a semi-regular on the show.

I must say I completely disagree with this sentiment. I'm not saying Miranda is a pint sized Meryl Streep, but I think she is quite funny, and has a especially nice way with little throwaway lines. Plus, her voice and delivery is very musical, so I just like hearing her talk. Don't forget she is essentially the straightman in this all this, while Spencer, who I also think is very funny, gets the really showy comedy parts.

I like Carly's momentary freakouts, where she panics for a split second before pulling herself together again. Some might interpret this as an inability to maintain a mood, but I think it fits perfectly with the character, who I see as very mature and level headed for her age, but who is still, after all, a 13-year-old girl.

Finally, I also watch and enjoy "Hannah Montana", but I prefer this show's theme song, and Miranda's singing on it, to "Best Of Both Worlds".

Even back on D&J, I didn't think AC was all that emotive or expressive. She was just as stiff on that show, even with all the wacky stunts her character pulled. But I thought her sort of toneless, expressionless delivery worked with Megan, who was a borderline sociopath.

They actually did address this in an episode where Carly and Spencer's grandfather comes to take Carly away to Spokane because he saw a podcast where Carly almost gets injured in a stunt, and he feels like Spencer really isn't responsible enough to handle taking care of a kid.

Of course, it all works out in the end because Spencer proves his responsibility by writing his grandfather a guide to Carly's likes, dislikes, favorite food, allergies, etc etc etc.

It's a fine enough show, compared to Zoey 101. We don't get constant propping up of Carly like we get with Zoey(like seriously, why does everyone treat Zoey like she's an angel on Earth?), and though Miranda can be stiff, Jamie Lyn is a freaking red wood.

Though am I the only way hoping that Fred will grow up into a hottie, just to spite Sam? (They actually had something like that on Sister Sister...annoying Roger grew up hot, and he actually did a revenge dating plot to get back at them for all the times they were bitchy towards him when he wasn't hot.)

I just recently watched a few episodes of this show and while it may not be Emmy material, it's not as vacuous or shallow as Unfabulous and Zoey 101 (though that was a guilty pleasure for me and I loved Logan/Quinn). I find Miranda Cosgrove tolerable, but I don't think she has the charisma to carry her own show. Having said that, I don't dislike Carly as a character.

I really wish they'd stop with the guy friend having a crush on the girl friend thing. I assume it's supposed to be relatable and endearing, but it usually just comes off as annoying and pathetic. I quite like Carly's best friend Sam. It's a character that could easily have been annoying, but the actress manages to pull it off IMO. Oh and I enjoy watching Sam and Freddie together. They have great chemistry.

Also, love the theme song. It's annoyingly catchy.

I've recently gotten into this show and I really like it. I think it's much funnier than most tween shows and gets away with a bit of adult humor. I also agree that Sam's comic delivery is pretty awesome. I like that her character is a genuine badass and that her mom is apparently a bit of a deadbeat.

Charisma-wise, I think Spencer, Sam, and even Freddie have it. Miranda is pretty, and I like her singing voice, but doesn't hold my interest as an actress. For some horribly crazy reason I can't explain, even Jamie-Lynn holds my interest more.

Yeah, Spencer and Sam have that something to keep my interest(that great comedic timing).

Carly is somewhat tolerable (I like Miranda Cosgrove. Especially on Drake & Josh. She's really talented & very pretty.). Unlike Emma Roberts & Jamie-Lynn, Miranda Cosgrove is an excellent actress.

However, I don't like Sam very much. She's not funny & for some reason, she's always mean to Freddie. Why doesn't Sam like Freddie very much anyway? Besides, they would of make a nice couple instead of Freddie & Carly. I still can't get over Freddie having a crush on Carly. I don't like it.

Even though he's kind of annoying, Spencer is somewhat likable.

BTW, here is the music video of iCarly.

iCarly Music Video

Miranda is not a good actress at all IMO and she seemingly gets worse as she gets older. I'm not saying she's worse than Emma Roberts or *shudder* Jamie Lynn Spears. Both are pretty terrible and Jamie is definitely the worst of the three, but I don't think Miranda has any charisma either.

It kind of boggles my mind that out of the all the girls in Hollywood vying to have their own shows, this is the one handpicked to be the next sort of tween sensation. I don't have anything against the girl personally and she seems nice enough (and perhaps grounded), but I really think her it factor is nil. I realize that Carly is supposed to the be the straight man here, but even still.

I don't think this show is as vapid as Unfabulous or Zoey 101, so I'll give it that. Though the unsupervised web show aspect does creep me out, especially as Carly broadcasts from her own home and the idea of internet safety never seems to come up. I know it's fictional and I'm not looking for a very special episode about online predators, but some acknowledgement of online safety might be nice.

The first half of the first season will come to DVD on September 23. Kids' DVDs try to keep the price down, so it's a smart move to split the season in half like this. It's good to see a kids' show get season-set releases. Maybe more shows will follow suit.

I recommend checking iTunes for the theme song. In general, I don't go out of my way to watch iCarly, but the song sure is fun. And it's a full-length song, not just the short version from the show.

And yes, I've had heart attacks watching Carly gleefully show her audience exactly where she lives. That's just dangerous--doesn't she know there's a guy selling pirate(d) movies right across the street?

Normally I don't watch any of the live Nick shows but for some reason I have been watching and enjoying this show. I didn't think I would like it becuase I hated Miranda C's character on Drake and Josh(my friend loves the show). But she has actually made me like Carly and forget about the other character. Same, Freddie and her brother are also quite funny.

I think it's more that she hasn't improved much (if at all) from her time on Drake & Josh. And you expect more skill from someone the age she is now than you do from someone the age she was when her character took of on D&J.

Plus, on D&J, she didn't really carry a lot of the show. Megan came in, pulled a prank, and went back out again. On iCarly, AC's expected to do more and carry more of the show. So you have more time to notice what might be lacking in her acting skills.

Every time I watch the show, I'm reminded of someone who is new to acting and being in front of the camera, and doesn't know what to do with their hands, how to stand, or how to read a line so it sounds natural. I actually have to remind myself that she's been doing this for years.



Well, her character being a big hit on D&J might explain it. TV execs jump at the chance to take a character or actor who's popular on one show and spinning them off, in one way or another, to something else.

Huh. Being an accomplished actor (which I am not,) I think Miranda Cosgrove is pretty good. Better than Miley Cyrus, at least. Oh well, what do I know? In any case, I really like this show from Sam's sketchy family to the classmates they have.

See, Miley Cyrus is a great example. When Hannah Montana first started, she was very much like that "person new to being in front of the camera" I described above. But I think she improved by leaps and bounds each season. Heck, sometimes from episode to episode. Now, she ain't gonna win an Oscar any time soon. But she's better (in my opinion) than any of the three "Nick Girls."

Now, someone who tops them all (again, in my opinion) is Selana Gomez, from Wizards of Waverly Place. I might not be head over heels for the show, and her character might get on my nerves much the way Megan did. But the girl's got great comedic timing and line delivery.

Yeah, I think Selena, out of all the young Disney/Nick starlets, is the best. She does have great comedic timing. Miley really has improved too.

Is it weird that I like the Sam/Spencer interactions?

I agree with all of this. I'm not really trying to make the Nick vs. Disney comparison and Disney has some sucky talent as well, but with Miley I agree she was really rough at the start. Difference between her and Miranda though was that Miley really was an absolute newbie whereas Miranda has been acting for years. Also even when Miley sucked at the beginning, I could see the charsima and I think she's gotten pretty darn good comedically. Not saying she's fabulous, but she makes visible improvements.
I know there are many who don't like Selena Gomez, but I too thinks he has natural ability and timing.

My take is just when acting skills are lacking there has to be a bit of an it factor or a charisma that makes people want to watch anyway. I see it with the Disney girls, but Miranda (or worse Jaime Lynn), I don't get it. I fully admit I'm not in the demographic though so maybe I'm not supposed to get it.

This raised my curiousity, so I watched an episode of "Wizards" for the first time, and I found it very difficult to judge Selena's comedic timing when she was given literally nothing funny to say. She is definitely cute and appealing though, she just needs a better show.

I think Miranda Cosgrove is a very charismatic and able actress, which is evidenced by the fact that she has successfully essayed two such disparate characters as evil Megan, and sunny, good girl Carly. But even if one has issues with her pure thesping abilities, she is still funny. I mean, Jerry Seinfeld was no threat to Olivier as an actor, but he was funny. I have watched Carly's chewing out of Spencer in the "iFence" episode many times and still get a laugh out of "Yeah, not good enough.", "But no, I had to spend the last two hours on Planet Dorfman!", "I did suffer!", and "No, you'll go in there and clean it up yourself!" And these are lines that I think depend more on delivery than on any inherent comedic content.

This is not a slam on Miley, because I am a fan, but the acting style employed by Miley, and indeed all the actors on "Hannah Montana", is much broader than than relatively underplayed style on "iCarly", with Jerry Trainor's Spencer being the big exception. They shout a lot on "Hannah Montana". But I think underplaying can be quite effective, and someone like Jimmy Stewart can be just as good a comedic actor as a Jim Carrey, even though Jimmy's style is about a thousand degrees less frenetic.

I actually think that Miranda is a good actress, her face is expressive and emotive, and I like her delivery.

She just tends to hold her body really rigid a lot of times, especially in scenes where she's not actually scripted to interact with one of the the other actors, like she's one of those debutantes who was taught to always maintain poise and posture by balancing a book on her head ... or something.

A few people have commented on how catchy the theme song to "iCarly" is (I agree, I've downloaded it off iTunes even), and it's interesting to note that in their review of the iCarly album Entertainment Weekly opines that a song by The Naked Brothers should have been cut to "make room for more Cosgrove." Miley, watch your back!

I hate Miranda Cosgrove! It bugs me so much that they make everyone have a crush on her.. she's not pretty at all! I think she's really ugly. She also can't act for crap. She laughs at her own jokes. It's so annoying!! She was a much better actress on Drake and Josh. She also walks weird.. she can't even walk when she's acting!!!!!
Her voice is also really annoying. It's like a chicken, and she can't sing.
God she bugs me...

Whenever I see this show on, I stop and watch it for a little bit (I think its the part of me that's left over from taking care of kids for three summers and having to watch Nick shows like Drake and Josh and Ned's Declassified.)

Anyway, everytime I try to watch, I am appalled by this show. It sets terrible examples for children. The three main characters make fun of a teacher, and there's no "well, this teacher is actually a human being after all and we're ashamed of how we treated her" ending; they're just mean to her some more as the punchline. I've seen them make fun of other kids in their class for not being as cool as they are. Realistic? Maybe. Good idea for a Nick show? Absolutely not.

They're constantly disrespecting the adults on the show, and there's no adult on the show to put them in their place. Carly is taken care of by her stupid older brother who is just as much of a kid as the three main characters.

It's just... Lord, I can't believe this is being shown to kids.

I haven't watched a lot of this show, but I do remember one of their female teachers being pure evil. Seriously, if I were in her class I'd find a way to spill some holy water on her to prove she was possessed. There was one episode where she basically blackmailed them to get what she wanted. And while they did humiliate her later in the episode, she was enough in the "she's evil" category for me not to feel all that sorry for her.

Yeah, mean teachers are very important, because in just about any show aimed towards children of that age, what's the main enemy? No, it's not spinach, SCHOOL. In my opinion it wouldn't be a kid's show without it.

The hook of iCarly is that there are no reasonable adults around so Carly and co. can run wild. I do like the fact that Carly seems to have a level head on her shoulders so she doesn't make too much trouble.



Basically. I know why some adults would be alarmed, but really. Some teachers are just mean.

The main evil teacher is played by Mindy Sterling, a.k.a. Frau Farbisina of the Austin Powers movies.

I started watching the show last weekend, and I love it. The theme song is awesome.

I ship Freddie/Carly. They're pretty cool together.

I can't wait until the second season starts.

Basically. There seem to be two schools of tween shows. This seems to fit into the mold for the majority of the Nickelodeon shows where adults only exist to be caricatures. I feel like most of the Nick shows I grew up with were this way as well. Parents don't exist, teachers are evil and/or stupid and kids get away with doing whatever they want. I assume part of the reason they made Carly so level headed is to keep parents from objecting too much about her lack of a parental figure.

On the other hand there are the more Disneyesque message shows. Adults are still usually stupid, but parents and teachers are somewhat more present and involved. Hero always learns a lesson at the end of an episode, usually at the hands of one of the adults. Often the kids get punished. Granted they remember nothing of these lessons from episode to episode, but it is what it is.

I don't mind the absent parents bit in shows, but this one gets me for the irresponsibility in regards to the web show. They are allowed to run an unsupervised web show. Nobody bothers to pay attention to what they air or what crazies they might come into contact with as a result. There are absolutely no rules. They've filmed the front of their apartment building. I can't remember if they've technically met up with folks they've met on the internet before, but I feel like they have. Ick.

I do like the theme song though. That's about the extent of what I do like though.

David Archuleta to guest star next Spring.

I know it seems like I rag on this kids show a bunch, but I caught a new episode yesterday that rubbed me the wrong way. The premise was that Sam is in debt for over $500 to Carly and Freddie. She jokingly mentions kids should send her money on ICarly and of course they do. The principal makes them return it since soliciting is illegal, only for Spencer to jump in and say they don't have to return the money if they send the kids something in return. Basically it boils to Spencer letting the kids make a profit off of their ICarly fans and hence pay off Sam's debt. Um, what?