Victorious
| Victorious | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Teen sitcom |
| Created by | Dan Schneider |
| Starring | Victoria Justice Leon Thomas III Matt Bennett Elizabeth Gillies Ariana Grande Avan Jogia Daniella Monet |
| Theme music composer | Dr. Luke Victoria Justice Michael Corcoran |
| Opening theme | "Make It Shine" performed by Victoria Justice |
| Composers | Dr. Luke Michael Corcoran |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 21 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Dan Schneider |
| Producers | Robin Weiner Warren Bell (season 2 - present) Joe Catania Bruce Rand Berman |
| Production location | Hollywood, California |
| Camera setup | Videotape (filmized); Multi-camera |
| Running time | 23 minutes |
| Production companies | Schneider's Bakery Sony Music Entertainment Nickelodeon Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | Nickelodeon |
| Release | March 27, 2010 – present |
| Related | |
| iCarly | |
Victorious (stylized as VICTORiOUS) is an American television sitcom created by Dan Schneider for Nickelodeon. The series revolves around aspiring singer Tori Vega, portrayed by Victoria Justice, who attends a performing arts high school called Hollywood Arts, while getting into wacky screwball situations on a daily basis. The series premiered on March 27, 2010.
Characters
The main characters of Victorious are:
- Tori Vega (Victoria Justice) is the main protagonist of the TV series. After taking her sister Trina's place in her school's big showcase because she had an allergic reaction to Chinese Herb Gargle, she gets the chance of a lifetime to attend the elite Hollywood Arts, a performing arts school where she will study her craft of singing, acting and dancing. On her first day she meets nice people who help her get through the day and gets to know the school of Hollywood Arts better.
- André Harris (Leon Thomas III) is Tori's best friend and is an amazingly gifted musician and singer/songwriter who can play almost any instrument, but prefers the keyboard. He is the guy Tori and their other friends come to for anything and he is always willing to listen to and help with their problems.
- Robbie Shapiro (Matt Bennett) is a shy and awkward nerdy student at Hollywood Arts. Robbie is a master ventriloquist and often uses this skill to express his true emotions. He is almost always seen with his dummy Rex, who likes to insult Robbie.
- Jade West (Elizabeth Gillies) is Beck's girlfriend. She insults everyone, especially Robbie, and says whatever is on her mind. She wears dark clothes and dark eyeshadow a lot. It is not known yet whether Jade and Tori are friends, but from time to time, Jade shows a little friendship towards Tori.
- Cat Valentine (Ariana Grande) is a very sensitive, eccentric drama queen with flighty tendencies. She always seems to be in her own world and will say random things at random times.
- Beck Oliver (Avan Jogia) is Jade's boyfriend. He is shown as handsome, easygoing, funny, and down-to-earth.
- Trina Vega (Daniella Monet) is Tori's older sister. She is a diva and believes everything is always about herself. She really wants to be in a movie, and usually is never as lucky as Tori and her friends.
Recurring characters
- Sinjin Van Cleef (Michael Eric Reid) is a nerdy, weird and creepy student at Hollywood Arts. He can be seen sometimes hanging out with the group. He usually does background work on all the performances at Hollywood Arts (lighting, sound, etc.). He has a huge crush on Jade.
- Erwin Sikowitz (Eric Lange) is the weird barefoot improv teacher at Hollywood Arts. His methods are very strange but at times can be effective. He likes to drink coconut milk because "it gives him visions".
- Lane Moorefield (Lane Napper) is the school's guidance counselor. He tries to help the students solve any problem they have, yet he also complains, "How come I'm always involved in this?" He almost always can be seen in his office applying lotion to his hands.
- Mr. & Mrs. Vega (Jim Pirri & Jennifer Carta) are Tori and Trina's parents. They are seen as loving parents but don't like to get into their daughters' problems. Mr. Vega is a cop, and Tori and Trina like to point it out to those who creep them out (Sinjin).
- Mrs. Harris (Marylin Harris) is Andre's crazy grandmother who is afraid of pretty much everything.
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 19 | March 27, 2010 | March 26, 2011 | |
| 2 | 13 | April 2, 2011 | December 26, 2011 | |
| 3 | 12 | January 28, 2012[2] | June 30, 2012 | |
| 4 | 13[3] | September 22, 2012[4] | February 2, 2013[5] | |
Filming on the first season began on October 5, 2009 and ended on April 14, 2010. 20 episodes were produced for the show's first season.[6] The show has been renewed for a second season,[7] which began filming on October 25, 2010 and ended on February 23, 2011.
Production
Victorious is the fifth series created by Dan Schneider for Nickelodeon, following The Amanda Show, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, and iCarly.[8] Schneider first met Justice in 2005, when she was twelve and arrived to audition for the part of Lola Martinez on Zoey 101. Impressed by her energy and look, Schneider hired her and, after working with her on three episodes, called Nickelodeon to say, "I’ve got your next star."[9] Justice continued her role on Zoey 101 until the series ended in 2008. In the meantime, Disney Channel, Nickelodeon's main competitor, had experienced immense success with franchises like Hannah Montana and High School Musical, which featured original songs and generated revenue through music as well as television. Seeking to "follow where the kids are", Nickelodeon executives asked Schneider to create a music-based show for the channel.[9] Near the end of Zoey 101's run, Justice was summoned to meet with Schneider about a potential series starring her.[10]
While discussing possible concepts for the series during the meeting, Justice mentioned that she had attended a performing arts middle school. The idea intrigued Schneider, who recognized the appeal of series concerning fame.[10] "If there is anything I've learned about kids today—and I'm not saying this is good or bad—it's that they all want to be stars," said Schneider.[11] Marjorie Cohn, who was then Nickelodeon's executive vice president of original programming and development, agreed. "Every kid thinks they're five minutes away and one lucky circumstance from being famous," Cohn stated. She noted that Schneider's iCarly, a sitcom about a girl who hosts a popular web show, was spurred by the rise of YouTube celebrities and had become a successful show for Nickelodeon.[11]
On August 13, 2008, Nickelodeon announced that Justice had signed "an overall talent and music deal" with the company, agreeing to star in a then-untitled musical-comedy series about a girl who attends a performing arts high school.[12] While discussing the show's premise, Schneider stated that while it would be nice if more children "wanted to be teachers and social workers" instead of celebrities, "At least in Victorious, you see a world where they're all working on the talent part."[11] Nickelodeon Productions and the Columbia/Epic Label Group of Sony Music Entertainment agreed to co-produce the series as part of a partnership to develop talent and release their music.[13]
The second season of Victorious finished filming on February 23, 2011.[14]
Casting
Several of actors on Victorious had appeared in Nickelodeon programs prior to Victorious's premiere. In addition to Zoey 101, Justice appeared on television series iCarly, The Naked Brothers Band and True Jackson, VP plus an episode of The Troop. She also co-starred with Avan Jogia, who plays Beck, on the Nickelodeon television movie Spectacular!. Daniella Monet guest starred in three episodes of Zoey 101 and an episode of iCarly while Leon Thomas was cast in episodes of iCarly , True Jackson VP ,and The Naked Brothers Band. Elizabeth Gillies, Ariana Grande, and Thomas have had previous appearances in Broadway musicals. A young Thomas was seen in the Broadway runs of The Color Purple and Caroline, or Change starring Tony Award winner, Tonya Pinkins,[15] meanwhile Gillies and Grande were co-starring in the musical 13.[16][17] Of the seven main castmembers, Grande is the only one with no on-screen experience whatsoever prior to her role in the series.
Sets
The series is filmed at Nickelodeon Studios on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California.[18] According to Paula Kaplan, Nickelodeon's executive Vice President for talent, "In our adult world, nobody accommodates us for down time. But in a child's life on a set, we do take that seriously. At our studios on Sunset Boulevard, where we shoot iCarly and Victorious, the greenrooms are filled with games and Rock Band. We create an environment where they can have fun with their colleagues and take it easy."[19]
The series is set primarily at Hollywood Arts. Outdoor shots of Hollywood Arts depict Hollywood High School, which is located in the parking lot of Nickelodeon Studios.[20] According to David Hinkley of the New York Daily News, "Outside of school, Victorious has the same look as iCarly, with most of the action taking place on one main set with a few basic home/crib-furniture items." The show also has a BLIX machine from Zoey 101.[21]
Reception
Critical reception
The series as a whole earned generally mixed reviews. Variety magazine reviewer Brian Lowry wrote, "Victorious has been cobbled together with the wooden-headed market in mind."[22] David Hinkley of the New York Daily News says the series' format is nearly identical to iCarly's and hopes that the series will develop a "more distinctive personality" over the course of the season.[21] Roger Catlin of the Hartford Courant describes Victorious as "harmless but hardly entertaining".[23] Mark A. Perigard of the Boston Herald titled his review "Victorious is a big loser" and writes, "The bulk of the cast mugs for the cameras, probably to compensate for a script that could have been commissioned from fifth-graders."[24] Linda Stasi of the New York Post was mixed; she agreed that the episode contained over-acting performers, "corny" dialogue and a "terribly, terribly loud laugh track", but believed it was "a 'surefire tween hit".[25]
However, reviewers were positive about Justice's performance and suggested that series' potential hinged on her. Hinkley comments, "At this point, Justice is better at singing than acting, and the show doesn't flow as smoothly as iCarly," but Justice "has the personality and talent" needed for a shot at being "the Next Big Teen Thing".[21] Perigard describes her as "undeniably appealing"[24] and Lowry states, "Justice is winsome and talented enough to provide the latest show a leg up in connecting with tween girls."[22]
Viewership
The series premiere did well among viewers. The pilot episode, advertised as a "sneak preview" of the series, aired after the 2010 Kids' Choice Awards on March 27, 2010 to 5.7 million viewers. Victorious's second episode was advertised as the series' official premiere and drew 3.48 million viewers.[26] By comparison, Nickelodeon's Big Time Rush received 3.5 million viewers for its "sneak preview" debut in November 2009,[27] and 7.1 million Total viewers for its "premiere" in January 2010.[28]
On April 2, 2011, the season 2 premiere episode "Beggin' On Your Knees" became the most watched episode of the series to date, with 6.1 million total viewers.[29]
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Breakout Show | Victorious | Nominated |
| 2010 | J-14's Teen Icon Awards | Iconic TV Actress | Victoria Justice | Nominated |
| 2011 | UK Kids Choice Awards 2011 | Nick UK's Favourite TV Show | Victorious | Nominated |
| 2011 | 2011 Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite TV Actress | Victoria Justice | Nominated |
Music
| "Victorious" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"Make It Shine" is the series' theme song. The song also serves as the lead single from the soundtrack to the series. "Make It Shine" is the first song to be released by Victoria Justice. It has become her first charting single, peaking at number 16 on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart in the US.
Victorious features approximately one song every three episodes.[31] The songs that have been featured in Victorious are listed below. Victoria Justice told "7 Secrets with Victoria Justice" that she is currently working on music for her solo album. Parts of songs have also been sung in a few episodes of Victorious.
| Episode | Introduced | Title | Performer | Character |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1.E1 | "Pilot" | "Make It Shine" | Victoria Justice | Tori |
| Theme song of the show | ||||
| S1.E4 | "The Birthweek Song" | "You're the Reason" | Victoria Justice | Tori |
| S1.E5 | "Jade Dumps Beck" | "Chicago" | Daniella Monet | Trina |
| S1.E6 | "Tori the Zombie" | "Finally Falling" | Victoria Justice featuring Avan Jogia | Tori & Beck |
| "Cat & Trina's Song" | Ariana Grande & Daniella Monet | Cat & Trina | ||
| S1.E8 | "Survival of the Hottest" | "Make It Shine" | Victorious cast except Ariana | Everyone except Cat |
| S1.E9 | "Wi-Fi in the Sky" | "You're the Reason" | Daniella Monet | Trina |
| S1.E11 | "The Great Ping Pong Scam" | "Tell Me That You Love Me" | Victoria Justice ft. Leon Thomas III | Tori & Andre |
| S1.E13-14 | "Freak the Freak Out" | "Freak the Freak Out" | Victoria Justice | Tori |
| "Give It Up" | Elizabeth Gillies and Ariana Grande | Cat & Jade | ||
| "Hate Me Love Me" by Ginger Fox | Jillian Clare & Jamie Snow | Hayley & Tara | ||
| "Number One" by Ginger Fox | Jillian Clare & Jamie Snow, Eric Lange | Hayley & Tara, Sikowitz | ||
| "Forever Baby" | Matt Bennett | Robbie & Rex | ||
| S1.E15 | "Rex Dies" | "Forever Baby" | Matt Bennett & Victoria Justice | Tori, Robbie & Rex |
| S1.E16 | "The Diddly-Bops" | "Favorite Food" | Victorious Cast except Daniella (until later with the fake Diddly-Bops) | The Diddly Bops- Tori, Beck, Jade, Robbie, Cat, Andre |
| "Song2You" | Leon Thomas III ft. Victoria Justice | Andre & Tori | ||
| "Nose Song" | Leon Thomas III | Andre | ||
| "Broken Glass" | Matt Bennett | Robbie | ||
| "You're the Reason" | Daniella Monet | Trina | ||
| S1.E17 | "Wok Star" | "Fly Out of the Well" | Jade-Lianna Peters | Daisy (Mrs. Lee's daughter) |
| S1.E18 | "The Wood" | "Forever Baby" (English & Spanish) | Victoria Justice & Elizabeth Gillies | Tori & Jade |
| S2.E1 | "Beggin' on Your Knees" | "Beggin' on Your Knees" | Victoria Justice | Tori |
| "Goodbye my Coney Isle" | Quartet in Tori's Class | |||
| "Tori & Ryder's project song" | Victoria Justice & Ryan Rottman | Tori & Ryder |
DVD release
Season 1, Volume 1 will be released on DVD in the U.S. on July 5th 2011, featuring the first 10 episodes plus (as yet unknown) bonus features.[32]
International release
References
- ^ Leffler, Rebecca (4 October 2010). "MTVNI touting 5,000 hours of programming". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
{{cite web}}:|section=ignored (help) - ^ "New Season of Victorious: Saturday, January 28th at 8/7c". Nick.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2012.
- ^ Julianie Cruz [@JulianieCruz] (January 5, 2013). "@DanWarp How many episode's are left?? #NewVictoriousTonight #AskDanWarp #4" (Tweet). Retrieved January 5, 2013 – via Twitter.
Dan Schneider [@DanWarp] (January 5, 2013). "@JulianieCruz Five more, starting tonight – Watch them ALL!" (Tweet). Retrieved January 5, 2013 – via Twitter. - ^ "Victorious Season Premiere!". TheSlap. Archived from the original on September 22, 2012.
... check out the whole episode THIS SATURDAY at 8 PM!
- ^ Dan Schneider [@DanWarp] (January 29, 2013). "Working on "Victori-YES" – the LAST EPISODE of @Victorious – it airs this Saturday night (Feb 2) at 8PM. GREAT EPISODE! Tell the world!!!" (Tweet). Retrieved March 28, 2014 – via Twitter.
- ^ Nick, Sony Music will duet for comedy
- ^ Renewed for Season 2
- ^ "Breaking News - Rising Teen Talent Victoria Justice Takes Star Turn in "Victorious"". TheFutonCritic.com. 2010-01-15. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
- ^ a b Wyatt, Edward (24 March 2010). "First the Tween Heart, Now the Soul". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ a b Shen, Maxine (26 October 2009). "'Zoey' pal gets own show". New York Post. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ a b c Martin, Denise (22 November 2009). "Child's play". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ Gornstein, Leslie (14 August 2008). "A-List Secrets: How to Make a Shiny New Miley". E!. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ Billboard - Google Books. Books.google.com. 2008-08-23. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
- ^ Victorious Season 2 - Filming Wrapped on February 23, 2011
- ^ http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=378651
- ^ http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=480687
- ^ http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=480685
- ^ "Los Angeles Production Listings". Backstage.com. 2010-04-08. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
- ^ By (2009-12-03). "Growing up in character - Entertainment News, Youth Impact Report '09, Media". Variety. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
- ^ Posted by DanWarp (2010-04-18). "DanWarp: FUN FACTS: Victorious - "Stage Fighting" !!!". Danwarp.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
- ^ a b c David Hinckley (2010-03-26). "Nickelodeon patterns 'Victorious' with Victoria Justice after 'iCarly' to win young fans". New York: Nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
- ^ a b By (2010-03-25). "Victorious Review - TV Show Reviews - Analysis Of Victorious The TV Series". Variety.com. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
- ^ Catlin, Roger (2010-03-27). "Roger Catlin's TV Eye - TV Entertainment News". Blogs.courant.com. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
- ^ a b Press, Associated (2010-03-27). "'Victorious' a big loser - BostonHerald.com". News.bostonherald.com. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
- ^ Stasi, Linda (2010-03-27). "'Victorious' has 'tween spirit". NYPOST.com. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
- ^ "USA, TBS Split Ratings Crown". Mediaweek.com. 2010-04-13. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
- ^ "Breaking News - NEW NICKELODEON SERIES PREMIERES WITH A BIG TIME RUSH OF COMEDY AND MUSIC ON MONDAY, JAN. 18, AT 8:30 P.M. (ET/PT)". TheFutonCritic.com. 2010-01-05. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
- ^ By (2010-01-19). "iCarly,' 'Rush' set records - Entertainment News, TV News, Media". Variety. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
- ^ Cable Top 25: 'Kids' Choice Awards,' 'Pawn Stars,' 'WWE RAW' and 'Victorious' Top Weekly Cable Viewing By Robert Seidman – April 5, 2011 - tvbythenumbers.com
- ^ http://repertoire.bmi.com/title.asp?blnWriter=True&blnPublisher=True&blnArtist=True&page=1&keyid=12323609&ShowNbr=0&ShowSeqNbr=0&querytype=WorkID
- ^ 'Victorious' Star Victoria Justice Is 'Luckiest Girl In The World'
- ^ Victorious Season 1, Volume 1 DVD trailer