Just thought about the fact that I have a picture of me in front of all the original Victorious lockers. How lucky am I to say that? I think I’m the only fan to have taken a picture in front of them 😅 Yes, Hollywood Arts has a different Make it Shine locker. It’s a really strong replicate though!

The person that ordered it? None other than Steve Molaro, writer on D&J, iCarly, The Amanda Show, Zoey 101…& later Big Bang Theory. Fun fact: it was also Molaro who turned to the executive producer, while Drake & Josh were filming the scene where they fight over a shrimp on The Amanda Show…and said “You know these two are your next show, right?” The rest is history. One of the movies being named “Thank You Molaro!” in the last produced episode of Drake & Josh is a reference to that very moment.

I just finished the “Cheese Men” episode of Hollywood Arts, and my initial thoughts? Best one yet. It confirmed my suspicions that this show should’ve been written around Robbie instead of Trina. I laughed out loud in just about every scene he was in. At its core, Trina is still unlikable. Robbie, on the other hand, has a redeeming quality that makes you want to root for him. And Matt Bennett continues to showcase his solid comedic timing. If I were a producer on this show, I’d be running to my bosses to get Matt added to the main cast. He might be the only shot this show has at achieving any real longevity.

Oh I’m so overdue for a rewatch. One of the best ever.

Found this audio clip from 2011 in which Dan Schneider discusses deliberately avoiding writing parents into his shows. “I don’t bring adults onto the show and have them be a drag. “My shows are about kids, and they’re about kids winning and about kids taking power over their lives and doing cool, fun things.”

Also, production being in Vancouver instead of LA where most creatives live & have families might have something to do with that. Must have been a challenge wanting to hire people you’re familiar with, but don’t want to relocate to another city for 6 months. Directors can come and go for two weeks at a time, but those staffed on the show can’t. I wonder if the writers (outside of Jake & Sam) were on set often, given a remote writers room is the industry norm now.

One minor thing I miss about Victorious: the whiteboard in the classroom changing with each episode, sometimes featuring cool easter eggs, like this reference to Kenan & Kel. I’m only on episode four of Hollywood Arts, but so far, it hasn’t changed. I’m assuming it doesn’t.

Well, that would never happen. A lot of the former cast and crew need the paychecks, because it’s damn hard to make a living in 2026. And it’s super easy to capitalize on a show that was so beloved back in the day. Hence why it’s been done seven or eight times now with projects he created. But there’s also something to be said for the fact that none of them have apparently asked for his blessing to bring his shows back or made an effort to involve him. Obviously, there are some feelings there, and none of them seem particularly interested in revisiting that chapter of their careers with him involved.

Jake Farrow & Chris Nowak are the only Victorious writers to return to Hollywood Arts. Joe Sullivan also worked on Victorious as an assistant to an EP & was in/around the writers room. So far, no #Victorious directors are part of Hollywood Arts.

Wow. Interesting.

It’s officially the season of Skyler Gisondo. Saw him in the movie Primetime this week, and he was fantastic. Next up, he’ll be starring opposite Ariana Grande in Focker in Law over Thanksgiving weekend. And why stop there? If you’re looking for a Christmas movie with him as the lead, I highly recommend Feast of the Seven Fishes. But let’s take it back to when he was just nine years old, playing a little prankster & Megan’s sidekick in Drake & Josh: “I Love Sushi”. He’s come a long way!

The sentiment will always be the same. Just about everyone I’ve ever spoken to has had a complicated relationship with him. He evoked a lot of pressure and fear in his employees—a tough boss with crazy expectations and an enormous amount of power. What’s crazy to me is watching people come away from the documentary using words like “pedophile” and calling for him to be in jail. There’s an important distinction between what is actually established and what has been fragmented, speculated on, or exaggerated online. A lot of what gets repeated about him online has gone far beyond what people who actually knew and worked with him have told me. He’s become a scapegoat for a lot of conversations he shouldn’t be the center of. And in my opinion, far too much energy is being spent on the wrong things. I’ve had some really interesting conversations over the years with people who loathe Dan and have spent 10,000+ hours around him. Their experiences are complicated, too. One person put it to me perfectly: “As strongly as I feel about Dan, all the internet rumors about him are way beyond the pale and, to my knowledge, totally untrue. No one deserves that stuff. It’s awful. Truly.” Someone can be an awful person to work for without being guilty of every accusation made against them. He may not have treated his employees fairly, and there are legitimate criticisms to make about the culture and pressure he created. But he also took many of his actors under his wing, cared about them beyond the workplace, and had genuine personal relationships with people who have complicated feelings about him. You can have serious, legitimate reasons to dislike someone and still recognize when the story being told about them has gone beyond what you actually know. Those distinctions matter

I’m trying to recall my earliest memories from iCarly. My main one: I remember being shattered when they couldn’t find the last baby chick. So clearly, I started watching episodes again. Because that memory stuck with me, & iHatch Chicks is still one of my favorite episodes.

I remember my exact mindset when this premiered. I was so annoyed Drake & Josh & Zoey 101 was coming to an end, because I loved them so much. I didn’t want to face the music of checking out a new show. So I maybe watched 1-3 iCarly episodes and boycotted watching. “How could Megan now be Carly? She’s supposed to be evil!” — 7 year old me. That’s it. That’s exactly what I was feeling. 😂

I did wonder this at first! Possible, but unlikely, given that it’s more of a premeditated line than an ad-lib. It did happen when actors would give a suggestion, but 95% of the time it was the show-runner thinking of something better, running onto stage, and giving an actor the new line. But if anyone were to give ideas like this, it would’ve been the seasoned actors like Eric Lange & Jerry Trainor. I see where you’re coming from. Had the same thought.

This is the first really interesting change to start the episode. Sikowitz’s scripted line is: “It’s all right, Jade. I don’t envy the man that marries you.” The delivered line was: “It’s all right, Jade. I savor your bitterness like a sweet, rancid cream sauce.” I laughed out loud when I read how different the line change was. Eric Lange was given a completely different line, and his delivery was so damn good. 😂 I’ve studied the girls’ reactions enough that I could absolutely see a world where Victoria’s face is telling me she had no idea that line was coming. I actually think that happened pretty often. The showrunner would tell one actor about a line change, but not necessarily the rest of the cast, specifically to get a genuine reaction out of them. And honestly, I think that’s exactly what happened here!

So that’s where I know her from! Her entrance to this scene always cracks me up. Quite iconic. RIP