iCan’t Believe iCarly is Back!
October 7, 2021
By Lindsay Boudreau
If you’re a college student right now, and had access to American television growing up, chances are that iCarly was a sizable chunk of your childhood. This Nickelodeon series probably started airing when you were somewhere between the ages of 5 and 8, and you definitely know all of the words to the opening theme song. iCarly (starring Miranda Cosgrove, Jennette McCurdy, Jerry Trainer, and Nathan Kress), was a hit in the U.S. for several years, and it was so popular that a few episodes almost reached 10 million views. As the show started in 2007 and ended in 2012, it carried some of us through elementary school and middle school. Odds are that, for you, it ended right before you started high school. For us, this marks a clear separation from childhood to the slow process of becoming an adult.
The show was only airing new episodes for 5 years, but it was such a big part of popular culture when we were growing up. There were iCarly t-shirts, perfumes, stickers, lunchboxes—just about anything you can think of. We communicated in part by its catchphrases and jokes, making friends over talking about our favorite episodes or the newest episode that came out the night before. The two main characters, Carly and Sam, started fashion trends of the early 2000s that still haunt us today. They introduced us to the ever so relevant ideas of web-shows and viral videos. Today, we listen to podcasts, watch our favorite YouTube series on our phones, and rarely get off of TikTok. But, most importantly, iCarly encouraged us to be creative and to laugh whenever we can.
It is so appropriate that, as half of us are in the process of finishing college—moving on to our adult lives where things really begin to count—iCarly has landed a revival contract and began airing new episodes starting this past June. Once again, the cast of iCarly is just a little older than us and in the next stages of their lives. They have now faced divorce, parenthood, and job insecurity, topics that we have not yet to experience but might in the future. And, once again, iCarly is on TV putting a comedic spin on life events that will somehow impact us later on. The show is a mix of nostalgia and shock since we are so accustomed to these characters being kids and never discussing taboo topics. The new series has a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, so it looks like it has been received just as well as it was back in the good old days of the early 2000s.
If you find yourself bored, or like to study with something playing in the background, maybe give the new iCarly revival a shot. What’s next, do you think Miley Cyrus is willing to do a Hannah Montana remake? Wizards of Waverly place with Selena Gomez?