Victorious

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 while getting into wacky screwball situations on a daily basis. The series' pilot episode premiered on March 27, 2010, and viewership was estimated at 5.7 million.

Cast
The cast of Victorious, from left to right: Matt Bennett as Robbie (who is holding his puppet, Rex Powers), Ariana Grande as Cat, Daniella Monet as Trina, Victoria Justice as Tori, Leon Thomas III as André, Elizabeth Gillies as Jade, and Avan Jogia as Beck (Beck and Jade are in a relationship). All cast members started out to be brunettes before doing Victorious.
 * Victoria Justice as Victoria &quot;Tori&quot; Vega, a sixteen year old aspiring singer who enrolls at Hollywood Arts High School, a prestigious performing arts school, after filling in for her older sister, Trina. Though initially self-conscious and uncertain among Hollywood Arts' talented student body, she soon embraces her own talents and new life. She is very respectful to others.
 * Leon Thomas III as André HarrisTori's best friend and biggest supporter at Hollywood Arts. He is a gifted musician and is also a talented song writer. He has written every song Tori has performed so far in the series. He first met Tori when he was assigned to work with Trina on a performance for the school's annual talent showcase. His grandmother is afraid of everything and everyone. He is the guy everybody likes and is always the shoulder to lean on.
 * Matt Bennett as Robert &quot;Robbie&quot; Shapiro a shy and awkward student who is more comfortable speaking through his ventriloquist's dummy, Rex Powers. His grandmother, Mamaw, implies that Robbie has had Rex for a long time; she tells her husband that Robbie "still" takes the puppet to school. He tends to take the slightest romantic advance from a girl, even while acting, very seriously. He is lactose intolerant. He can play the guitar and the harmonica.
 * Elizabeth Gillies as Jade West, who considers herself a "not good friend" of Tori's. Although she has a caustic personality, Jade is hard working, talented, and popular, but she can be somewhat of a masochist, implying in several episodes that she likes pain. She has been Beck's girlfriend for "1 year and eleven months", but it could now be considered longer. She wears a lot of black clothing. Jade is seen to get jealous easily. Although she and Tori were adversaries at the beginning of the series, their rivalry has decreased and Jade has come to Tori for help.
 * Ariana Grande as Caterina &quot;Cat&quot; Valentine, a sensitive drama queen. She tends to overreact and is extremely emotional, but becomes close friends with Tori, André, Beck, Trina, and Robbie. She is a brunette but dyes her hair to a red velvet cupcake color. She is seen as eccentric and random. A running gag about Cat is that she gets easily offended by people even when they are not trying to be nasty. Its usually results with her saying, "What's that supposed to mean?!" Her favorite foods are cupcakes, candy, noodles, and potatoes. In the episode The Birthweek Song, Cat admits that she has phsycological problems. She is always talking about her weird brother and the strange situations he gets into.
 * Avan Jogia as Beck Oliver, a handsome and respected actor. He is kind and supportive to everyone at Hollywood Arts, especially Tori. He lives in an RV parked in his parent's driveway in order to avoid listening to his parent's rules. He wants to get a Rottweiler as a pet.
 * Daniella Monet as Katrina &quot;Trina&quot; VegaTori's older sister by one year. Though she has good intentions and truly cares for Tori, Trina is materialistic, egotistical and truly believes stardom is her destiny. Unfortunately, while she behaves like an A-List star, her performance level is of a significantly lower grade. Nonetheless, she has managed to somehow get into Hollywood Arts. Trina can sometimes be spoiled and will stop at nothing until she gets what she wants. She is physically strong, contrary to her image. She claims nothing scares her due to the fact that she's seen her grandmother naked. It is unknown exactly what Trina's talent is, but it may be acting and/or singing.



Recurring characters

 * Eric Lange as Mr. Sikowitz, the school's barefoot 30-year-old acting teacher. He has strange methods of teaching, such as throwing balls at students during their performances to see if they are dedicated enough to remain in the scene. Tori (and possibly everyone else) believes he is crazy. He likes to drink coconut milk, saying that the milk "gives him visions". Despite being eccentric, he is caring, smart, and has a lot of wisdom. Tori once mistook him as a homeless man.
 * Jennifer Carta and Jim Pirri as as Mr. and Mrs. Vega, Tori and Trina's parents.
 * Michael Eric Reid as Sinjin, a dorky and somewhat creepy boy at Hollywood Arts. He has a crush on Jade, but she hates him. Sinjin was intended to be a one-time appearance, but Schneider enjoyed Reid's performance so much that he cast him in nearly every episode of the series so far.

Development
Victorious is the fifth series created by Dan Schneider for Nickelodeon, following Kenan and Kel, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, and iCarly. 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." 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. Near the end of Zoey 101's run, Justice was summoned to meet with Schneider about a potential series starring her.

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. "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.undefinedMarjorie 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.

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. 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." 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.

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. 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 while Leon Thomas was cast in episodes of iCarly and The Naked Brothers Band. Justice earns $12,000 per episode for Victorious.

Sets
The series is filmed in Hollywood, California. 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."

The series is set primarily at Hollywood Arts. Outdoor shots of Hollywood Arts depict Burbank High School, which is located approximately fifteen minutes from the set. 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-furniture items."

Reception
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. This audience made Victorious Nickelodeon's highest rated live-action series debut. Victorious's second episode was advertised as the series' official premiere and drew 3.48 million viewers. By comparison, Nickelodeon's Big Time Rush received 3.5 million viewers for its "sneak preview" debut in November 2009, and 6.8 million viewers for its "premiere" in January 2010.

Music
Make It Shine is the theme song for Victorious, and is performed by Justice. It was written by Dr. Luke and Michael Cororan and released as Justice's debut single on April 13, 2010. The song is an up-tempo electropop song with elements of dance and rock. The song has peaked at #16 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.

Victorious features approximately one song every three episodes. Thus far, the songs that have been featured in Victorious are You're the Reason (The Birthweek Song), Finally Falling (Tori the Zombie), Give It Up and Freak the Freak Out (Freak the Freak Out).