We are a girl gang, like birds of a feather
Chicken Girls is an American web series that premiered on Brat TV's YouTube channel on September 5, 2017.
It is Brat's Cash-Cow Franchise spanning nine seasons, two movies (Chicken Girls: The Movie and Intern-in-Chief), four spin-offs (Rooney's Last Roll, Baby Doll Records, Overnights and Sunnyside Up) and two crossover movie events (Brat Holiday Spectacular with Total Eclipse and Spring Breakaway with Dirt and Zoe Valentine). Not to mention the many cameo appearances in Brat's other sister shows.
Rhyme, Ellie and Quinn, known collectively as "The Chicken Girls", have danced together forever. But this year, everything's changing.
By season three, the dance team plot element has been dropped, and the show focuses on being a high school drama about friendship and relationships.
Season 7 sees the show undergo an entire cast turnover as it is retooled to be about Rhyme's little sister Harmony as she struggles to make and maintain friendships.
Chicken Girls as a whole provides examples of:
- Aerith and Bob: Of the main characters there is Rhyme, Birdie, Harmony (Aerith) and Ellie, Quinn (Bob)
- Character Overlap: For the first six season Harmony appeared on both this show and Mani. Until leaving Mani after season 5 to join the Chicken Girls cast as a regular.
- During season 1 Tim and Rooney regularly appear on "Attaway Appeal".
- Chicken Girls season 2, Overnights and Baby Doll Records run concurrently with characters crossing over plotline influencing each show.
- During season 2 Autumn from Total Eclipse guest stared in a few episodes.
- After Overnights finished Stephanie joined Chicken Girls as a regular.
- Season 7 of Chicken Girls and Rooney Last Roll also run concurrently with Rooney appearing across both shows.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Several characters have just disappeared between seasons.
- Coming of Age Story: A common theme throughout the show is how friendship and interest s change as people grow up
- Informed Abilities: The dance team is supposed to be good, but their dancing is awkward, stiff and out of time. Acknowledged by the cast when they react to season 1
- Brooke: "Brat took the hint. They were like they can't dance. Not one of them is coordinate enough."
- Revolving Door Casting: While the show was known for Chuck Cunningham Syndrome, season 7 sees an entire cast turnover as the show is retool for Harmoney to become the main character and former main characters Ryhme, T.K., Ellie, Rooney, Astrid and Wes are Demoted to Extra.
Chicken Girls Seasons 1-6 provides examples of:
- Ascended Extra: The character of Effie from Spring Breakaway joined the show in Season 4.
- Luna's role in the show has increased over each season
- In season 1 Monica was a background character on Power Surge by Season 2 she is a central character in that seasons conflict (her family losing the arcade) and then completely disappears in season 3
- Ambiguously Bi: Rooney, between her relationships with boys and seeming interest in Stephanie. Canon bi at the end of Season 4.
- Childhood Friend Romance: Rhyme and T.K. attempt one. It doesn't work out
- Closet Key: Stephanie to Rooney.
- Coming-Out Story: Rooney in Season 5
- Continuity Snarl: Season 4 confirms that Rooney and Birdie are Sophomores and Tim a Junior despite all three attending middle school at the same time as the chicken girls.
- The Bus Came Back: T.K returns for Season 6 after being absent for season 4 and 5.
- Dude Magnet: Rhyme. She has dated T.K, Tim Sharpe, Drake, Ezra Grant and Wes, and Robbie and Jesse had crushes on her.
- Ellie having attracted the attention of Robbie, Carlos, Henry, Miles and Davis.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: Season 1 and 2 are centered around the dance team this is completely dropped by season 4.
- Growing Up Sucks: A plot point in season 1 as both Rhyme and Quinn feel like everyone else is growing up and leaving them behind.
- Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: In Season 3, each episode is named after a musical. (e.g. "Mamma Mia", "Little Shop of Horrors", "Wicked" and "Bye Bye Birdie")
- Love Triangle: At least once every season
- Season 1, Rhyme and TK are childhood best friends with crushes on each other, but Rhyme starts dating Tim Sharp.
- Also season 1, The Love Dodecahedron variant in Ellie likes Henry but he still likes his ex Rooney, but Rooney had moved on to Hamilton.
- In Season 4, Rhyme persuades a new relationship with Ezra but still has feeling for T.K
- Season 5, Astrid and Rhyme both have crushes on Wes.
- T.K return in season 6 puts a strain on Rhyme relationship with Wes becomes a Love Dodecahedron when T.K's girlfriend Sadies arrives in Attaway.
- New Friend Envy: Quinn is jealous of Ellie's new friend Kayla and sees her as proof that the chicken girls are growing apart. It's hinted that Rhyme feels the same way after Kayla gets the third spot on the dance team instead of her, becomes an Aborted Arc after Rhyme replaces Rooney on the team.
- Put on the Bus:
- T.K moves to Texas during season 3
- Kayla transfers to Crown Lake during season 4.
- Ace moves to L.A during season 4
- Hamilton also moved to L.A between season 4-5
- Shipper on Deck: Everyone is rooting for Rhyme and T.K to get together
- Smitten Teenage Girl: Ellie with all her love interest.
- Weight Woe: In season 6 Quinn develops an eating disorder after not making it on the cheerleading team
- Wise Beyond Their Years: Despite being younger then the main characters Harmony is always giving advice.
Chicken Girls seasons 7 onward provide examples of:
- Artistic License – Child Labor Laws: In season 8 The Chicken Girls get summer jobs despite being 12-13 and thus to young to work.
- Coming-Out Story: Leyla in season 7
- Forgot About His Powers: When Harmony joins the school play in season 7 everyone acts like acting is this new thing for her. Forgetting that she was previously a successful child star, having stated in the Show Within a Show Hotel du Loone.
- I Just Want to Have Friends: Harmony's main storyline in season 7. After drifting apart from her childhood friends Brittany and Katie, Harmony struggles to make new friends.
- Imaginary Love Triangle: During season 7 Poppy likes Walker but he only has eyes for Harmony. taken to an extreme after she finds out about Walker and Harmony's kiss, accusing Harmony of kissing her boyfriend.
- Also in the same season Simone and Leyla are in a relationship when new student Emerson develops feelings for Leyla. Despite Leyla turning them down, Simone struggles to trust Leyla.
- Incompatible Orientation: in season 7 both Jordan and Walker have crushes on Leyla but she's a lesbian.
- Last-Name Basis: Walker is rarely referred to by his first name Darnell
- Love Dodecahedron: In season 7 Bel/Claire/Eggy begins as a Love Triangle with both Claire and Bel having crushing on Eggy and dating him at different points in the season. It evolves into a Love Dodecahedron mid-way through the season when P.K starts to have feelings for Claire. At the end of the season Eggy starts dating Simone
- The above example gets even more complicated in Season 8. Eggy is dating Simone but still has lingering feelings for Claire. P.K and Gus are also in love with Claire, and Simone develops feelings for Layla.
- New Friend Envy: In season 7 Harmoney feels this way towards Bel. It's not helped by Bel being increasing antagonist towards her, and Katie and Brittany openly choosing to be friends with Bel over Harmony.
- Shipper on Deck: Deconstructed in season 7. Eggy and Bel's parents have been shipping them together since birth, going as far to name them Edward and Isabella. It's heavily implied that neither of them has any romantic feelings towards each other and are only dating as it's what is expected of them.
