Series Well That Sucked
I won't say that this is the worst show that Nickelodeon has ever put on, because nothing can top How To Rock in terms of blandness and unoriginality. However, this one is certainly down there. The characters are caricatures and stereotypes, the actors are mediocre at best, and the plots are typically predictable. While there is the occasional funny line or scene, most of the jokes fell flat for me as well.
But what I really want to discuss is the influence that something like this might have on kids. That's a touchy subject, but this show has so many "funny" moments made out of tragic situations that it becomes indisputably a bad influence. Take, for instance, Sam's treatment of Freddy. She bullies him all the time. Not only does she torment him on a regular basis, but she also goes as far as to play dangerous practical jokes, destroy his property, and even physically harm him. Yet this is presented as okay. Every once in a while, Freddy shows signs of being fed up, but at the end of the episode, all is forgiven, when in fact Freddy should be getting as far away from her as possible and calling the authorities on her. Hell, towards the end, they even go out with each other! I suspect that most kids will know better than to take this seriously, but it's no doubt triggering for kids who have been the victim of actual bullying, and there will always be a few who think that it's normal if someone bullies them, or even if they bully someone.
There are a lot of other situations like that on the show. I don't have enough words to go through all of them in the kind of detail, but here's a list of some of the bad situations that iCarly makes light of:
- Juvenile delinquency (Sam)
- A dangerously protective mother, probably with untreated OCD (Freddy's mom)
- Child neglect, and possible abuse (Sam's mom)
- Putting embarrassing videos of people online without their consent, some of which could seriously hurt the social lives of that person (Pretty much every time Carly and Sam film someone without their knowing)
- Dislike of someone based on looks (Lewbert is a bit mean, but really, there's no reason to hate him other than the fact that he's ugly)
There are more, but that's all I have time for. A little stretching of boundaries would be fine (see Animorphs), but this...
Series What really got me into live-action TV shows as a kid
Yeah, screw the negativity. I loved this show. The characters were likable, the humor was pretty damn good for a kid's show and the plots actually had me interested. Even most of the antagonists were so over the top, it's hard not to laugh at.
It's a shame Dan never hit this level of quality again (And no, Drake and Josh was not good to me)
Series iCarly
This is, in my opinion, the second worst show that the once-great Nickelodeon has come out with this century. And I'm a little shocked that I happen to be in the minority (of teens, kids, and even other adults) who think this. I mean, the premise is a neat idea, but it's execution is totally botched. I guess it was supposed to be like a 21st century version of SNL's "Wayne's World," but this falls totally flat.
To start, none of the characters get a laugh out of me. Carly isn't interesting or funny, her brother is a moron (and not a funny one), Sam is an annoying jerk (and her "funny" lines are just painful), and while to Freddie's credit, he is most likely the most tolerable out of the main characters, he has Carly's same problem of overall blandness.
As with many shows of this nature, Carly and Spencer, despite their parents being nowhere in sight, and neither of them having a day job, they seem to live in a relatively nice apartment. As for the other two? Well, we get hints that Sam has no father and that her mother is a deadbeat of some sort, and Freddie also has no father, and his mother is a smothering hypochondriac. Heh heh, unhappy homes are funny....
The jokes are just horrible, and the laugh track that seems to be begging viewers to laugh along with it is just obnoxious.
Bottom line: I think this show is awful. I may be in the minority, but I'm fine with that.
Series No.
It had potential.
A group of enterprising children who are trying to make a web - show.
They botched it.
Nickelodion has jumped the shark long ago, and it comes to no surprise to me that this show is one of the worst. But why do so many people like it? I'm surrounded at school by people who think it's funny, but it just isn't. If this is a web show, then why is it broadcast on cable TV? You don't see things like Marble Hornets or Fred on TV, so why this? The characters are acted badly and are at the pinnical of unlikeability. The head producer of the "Web Show" is regularly abused by the others, and the departure from the medium that was set down from the start is abandoned and forgotten. Carly and Sam are insipid and trivial characters and are just plain annoying. The "funny lines" are painful my ears feel like they will bleed every time I hear one. The episode plots are far - fetched and are not resolved intelligently, but in an equally far - fetched way. Watch something worthwhile, please, and save your brain cells.
Series Not Too Great, Not Too Bad
To be honest, I only watch this show if there's nothing else too good on. However, this isn't because I consider the series bad; there are just others I'd prefer to watch, and I never really got into shows like this.
From what I've seen, the quality of the series has grown a bit from its first season. It started off pretty awkward, with childish jokes and childish characters. In essence, it was a kid's show. I mean, there was one episode that focused on Carly possibly leaving. And it was, what, the 3rd episode? Right, the main character for whom the series is named is gonna leave. Kid's stuff, like I said.
However, the subsequent seasons are a bit more "grown up" than the first (as the Radar page may attest). The jokes get a little better, and some can elicit a laugh or two. It's something I've noticed with other shows by this guy: the first few episodes are yawn-worthy, but then they become less childish as it goes on and turn into something you can actually laugh at a bit.
In short, it's not something I can see adults enjoying by a long shot; however, it can be pretty entertaining for kids and maybe even older teens. There are other better sitcoms, but there are also much, much worse.
Series It is pretty bad.
This is, in my opinion, a show that not only fails to entertain, and there are shows like that that I'll watch for the snark bait, but this one is just unpleasent. The premise bairly makes sense simply because iCarly somehow gives the characters fame most people could only hope to gain by appearing in Harry Porter or Doctor Who. A Troper is the first person to tell you that's not gonna happen. The characters in question are either bland or unpleasent. That's really one word I could use to describe the whole show: unpleasent. Carlys bland and, to me, comes across as a smug little pseudo hipster, Freddies a bland lump that serves only to be shat upon and laughed at, and I could write a college thesis on why Sam is a horrible character. Please, just avoid this show. It's like a migraine personified.
Series Since No One Else Has Anything Good To Say...
I think iCarly is kinda decent. It might just be because I stopped watching Tv for a year, so I haven't gotten bored of it, but I actually like the jokes, especially when Spencer's involved. Stuff randomly bursting into flames doesn't get old for me. The cruelty of some jokes does bug me, but there seems to be some of that on other popular shows, like Wizards of Waverly Place. Overall, I'd give it three and a half stars out of five.
Series A live action cartoon.
It only takes a small peek at the DMOS page to see that iCarly is a polarizing series. Much of the humor comes from a screwball cast of characters unrealistically insane characters, rich with Comedic Sociopathy. Even the most mundane dialog is quirky to the point that if a real person spoke that way you would wonder what's wrong with them. Much of the "humor" of the show derives from how unreasonably off-kilter the people around Carly and friends are, to the point that it's more face-palming than funny.
The titular web-show in particular is little more than the two girls shouting obnoxiously at the camera, and yet people (in universe or not) find this funny and entertaining somehow. It helps that the show uses a constant Laugh Track for even the stupidest bits of dialog. The fact that this show is Nickelodeon's second most adored and over-aired show only makes things more grating.
Karma Houdini is another trope that this series lives on, the Base Breaker Sam being a particular offender. They make little excuse to justify her behavior other than her mom's a neglectful waste of a human being. If she was abusive to her child it would make more sense, but mostly it's just "She sleeps till noon. She wore a bikini around the house." Even Freddy, the Only Sane Man makes no attempt to suggest that there's something mentally wrong with this girl, and simply justifies her as being "Naturally vicious", as if it's just part of who she is. One episode even had her go so far as to make a sweatshop full of little kids, giving them only dog food to eat, with no comeuppance what-so-ever.
Then there's our starring protagonist Carly Shay. When the show began Carly assumed the role of the peacemaker, trying to keep her two best friends from killing each other. As the series entered it's second season, much of this began to shed away in favor of Carly being a total spaz, flying off the handle at the slightest provocation, whining and screaming over whatever problem the characters face. She's also known to be a gigantic enabler, often ignoring Sam's abuse toward Freddy, or giving her a silly scolding. "Sam stop licking technology."
If shows like iCarly and it's clone Victorious are what the future of Nickelodeon has in store (besides more Spongebob ten times a day), it's looking like the entire network is past it's prime.
Series iCarly review
I just think this show is boring. It's funny sometimes, but I think the show is getting old, personally. I think there is too much suspension of disbelief to do to make the show watchable. Where are they getting all the equipment to run a show? Why is their show considered so funny when the skits are so lame?
Series Not a genius show by any means but somewhat better than you'd think
Keep in mind I stopped watching the series after Season 2/the only episode I saw on pirate websites prior to watching every episode on CBS All Access was the finale. I don't think this show is as bad or meanspirited as people make it out to be. Have you seen Drake and Josh? It's literally the same thing but it's beloved memed and a cult classic and when iCarly does the exact same humor all of a sudden it's unacceptable k. Anyways onto my review Pros: The show's Black Comedy does get a giggle out of me, (I have high tolerance for Karma Houdini and Kafka Comedy shows where everyone's a complete asshole Always Sunny/Code Monkeys/Dan Vs. are probably to blame) Carly is a pretty likable main character much better than what Megan was, it's the perfect put it on when you got nothing better to watch show, when the show focuses on the characters and their sitcommy nonsense over the webshow it's I'm not gonna lie pretty enjoyable, they found a way to make the usual obnoxious dumb dad character (Spencer) genuinely tolerable/likable something that most kids shows tend to eff up, Nevilles a great villain and everytime he shows up after his premiere its already one of the best episodes of the show, the convention episode satirizing the love triangle fandom drama was incredible Cons: Let's be real the webshow portion fucking sucks it was funny when I was a kid now it's like Nostalgia Critic makes funnier skits in comparison and I would prefer it if they were cut down significantly especially since they don't have to do that in the 2021 revival, the quality of the show nosedives by the 4th Season and thats the point where the meanspiritedness stops being funny and just becomes cruel, Sam is a cunt nuff said, that goddamn love triangle multi-episode arc between Carly Sam and Freddie is one of the most unbearable television arcs I've ever sat through to the point I had to play Duke Nukem Forever on my computer to even sit through it because I guess bad counteracts bad? (no I don't want any of them to hook up they're all kinda awful for each other) Anyways do I think iCarly is shit? No you can do worse but you can also do so much better. It's honestly so surprising such an aggressively okay show even got the greenlight for a revival compared to it's better brother Drake and Josh let alone sparked this much vitriol and divisiveness. 5.5/10