We're in the time of reboots, revivals, and spinoffs, and the return of iCarly is one of those that has been getting plenty of love from fans. Star Miranda Cosgrove is now opening up about why she finally said yes to bringing Carly Shay back, ten years after the finale despite some early misgivings about the idea.
Following Paramount+'s launch in new territories, the former Nickelodeon star spoke to Variety all about iCarly. With the original show ending in 2012, Miranda Cosgrove discussed how long ago she and her co-stars were initially asked about coming back and what made them decide to finally say “yes.” She said:
To be perfectly honest, when I was first asked about maybe coming back, all the first talks about it started a couple years ago. And I was like, ‘No, we’re never gonna do that.’ And I called Jerry [Trainor] and Nathan [Kress] and they were like, ‘No we shouldn’t do that.’ And then we just kept talking about it. And we came up with the idea that because we’re adults now, and all the people that originally watched the show, they were kids that grew up and are adults now like us, we were like, ‘Why don’t we make the show for them?’ They’re the people that loved the show originally and they’re really who this is for.
The new iCarly being aimed at adults is definitely one of the reasons why it's doing so well. Those kids who grew up watching the original series on Nickelodeon are in their 20s and 30s, so having the characters grow up and going through situations that are typical for adults – such as drinking, sex, relationships, and the like – is so great.
Miranda Cosgrove continued to praise the direction that the show was taken in. With the show exploring more adult situations for the characters, actors, and fans, the revival is a fresh take on a familiar premise that had plenty of viewers back in its day. She elaborated on how creating the show for the grown-up Nickelodeon fans inspired them, saying:
So that really gave us a lot of direction after we realized that we were all on board and wanted to do that. And it started to get really fun after that, because then we started coming up with ideas and we were like, we can do things [based on] the stuff that happens to us in real life and the things we’re going through as adults. So this new version of it is really about people in their late 20s, navigating life and figuring out what to do.
As a fan of iCarly since the very beginning when I was 10, now in my mid-20s and watching the new series, there is such a great mix between adult storylines and the every now and then cheesy moments that make you nostalgic for the early 2000s. In fact, the success of iCarly makes me wonder what could have been if another early 2000s show had gotten the intended reboot treatment.
While not Nickelodeon, fans of the popular early 2000s Disney Channel series Lizzie McGuire nearly got a revival themselves. The show would have followed Hilary Duff's titular character in the Big Apple in her early 30s, navigating life and relationships. Unfortunately, due to creative differences, including Duff wanting to move the show to Hulu in order to have more grown-up themes, the series never saw the light of day. The show has since remained in limbo, but there is always hope it could come back. If iCarly can, why can't Lizzie?
There isn't any word on a third season of iCarly, but following the “Creddie” cliffhanger in the Season 2 finale earlier in June, it would be pretty harsh to leave it like that without any closure. But in the meantime, all six seasons of the original iCarly, as well as both seasons of the revival, are available to stream on Paramount+ with a subscription!
Be sure to also check out the best shows on Paramount+ so you can find your next series to binge, and take a look at our 2022 TV schedule for some more viewing options.
