Victorious is the fifth series created by
Dan Schneider for Nickelodeon, after
The Amanda Show,
Drake & Josh,
Zoey 101, and
iCarly. Schneider first met Victoria 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." Near the end of
Zoey 101s run, Justice was summoned to meet with Schneider about a potential series starring her.
Victorious is the first series on Nickelodeon to premiere in the 2010s decade.
Big Time Rushs first episode premiered two months earlier, but its original pilot premiered in 2009. 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 a series concerning fame. Marjorie 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 has become a successful series for Nickelodeon. 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."
Jerry Trainor,
Perez Hilton,
Josh Peck,
Kesha,
Nathan Kress,
Drake Bell,
Miranda Sings, and
Jennette McCurdy have appeared on the series in
cameos or as
guest stars. Season 1 of
Victorious began filming on October 5, 2009, and ended on April 14, 2010, with 20 episodes produced. Season 2 began filming October 4, 2010, and finished filming on February 23, 2011. In August 2011, Victoria Justice confirmed that she was returning to the Victorious set, as Season 3 began filming on October 3, 2011. During the TV special
7 Secrets with Victoria Justice, Justice explained the weekly schedule the cast and crew operate on: scripts are issued to them on Sunday nights, the cast has table reads on Mondays and Tuesdays, then the episode is shot on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and on Saturday, they watch a premiering of their show that is newly released to the public then. Victoria Justice told
M Magazine in August 2012 that "We will not be expecting a fourth season, this is the first time I've talked about it. I just found out a couple of days ago that we're not coming back. It's sad because I've been with Nickelodeon since I was 12 years old and I became a family with my
Victorious cast. We spent a lot of time together and bonded for sure – I'll look back on the experience very fondly. It's a little shocking and a little bittersweet, but at the end of the day it might not be such a bad thing – we all want to do our own thing and continue to grow." The third season was split into two, thus making four seasons in total. The series ended without a proper finale, a fact referenced in an episode of the series' spin-off,
Sam & Cat, when the title characters' favorite show is cancelled and Cat asks, "What kind of network cancels a show without giving it a proper finale?"
Casting Several of the actors on
Victorious had either appeared in other Nickelodeon programs or
Broadway musicals prior to
Victorious premiere. In addition to
Zoey 101, Victoria Justice appeared on
iCarly in "iFight Shelby Marx" as Shelby Marx, as well as
True Jackson, VP,
The Naked Brothers Band, and
The Troop. She also co-starred with Avan Jogia, who portrays Beck, in the Nickelodeon television film
Spectacular! Daniella Monet has guest starred as Rebecca Martin in three episodes of
Zoey 101, Tootie in the Nickelodeon television film
A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner!, the
Supah Ninjas Season 1 episode "Morningstar Academy" as one of the main antagonists named Clarissa, and in
Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred (in lieu of
Jennette McCurdy) as Bertha. Leon Thomas III had not only guest starred in an episode of
iCarly as Harper and also in
The Naked Brothers Band but he had also previously appeared in musicals such as
The Lion King,
The Color Purple, and
Caroline, or Change, and in the film
August Rush. Elizabeth Gillies and Ariana Grande had co-starred in the musical
13.
Sets Victorious was filmed at
Nickelodeon on Sunset on
Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. 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."
Victorious is set primarily at Hollywood Arts, however the front of Hollywood Arts High School are digitally altered photos of
Burbank High School. The lunch area of Hollywood Arts depicts the back area of
Nickelodeon on Sunset, with a parking lot next to the back area. 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/crib-furniture items." The series also has a BLIX machine from
Zoey 101. ==Reception==