Victorious

{{#if: {{{executive|{{{coexecutive|{{{supervising|{{{consulting|}}}}}}}}}}}}| ! style="font-size: 100%; background: #9966CC; text-align: center; color:;" colspan="2" {{!}}Production {{!}}- {{#if: {{{Original channel| - }}} | ! Original channel {{!}} Nickelodeon {{!}}- }} {{#if: {{{Original run| - }}} | ! Picture format {{!}} 480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) {{!}}- }} {{#if: {{{Original run| - }}} | ! Audio format {{!}} Stereo {{!}}- }} {{#if:{{{Status| - }}} | ! Original run {{!}} March 27, 2010 – present {{!}}- }}- {{#if:{{{Production company| - }}} | ! Status {{!}} Currently airing season 2 (renewed for a third season) Victorious (stylized as 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 called Hollywood Arts, while getting into screwball situations on a daily basis. Filming of season 1 began on October 5, 2009 and ended on April 14, 2010 with 20 episodes produced. The series premiered on March 27, 2010.
 * }

On June 29, 2010 Victorious was renewed for a second season. Filming began on October 25, 2010 and ended on February 23, 2011.

Synopsis
The storylines follow Victoria "Tori" Vega (Victoria Justice) who is accepted into the fictional Hollywood Arts High School, after taking her bratty sister Trina's (Daniella Monet) place in a showcase. The storyline follows as she finds her place within Hollywood Arts High, while finding friends to help her along the way. Other students at the school include Andre Harris (Leon Thomas III) a musically talented young man who quickly becomes her best friend, Robbie Shapiro (Matt Bennett) a ventriloquist who carries around his puppet Rex (who is spoken to as a normal person), Jade West (Elizabeth Gillies) a girl who has a love-hate relationship with Tori, Cat Valentine (Ariana Grande) a sweet but naive actress, and Beck Oliver (Avan Jogia) Jade's boyfriend.

iCarly & Victorious Crossover
The creator of iCarly and Victorious Dan Schneider announced a crossover of the two sitcom shows and the episode "iParty With Victorious." It aired June 11, 2011. It was counted as an iCarly episode, not a Victorious episode.

Production
Victorious is the fifth series created by Dan Schneider for Nickelodeon, following The Amanda Show, 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, look, and amusingly large flairing nostrils, 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&mdash;and I'm not saying this is good or bad&mdash;it's that they all want to be stars," said Schneider. 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 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.

Perez Hilton, Kesha, and Josh Peck made special guest appearances on the show.

The second season of Victorious finished filming on February 23, 2011.

Casting
Several of the actors on Victorious had either appeared in Nickelodeon programs or Broadway musicals prior to Victorious's premiere. In addition to Zoey 101, Justice appeared on television series iCarly, as well as True Jackson VP, The Naked Brothers Band and The Troop. She also co-starred with Jogia, who plays Tajid, on the Nickelodeon television movie Spectacular!. Monet guest starred in three episodes of Zoey 101. Thomas not only guest starred in a episode of iCarly but had previously appeared in musicals such as runs of The Color Purple and Caroline, or Change and in the movie August Rush. Gillies and Grande had co-starred in the musical 13. Of the seven main castmembers, Grande is the only one with no on-screen experience whatsoever prior to her role in the series.

Sets
The series is filmed at Nickelodeon Studios on Sunset Boulevard 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 Hollywood High School, which is located in the parking lot of Nickelodeon Studios. 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 show also has a BLIX machine from Zoey 101.

Critical reception
The series as a whole earned generally mixed reviews. Variety magazine reviewer Brian Lowry wrote, "Victorious has been cobbled together with the wooden-headed market in mind." David Hinkley of the New York Daily News says the series' format is nearly identical to iCarly's and hopes that the series will develop a "more distinctive personality" over the course of the season. Roger Catlin of the Hartford Courant describes Victorious as "harmless but hardly entertaining". Mark A. Perigard of the Boston Herald titled his review "Victorious is a big loser" and writes, "The bulk of the cast mugs for the cameras, probably to compensate for a script that could have been commissioned from fifth-graders." Linda Stasi of the New York Post was mixed; she agreed that the episode contained over-acting performers, "corny" dialogue and a "terribly, terribly loud laugh track", but believed it was "a 'surefire tween hit".

However, reviewers were positive about Justice's performance and suggested that series' potential hinged on her. Hinkley comments, "At this point, Justice is better at singing than acting, and the show doesn't flow as smoothly as iCarly," but Justice "has the personality and talent" needed for a shot at being "the Next Big Teen Thing". Perigard describes her as "undeniably appealing" and Lowry states, "Justice is winsome and talented enough to provide the latest show a leg up in connecting with tween girls."

Viewership
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. Victorious's second episode was advertised as the series' official premiere and drew a low 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 7.1 million Total viewers for its "premiere" in January 2010.

On April 2, 2011, the season 2 premiere episode "Beggin' On Your Knees" became the most watched episode of the series to date, with 6.1 million total viewers.

Merchandise
In Fall 2011, Hasbro will release dolls and toys based on the show.

Music
Make It Shine is the series' theme song. The song also serves as the lead single from the soundtrack to the series. "Make It Shine" is the first song to be released by Victoria Justice. It has become her first charting single by Columbia Records, peaking at number 16 on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart in the US.

Victorious features approximately one song every three episodes. The songs that have been featured in Victorious are listed below. Victoria Justice told "7 Secrets with Victoria Justice" that she is currently working on music for her solo album. Parts of songs have also been sung in a few episodes of Victorious.

TeenNick
First ran on TeenNick from April 12, 2010 -April 25, 2010 Victorious then returned on May 9, 2011 and is now airing on weeknights on TeenNick.

DVD Release
Season 1, Volume 1 will be released on DVD in the U.S. on July 5, 2011. A 2-disc set featuring the first 10 episodes (in full screen) plus bonus features including 2 music videos for "Freak the Freak Out" and "Beggin' on Your Knees", plus behind-the-scenes features with the cast.