Personal Thoughts
Wednesday 20 November 2013
The Success Of Some Things
Often you hear fans talk about something being better than another. From boy bands, to TV shows to movies even. It's become a lot more noticeable that these days, everything is compared to by just how successful something is. How many awards they got, or how well songs and albums do on the charts, how the ratings are for a show compared to another. But that doesn't always mean something is actually good. Number one, it's all opinion. And especially number two, it's quality over quantity. It's these two things that matter most about books, artists, shows, movies and art. What do you really love about something, what makes you absolutely love it, are there even little things about it that stand out to you that make you love it more. Going deep into anything you love and finding maybe even a lot of things to love about it could make you see it as having a ton of quality. And at the end of the day, it's not even about how many more qualities something has over another. I think what matters is if you like it. The success of some things depends if it succeeded for you, making you love it a lot. Safe Haven and A Walk to Remember didn't do so well at the box office, and they probably didn't win so many awards, but many people love them and they can be regarded as classic romantic movies, so in a way, they did succeed as movies in some way. Respect comes with success. And there's really different ways one thing or one person can be successful. They can either be loved so much that we toss our money out to them or they can be really underappreciated and leaving quite a few people questioning why something or someone doesn't get more praise for the work. And happiness can mean success. Chris Gardner wasn't pursuing money throughout the movie Will Smith did. It was called The Pursuit of Happyness. He became successful when he knew he and his son could now be really happy. So for people, that's what it comes down to: happiness. For books, music, TV, movies and art, it's all about whether or not you yourself really love the work. There's no facts that something really is better than another because if it could come as a fact, I'm sure people would rather live in the truth than in myth but people can find themselves loving something that everyone seems to either hate or hate something everyone else seems to love.
The Fame Concept And "Kid Shows": What's To Like About Them
When we look at shows for kids today, there is a lot of complaints about them.
Even if it's for sitcoms, some people seem to care about morals in these shows. There seems to be a demand for the characters, kids or adults, to be squeaky clean, to be perfect, goody little two shoes. As I've said before, there have been plenty of sitcoms over the decades that didn't focus on making their characters perfect and teaching us lessons in the style of a half hour PSA.
The other complaints would be the writing. To go with that, would have to be the complaint for the laugh track. The reason there can ever be a laugh for something is not just for a punchline during a conversation, it could even be how the actor delivers a line. I could just read quotes from a show and depending which show it is, when I read it in the characters' voices, it comes off a bit more funny. Try it yourself with a show you like. Also, I believe if you were making a show or a skit, you'd have a vision for how it'd all play out and it could come across as funny to you, but not everyone. As stated before, the live audience has also had their share of being annoying to the point where they could take away any realism in a sitcom. For example, during a conversation. As well, the audience can overreact to hearing any implications of sex having taken place or if there's any kissing. There are pros and cons for both live audiences and a recorded sound of the audience.
Other complaints are sometimes the acting. In possibly all of their defense, watch a movie made by your film class. Personally, a lot of the actors in kids show hardly seem like bad actors at all compared to anyone's acting I've ever seen in my film class (not that there aren't any good actors). Also, I find that almost every actor has their moment in a kids show where they do show they've got what it takes. With the exception of some actors who have proven even long before their show on Disney Channel or Nickelodeon was ever a hit. Like Jennette McCurdy (Law & Order, Strong Medicine, Judging Amy, MadTV, Zoey 101, Malcolm In the Middle, Close to Home) and Miranda Cosgrove (The Wild Stallion, Drake & Josh, Yours Mine Ours) for example.
And finally the fame concept. There's often complaints for Hannah Montana, Sonny With A Chance, the Big Time Rush show, and possibly even Shake It Up, about how because of the fame concept, all they're basically watching is a bunch of fluff. But this is where I think you're wrong.
The fame concept that exists in these Disney Channel and Nickelodeon shows actually send a unique message to kids, even if it's not on purpose. Especially with Hannah Montana, we see Miley's character overtime be almost hard to watch because of her character's personality. For me, that really turned me off and it was hard to keep watching the show in its original run. For iCarly, people complain about Carly, thinking she's a brat when it comes to her and Spencer. And whatever complaints anyone has about these characters, as well as the main stars of Sonny, Shake It Up, etc. It just goes to show kids one thing: No matter how popular someone is, they're just like you and me. You can apply that to the popular crowd back in high school. You might consider that you pale in comparison to that popular girl, the person who's got it all. But shows like these show kids, who may even be insecure, that when someone popular is out of the spotlight and in the comfort of their own home, that's when all the makeup comes off. When they're free to do and say whatever they want without tarnishing their image, they are not above you. And you see that with Miley in Hannah Montana. You see that with Carly in iCarly. Becoming a web celeb, may give her the reputation of being a really sweet girl to everyone anywhere else, but we see for ourselves that Carly does have flaws. She can make mistakes, she doesn't always make the best choices or say the right things, but that's what being human is about. You're not always going to be this super sweet person. At some point, you're going to have to show you have a backbone which might make people think you're suddenly bad. You can't please everyone and the moment people realize that, the moment people can let go of how these characters are. They're not made to raise children for parents, they're written to be really flawed just as kids are at that age. And if shows like these make kids and teens want to follow their dreams and even make it big, these shows are actually pretty revolutionary for our generation than for any other generation before us. It's a good quality about our generation; to dream big and do what you love. At least these shows have helped kids find a passion for something in this world.
Now for any shows for kids. Have you ever found anything about them that you find is good, or something that makes a show good or even better than you thought? Have you ever gotten deep into a show and found something about it to enjoy? I can tell you some things I love about Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, iCarly, Victorious and even Sam & Cat that I really love about it.
A few things I've learned from all these shows: guys are either like Drake or Josh; always be honest; never cheat to get your way; never give up on something you love or work very hard on; girls can do things just as well as guys; cool people don't say they're cool; don't let relationships get in the way of enjoying a show; there are people who'll like you for who you are and there are people who'll like you for how you look; that being a grown up doesn't mean you have to stop being silly, creative and fun; value the friends you actually have and not the many friends you try to make up online based on followers or how many friends you got on your profile; you don't have to be afraid to put your dream in action; and to not be afraid of the choices you make as a performer.
What I love about these shows is that they all exist together in one big universe. They're all connected in some way. We've realized these worlds co-exist together thanks to iCarly and Victorious. We've seen characters from Drake & Josh and Zoey 101 in iCarly, they've even been in the Victorious world, iCarly has even crossed over with Victorious before and with Sam & Cat, two worlds collide.
There are many different, interesting, unique and really cool places and items that have never been in our universe before, but people have wished for these things. Dan Schneider has made school more interesting such as PCA in Zoey 101, and fun like Hollywood Arts - although it's still regarded as being like a high school. Whether it's because of the characters and how they are different from regular teens, or it's because of the environment. I believe it's the environment that makes these schools look like a place people would love to go. And then you have items like Pear Phones, which people have said they'd love to have! And the Jet-X, Sam's remote, Spencer sculptures like the bottled robot, food like d-urgers (hot dogs and burgers mixed), spaghetti tacos, having food on sticks, spicy tuna balls, and places like the Premiere Theater, Sushi Rox, The Groovy Smoothie, Karaoke Dokie and Nozu. It just makes their little world is brighter and cooler. The music and the score for his shows are also something I really love. Dan is like Josh Schwartz in a way, with The O.C. for example. Both play music that fans have never heard of and they become songs fans are familiar with because of a show like Imogen Heap for Schwartz, and Backhouse Mike for Schneider. And the theme songs are very memorable as well, and thankfully they're 30 seconds to a minute long.
I love when sometimes, with these shows, Dan will use them to send out a message on stuff he believes or thinks. He's had a message for fans about fan wars and to not let relationships in a sitcom ruin a show for you (iStart A Fan War), has thanked the fans for all the years of being sort of together with them (iGoodbye), a humorous message about girls crushing over actors who have played vampires (iPity the Nevel), how adults treat kids (iPilot), fame itself (Tori Goes Platinum), not caring so much about how many followers or friends you have online (The Slap Fight). He's basically sent out a message about our first world life which are actually unique messages for people.
One thing people complain about iCarly and Victorious, which is actually pointless, are that people can't believe Freddie Benson and Robbie Shapiro can still be alive after feeling rejected or picked on. But why? Not everyone who's a nerd decides to pick up a gun and kill everyone including themselves. Not everyone who's a nerd is going to pick up a blade and cut themselves. Not everyone who's a nerd is going to let themselves feel hopeless in this world and let someone get to them. And that's what Freddie and Robbie are. They've got a thicker skin and we actually see them develop a thick skin over time. Freddie eventually learns to not let Sam get to him. Robbie becomes more self confident that in later episodes we see him with Rex less and less. And think about this for a minute. In Dan's shows. A nerd is always with a girl in the end usually. The couples in Dan's shows fans love the most happen to be the ones with the nerd. Josh had Mindy, Chase had Zoey, Freddie had Sam and finally got a kiss from Carly that was genuine love for him this time and not because he saved her life. Robbie and Cat were growing closer and it's apparently still happening at some point in the spin-off Sam & Cat. These show that nerds can be loved and these shows do show that the nerds do make it through and live happy lives by the end of the show. This is something that's really overlooked and it's something that people have to be aware of.
And I know some people don't understand Sam and Freddie as a couple. Especially when she suddenly kissed him in iOMG. But here's something I've noticed. After iKiss, we do see Sam and Freddie getting along a lot better. And we've seen them together in the same room a lot since day one. The more time is spent between two people, it's possible relationships can happen. And it made a lot more sense than Josh and Mindy even. She might be a little more aggressive with him or insults him even more, but I think that was her way of denying that she might like Freddie, especially if she was afraid of getting hurt. She would rather just be friends with him, but I think her feelings kept growing so she'd keep hurting him somehow to keep denying to herself of any feelings she had. But when Freddie encouraged her to tell her true feelings, she suddenly dropped the act.
Another thing people like to complain about are that Sam and Jade are mean. They're not going around picking on whoever they feel like. But anyone who's wronged them in some way get to see their bad side. Anyone who annoys them, they will be open about it. They won't stay shut up and be sweet about it like Carly or Tori maybe. Jade isn't even really a bully and Sam does get better and better throughout the years.
But one other thing I notice most is that the characters Zoey from Zoey 101, Carly from iCarly and Tori from Victorious all get hated on. They're not as interesting to people as the sidekicks or the other main characters are but I don't think that's true. I think without these characters, these shows wouldn't be as appealing to some people. Some people might complain that there wouldn't be any "morals" in these shows if Zoey, Carly and Tori didn't exist.
Tori Vega is nice, but she's not too nice that she'd let someone walk all over her. And she could be a lot like somebody we know who's discovered something amazing about themselves, something that makes them realize they do have potential to make it somewhere in life, like she did in the first episode. Starting with the first season, she becomes more well known to directors and producers and to the public at Karaoke Dokie by other names like Louise Nordoff and Crystal Waters. But after that, she gets to be in parades and does auditions and become a stunt double as herself. In The Breakfast Bunch we learn that she wants to be a popstar and then by Tori Goes Platinum, she really gets to make it shine - on national television. At first she didn't know if she had what it takes and far into the show we see as well as herself she can really do it. And even though the show was cancelled at a time where it was really popular on Nickelodeon, episodes like Brain Squeezers and The Bad Roommate made me wish we had seen Tori becomes really successful, be really victorious and make it shine.
Carly Shay I can agree is an interesting character as well. She's really nice, but as pointed out by Dan before after iDate A Bad Boy, she isn't perfect. She could be a bit popular in school because of the webshow but she's not perfect. She's turned off by a bad boy with Pee-Wee Babies, has asthma and she's claustrophobic. She's said and done things people might not agree with but she's a pretty nice character overall. And she's close with the people around her as we've seen in iMeet the First Lady and iGoodbye. Who can love Sam as much as she does? And she and Spencer have always had a beautiful brother-sister bond. And even though Freddie crushes on her, she doesn't push him away or keep him our of her sight. She handled him really well. And she's even shown she does love and care about Gibby as well. She only ever seems ungrateful in the Christmas episode but she learns her lesson. She doesn't come off as bratty or spoiled or selfish. And we can see she really does love her dad. Any episodes revolving around her dad show she really does love him. And even though, in especially iCarly, we see mainly the kids, it's just very Nickelodeon. As far as I know, they represent kid power.
Zoey Brooks I discovered to have a lot of hate as a character in Zoey 101 and I don't understand that at all. They find her too perfect and boring but there is something to love about her. Zoey is popular at PCA but she wasn't a mean girl. In Zoey 101, popularity was shown in a better way. For once, we saw a girl who was smart, makes good grades and plays sports become popular at school. She got along with students and teachers and was still very much respected at the school. She even made a difference at PCA. Girls can play basketball with the boys even when it was just a boys basketball team. She really showed that anything boys can do, girls can do just as well and even better. I think she's really unique as a character! It's not everyday you see a popular girl whose personality is actually good.
Sure there were characters that were more popular like Drake, Megan, Sam, Jade, Lola, Logan, Quinn, but that doesn't mean the main characters, the stars of the show aren't any good. Same with Josh Nichols. He can really be sympathized what with Drake always overshadowing him and he's got many nice qualities as a person. I honestly hope from reading this, people will appreciate these characters a little more because all of these characters are written special in their own way and that's a lot like life whether we notice it or not. We're all special, cool and funny in our own way, whether a lot of people notice it or not.
The thing about comedy, I've noticed since the 50's, there have been shows that have been there to simply make you laugh, to provide you with some entertainment, something that gets you wanting to see what's new with the characters in any episode after school or work or after a bad day, nothing too serious and overdramatic. And I love that Drake & Josh and Zoey 101 were one of those shows for people growing up in the 2000's. Even iCarly, Victorious and Sam & Cat are a lot like that for people now. For me, when I would watch iCarly, I found the original four main characters to be a lot like me split into four different people. I found me and Carly were really nice people, I had my mama issues like Sam and her mama, was a bit of a geek like Freddie and even an artist like Spencer.
In iCarly, you don't see the characters having a really hectic life like on other shows for kids that have the fame concept. They go through life the way internet celebrities have. They live without the press being behind them 24/7, they don't have to live a double life or need to think before they act because it damages their celebrity status. They just live their lives normally, as they would. Just like any other sitcom.
At the beginning of the show, all the characters would've never really hung out altogether but by iRescue Carly, we see them all hanging out, watching a movie together, and I just like that. The characters honestly change so much throughout the series. Freddie becomes more confident, doesn't let Sam get to him, and he's not as obsessed with being with Carly as he originally was. He's no longer weak, shy with low self-esteem. Gibby went from the shirtless, shy weirdo to a confident, still-weird kid. The characters are a lot better off than they were before the webshow.
Friendships and even relationships form and some mend even. Some bonds grow because of the webshow existing. Without it, Freddie would still be letting Sam get to him and the time they spent together wouldn't have gotten them to get along more. They wouldn't have ended up dating and they wouldn't have broken up and suggested that either one becomes more normal or abnormal. Gibby would've never gotten on a date without the web show, and then have the confidence to be his weird self no matter what. And if iCarly didn't exist, then Nora Dershlitt would never become an obsessed fan who kidnapped Carly, Sam and Freddie and Gibby would've never had to save them and then get their respect and the fans' respect much more.
iCarly deserves more credit than it ever got before and these are some of the reasons why.
Now for Victorious, while iCarly was not only about how a webshow was able to affect the people involved, but see the brighter side of every situation, Victorious was about the process and crazy journey to find fame and keep following your dreams. Unlike iCarly, it revolved more around fame, but it wasn't actually about famous people. Out of all the kid/teen sitcoms that revolved around fame, I found Victorious to be the most realistic. I find it odd that André, Tori and even Cat and Jade never got record deals and even though atleast twice Tori and André seemed to get a record deal and could make it big, it wasn't even close to happening. Victorious shows in a subtle way that it is really hard to become famous and to even land a good deal. The kids at Hollywood Arts always have to do more gigs and perform more to get anywhere in the entertainment industry and you know what? That's life! Even Victoria Justice and other stars give advice that you have to keep going and do gigs, perform in plays before you can make it anywhere. That's something I love about Victorious.
As for the characters, I've spoken about Tori and how her story progresses throughout the series. I've said she's nice but not to the point where people walk all over her. She also learns to stand up for herself. Especially with Jade. Tori has handled Jade best out of all the people she's been mean to, aside from Beck. When Jade was revealed to have faked an injury, rather than letting Jade get in trouble as she deserved, she took her punishment for her and later helps her and Beck get back together. And even these things make Jade respect Tori a lot more. Especially when Tori refuses to kiss Beck even though he and Jade are broken up again in season three. At this point, they become good friends, even if Jade doesn't want to admit it. Taking the high road and not letting people get you down are another good message on this show even if it's not in your face. Her friendship with Beck shows guys and girls can be good friends. Her and André's friendship shows a singer-songwriter friendship which isn't shown a lot on TV but it's a really good friendship! And we get to see how much Tori does love her family and she's written a nice song for Trina, and she's shown to spend some time with her mother and her parents are actually still married and a part of her life. I love that moment in The Bad Roommate when she got excited for family pot pie. It was a small little moment but I think it showed she really loves spending time with her family. Another thing I love about Tori is that people can understand where she's coming from. Many people have been there where an audience really likes something they do and they discover about themselves that they really have some talent. And I love how she becomes confident enough to stay at Hollywood Arts and shows Jade she has what it takes. And by her being so positive from this point on, she ends up performing at an awards show, she won Sikowitz's contest to stay in character for an entire sleepover, she learned to take risks and could've won a part for a movie, and she got praise as a singer as Louise Nordoff when she performed for in a public place for the first time. She brings a lot of positivity to the show and shows that being positive and following your dreams can bring you good things.
Trina may not be as talented as Tori is but what makes her a good character is that she's a lot like us. While some maybe talented like Tori and learn that they do have what it takes to be an artist or performer, Trina could be relatable to a lot of people that aren't talented or really want to be a star. Some people would love to go to Hollywood Arts and she is the only person with pretty much no talent who managed to go to Hollywood Arts. In a way, we wish we could be Trina. Another good trait she possesses is that she's really confident and not even Jade can bring her down. Another thing to love about Trina is she's made a lot of points about Hollywood that are true. These days, talent has nothing to do with being famous. Being scandalous, and doing crazy things to simply shock the crowd so they pay attention to you is how a lot of people these days are in the spotlight. Reality shows have become popular to people and they don't even have to show any sort of talent to be really famous or for their show to become really famous. And if they are dating someone like Kanye West or heartthrobs like Justin Bieber, they get more attention, as well as possibly their reality show. Another thing Trina says that sounds true is that a performer has to feel the part to be the part, and no one cares who wrote the song. Atleast not everyone does care. There have been really popular songs that weren't written by the singer but we love them anyway. I think we do still love artists when they write their own songs, as that makes us respect them even more.
André is such a nice, funny guy. I love that he's so into his music and takes his music very seriously that he wants to put his music out there and is such a great friend. It's interesting to wonder whatever happened to his parents since we only see him live with his grandma who is a really crazy, funny woman. But it's good to know his talents will get him somewhere in life and that he will be alright, parents or no parents.
Sinjin starts off weird, especially around girls, but he has a lot of self-confidence. He's jealous of Beck because of Jade but I love how in the last episode they become good friends. He gains our respect even more when he convinces everyone to not feel bad about how many followers they have on The Slap and that their real friends matter more. Many fans were surprised when this happened as they never expected Sinjin to ever talk like this. If the show kept going, he could've been really popular like Gibby was.
Robbie is quite a character with the songs he writes and plays and how weird he is. He's even weirder with Rex. But I love that over time he's shown with Rex less and it just shows he can live his life fine without Rex involved.
Cat is possibly the most popular character in all of Victorious. Ariana Grande brought something to the character that made her really lovable to fans. I love how Cat started off in the show. She had this energy which made her really likeable and at times she had ideas that made her come off smarter than she looks. It was a good combination. Mostly in the first half of the series. Her character took a change and became more like a kid but she's developing a little more now with her spin-off show.
What I love about Beck is that even though he's a really popular guy, it doesn't ever get to his head and he's really down to earth. He even made friends with Sinjin. A freaky, geeky guy hanging out with the coolest guy in school? That's really unexpected, but really cool! And he can really tolerate and handle Jade if she goes too far usually.
What I love about Jade is she's definitely no bully, just really crazy. She's shown even to Tori that she's really human. I love what she hates and the points she makes about them. Some of us didn't even realize the words moist and tissue are really hated words for girls.
Sikowitz is another good character along with Lane. I love seeing others interact with Lane and him giving any advice to them. And I love his strange love for lotion. In a school like Hollywood Arts, they certainly need counsellors like Lane. Sikowitz's classes are a treat every time. We always learn something like the ways of The Bird Scene; not be afraid of the choices you make for your performance. They are strange, different and unique every time. I love his alphabetical improvs and drive by acting exercises, and his competitions for who can stay in character, who can go a week without technology and social media, to be more open minded, how to show you're really scared and to take risks.
I love when the characters perform. When it's to one person, to a crowd of kids or parents, or to an entire audience on live television. When they danced, I loved the choreography! All the characters got to showcase their talent on this show and it's amazing that this was one of Nickelodeon's number one shows. And I love how with Victorious, Leon and Victoria got to perform some of their songs they wrote themselves, individually or "together" as Tori and André.
I love the sets. Nozu, Karaoke Dokie, Hollywood Arts, Tori's house. I loved when the characters all went to Tori's house and just hung out and played cards together or ate somewhere. The whole show, as well as the characters, were pretty colorful. Each one was so different from the other and yet they were all good friends.
Despite any flaws the show had, Victorious was a really good show indeed.
And finally, Sam & Cat, the number one live action Nick show and the first double spin-off in TV history. There are many things I love about this show.
Sam is especially the reason I love Sam & Cat. She grew so much in iCarly, especially in season 4 (iSam's Mom) and onward. Even in iOwe You, iKiss, iMake Sam Girlier, iTwins, and iWas A Pageant Girl she developed as a character. We'd either learn more about her character or she would grow more as a person. After iOwe You, she borrows money less from Carly and Freddie. In iKiss, she begins to respect Freddie more, promising to apologize when she really goes too far and considers him more of a friend. In iMake Sam Girlier, she wishes she wasn't who she was because everyone's comments on how cool she is for being bad makes her feel bad and her crush called her a dude. In iTwins and in iWas A Pageant Girl, we learn more about Sam's life. Having a twin of her own and having been in beauty pageants. I find iSam's Mom and iLove You to be the episodes where we definitely see Sam start to grow more as a character. But she's still seen as the Sam Puckett we know and loved in the beginning and even now in Sam & Cat (tough and sarcastic). Sam and her mom made up after a fight and they seemed to be having a better mother-daughter relationship than before, even if they were still a mess. When Sam and Freddie break up and he suggests that she be a little more normal, she seems she does take this more to heart, as she shows to do more good. She manages to stay out of trouble for days and gets rewarded for it as a surprise (iToe Fatcakes), she stands up for little kids she sees getting picked on (iBattle Chip and iRescue Carly), and even in Sam & Cat, Sam seems to take notes from her parole officer when she gets mad and Cat softens up her character a little when they babysit. And it was nice to see her as a bit of a hero towards the end of iCarly and in Sam & Cat, she becomes more of a leader as she knows what to do in just about any situation. At this point, she isn't really the girl who would bully someone and fight with them and then get arrested, but she's still the girl fans still love. Sam doesn't have to be all sweet, girly and perfect to be any sort of example for anyone. Even Jennette McCurdy says this. You can be tough, sarcastic, independent, make fun of a few people and still be a good character: GJ Haute Mamas interview Jennette McCurdy
Despite what anyone says about her voice, Cat does show she's a really sweet babysitter. And when she babysits, she's almost like a mother to them such as Goomer, Butler and Oscar. Ariana gets to shine more and have more comedic scenes so for any fan of hers, this is, of course, a treat.
And then you have Dice, who is a lot like Larry from Three's Company, much like how Cat is like Chrissy from the same show. Cameron Ocasio has given off a Larry vibe, except he's no ladies man (except maybe a little girls' man). He's a fun character and he also reminds me a little of a season one Freddie Benson.
Goomer is a lot like Sam and Cat combined. He's practically their love child; tough like and can take someone down like Sam, sweet and stupid like Cat (but it's alright).
Nona is a sweet old grandmother of Cat's. I wish there were more episodes centered around Nona since we haven't seen much of her and haven't gotten to know her much. We've had some Dice-centric episodes, some Sam and Cat-centric episodes, some Goomer-centric episodes, but never any episodes about Nona. She's a nice character and Maree Cheatham plays her really well.
Sometimes though, Cat's motherly nature isn't enough for kids when they babysit and it's really good when Sam is babysitting with her. Kids are more in control when there's a voice of authority, which Sam possesses and she shows it in #PeezyB. If you put Sam & Cat apart, if either one of them babysits on their own, it would be just like iSell Penny Tees. Cat would be like Carly and Freddie and how they treated kids, and kids would be very afraid of Sam and uncomfortable. Sam would be a tough babysitter, and Cat would be a really easy on them. Together, as Sophie says in #BabysitterWar, they make a really good team.
Many people think Cat is a lot like Carly, especially when it comes to being friends with Sam, and it makes little sense. They maybe nice, but they're both much different from each other. As a friend, Carly was a bit like a mother to Sam. She always wanted the best for Sam and wanted her to be happy, but she still acted her age and she and Sam would be such great best friends that they were like sisters. Cat is different from Carly. As she accepts Sam more for who she is, and isn't so focused on Sam being good and they connect a lot and have fun despite being polar opposites. She does soften Sam up enough to where Sam can be really sweet, whether she likes it or not. Though I do wonder what Sam's friendship with season one of Victorious's Cat would've been like. Carly and Cat are both best friends to Sam in their own way and they can both be appreciated as her best friends.
What I also love about the show is that it's sweet and funny. There are short, and sweet moments on the show. If it's just Cat and her Nona, there's a sweet scene. The scene where Sam and Cat sleep on the sofa bed together because Cat doesn't want Sam to be alone and get scared, Sam telling her how she doesn't need to go back to Seattle right away because Carly is gone, Sam getting props from Cat's favorite show, Cat being scared of getting kicked out of their apartment and hugging Sam for comfort, both girls supporting Butler and wanting the mom to take it easy on him and stop living through him, Sophie's little speech about Sam and Cat being a good babysitting team, Cat telling Goomer they'll talk about his bad dream, Dice's love for his dog, Sam and Cat's friendship being jeopardized but realizing who is really to blame and apologizing to each other, the girls deciding to help Dice out with his mom so he doesn't have to dance for money anymore (but still punishing him by locking him in the same safe they were in), babysitting Oscar and helping him break out of his comfort zone and him standing up for Sam and Cat because they gave him the best day ever because he ended up taking risks and still had fun, Sam standing up to Peezy B for Cat and then later quitting her job as an assistant to help Cat with babysitting again, and showing more depth to Sam and her twin sister Melanie's sister-bond are all really sweet moments this show has shown so far.
Another interesting touch to the show is that sometimes they don't always get paid for babysitting if they don't do so well. Such as in #MotorCycleMystery and #OscarTheOuch show sometimes they'll do good for the day, other times they won't be able to. The theme song of the show goes, "we'll do it our way, no matter what they say". You could say that the result of the theme song is this: sometimes they'll win, sometimes they'll lose. And I love that sometimes when they babysit, the kids will either be a handful, or they'll be easy to babysit such as Oscar, Butler and Gwen & Ruby.
I also find that Sam and Cat get into all kinds of situations different age groups can relate to. Taking care of kids for a living, struggling to stay in their apartment, having trouble with the law due to copyright and having their business jeopardized because of that and because of a rival business, being conned, and living on their own with a friend are something adults can relate to, even teenagers today. Being obsessed with a show and getting upset over its cancellation and wanting a piece of it could be something kids and teenagers and some adults could all relate to, and not wanting to lose your dog like Dice almost did, having your friendship with someone jeopardized are something kids and teens can relate to. There are situations relatable to people of all ages. There isn't just some teen or kid drama going on in a show like this.
I really do believe the show gets better and better in quality and everyone gets a moment to shine and make people laugh for a whole half hour. Even the kids they babysit. For a spin-off, it's really underrated! It may not have the fame concept like especially Victorious, but it's still a good show! I'm loving every minute of it. Sam and Cat are shown in a much different light in a good way. And I love that they're living on their own and doing their babysitting service together. For a show made for a kid demographic, it even shows that living on your own can be cool and fun.
So that's everything I can say about the shows I love and what I love about them. So I wonder, what shows are you so interested in. What is it about the show you notice yourself that you really love? Are there any subtle things you see in a show that say something about the show itself, or the character, that makes you love it all more? Think about that for yourself and maybe the next time you watch anything on TV you can find something about a show you love that makes you love it more. Maybe even a show you didn't like before.
Even if it's for sitcoms, some people seem to care about morals in these shows. There seems to be a demand for the characters, kids or adults, to be squeaky clean, to be perfect, goody little two shoes. As I've said before, there have been plenty of sitcoms over the decades that didn't focus on making their characters perfect and teaching us lessons in the style of a half hour PSA.
The other complaints would be the writing. To go with that, would have to be the complaint for the laugh track. The reason there can ever be a laugh for something is not just for a punchline during a conversation, it could even be how the actor delivers a line. I could just read quotes from a show and depending which show it is, when I read it in the characters' voices, it comes off a bit more funny. Try it yourself with a show you like. Also, I believe if you were making a show or a skit, you'd have a vision for how it'd all play out and it could come across as funny to you, but not everyone. As stated before, the live audience has also had their share of being annoying to the point where they could take away any realism in a sitcom. For example, during a conversation. As well, the audience can overreact to hearing any implications of sex having taken place or if there's any kissing. There are pros and cons for both live audiences and a recorded sound of the audience.
Other complaints are sometimes the acting. In possibly all of their defense, watch a movie made by your film class. Personally, a lot of the actors in kids show hardly seem like bad actors at all compared to anyone's acting I've ever seen in my film class (not that there aren't any good actors). Also, I find that almost every actor has their moment in a kids show where they do show they've got what it takes. With the exception of some actors who have proven even long before their show on Disney Channel or Nickelodeon was ever a hit. Like Jennette McCurdy (Law & Order, Strong Medicine, Judging Amy, MadTV, Zoey 101, Malcolm In the Middle, Close to Home) and Miranda Cosgrove (The Wild Stallion, Drake & Josh, Yours Mine Ours) for example.
And finally the fame concept. There's often complaints for Hannah Montana, Sonny With A Chance, the Big Time Rush show, and possibly even Shake It Up, about how because of the fame concept, all they're basically watching is a bunch of fluff. But this is where I think you're wrong.
The fame concept that exists in these Disney Channel and Nickelodeon shows actually send a unique message to kids, even if it's not on purpose. Especially with Hannah Montana, we see Miley's character overtime be almost hard to watch because of her character's personality. For me, that really turned me off and it was hard to keep watching the show in its original run. For iCarly, people complain about Carly, thinking she's a brat when it comes to her and Spencer. And whatever complaints anyone has about these characters, as well as the main stars of Sonny, Shake It Up, etc. It just goes to show kids one thing: No matter how popular someone is, they're just like you and me. You can apply that to the popular crowd back in high school. You might consider that you pale in comparison to that popular girl, the person who's got it all. But shows like these show kids, who may even be insecure, that when someone popular is out of the spotlight and in the comfort of their own home, that's when all the makeup comes off. When they're free to do and say whatever they want without tarnishing their image, they are not above you. And you see that with Miley in Hannah Montana. You see that with Carly in iCarly. Becoming a web celeb, may give her the reputation of being a really sweet girl to everyone anywhere else, but we see for ourselves that Carly does have flaws. She can make mistakes, she doesn't always make the best choices or say the right things, but that's what being human is about. You're not always going to be this super sweet person. At some point, you're going to have to show you have a backbone which might make people think you're suddenly bad. You can't please everyone and the moment people realize that, the moment people can let go of how these characters are. They're not made to raise children for parents, they're written to be really flawed just as kids are at that age. And if shows like these make kids and teens want to follow their dreams and even make it big, these shows are actually pretty revolutionary for our generation than for any other generation before us. It's a good quality about our generation; to dream big and do what you love. At least these shows have helped kids find a passion for something in this world.
Now for any shows for kids. Have you ever found anything about them that you find is good, or something that makes a show good or even better than you thought? Have you ever gotten deep into a show and found something about it to enjoy? I can tell you some things I love about Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, iCarly, Victorious and even Sam & Cat that I really love about it.
A few things I've learned from all these shows: guys are either like Drake or Josh; always be honest; never cheat to get your way; never give up on something you love or work very hard on; girls can do things just as well as guys; cool people don't say they're cool; don't let relationships get in the way of enjoying a show; there are people who'll like you for who you are and there are people who'll like you for how you look; that being a grown up doesn't mean you have to stop being silly, creative and fun; value the friends you actually have and not the many friends you try to make up online based on followers or how many friends you got on your profile; you don't have to be afraid to put your dream in action; and to not be afraid of the choices you make as a performer.
What I love about these shows is that they all exist together in one big universe. They're all connected in some way. We've realized these worlds co-exist together thanks to iCarly and Victorious. We've seen characters from Drake & Josh and Zoey 101 in iCarly, they've even been in the Victorious world, iCarly has even crossed over with Victorious before and with Sam & Cat, two worlds collide.
There are many different, interesting, unique and really cool places and items that have never been in our universe before, but people have wished for these things. Dan Schneider has made school more interesting such as PCA in Zoey 101, and fun like Hollywood Arts - although it's still regarded as being like a high school. Whether it's because of the characters and how they are different from regular teens, or it's because of the environment. I believe it's the environment that makes these schools look like a place people would love to go. And then you have items like Pear Phones, which people have said they'd love to have! And the Jet-X, Sam's remote, Spencer sculptures like the bottled robot, food like d-urgers (hot dogs and burgers mixed), spaghetti tacos, having food on sticks, spicy tuna balls, and places like the Premiere Theater, Sushi Rox, The Groovy Smoothie, Karaoke Dokie and Nozu. It just makes their little world is brighter and cooler. The music and the score for his shows are also something I really love. Dan is like Josh Schwartz in a way, with The O.C. for example. Both play music that fans have never heard of and they become songs fans are familiar with because of a show like Imogen Heap for Schwartz, and Backhouse Mike for Schneider. And the theme songs are very memorable as well, and thankfully they're 30 seconds to a minute long.
I love when sometimes, with these shows, Dan will use them to send out a message on stuff he believes or thinks. He's had a message for fans about fan wars and to not let relationships in a sitcom ruin a show for you (iStart A Fan War), has thanked the fans for all the years of being sort of together with them (iGoodbye), a humorous message about girls crushing over actors who have played vampires (iPity the Nevel), how adults treat kids (iPilot), fame itself (Tori Goes Platinum), not caring so much about how many followers or friends you have online (The Slap Fight). He's basically sent out a message about our first world life which are actually unique messages for people.
One thing people complain about iCarly and Victorious, which is actually pointless, are that people can't believe Freddie Benson and Robbie Shapiro can still be alive after feeling rejected or picked on. But why? Not everyone who's a nerd decides to pick up a gun and kill everyone including themselves. Not everyone who's a nerd is going to pick up a blade and cut themselves. Not everyone who's a nerd is going to let themselves feel hopeless in this world and let someone get to them. And that's what Freddie and Robbie are. They've got a thicker skin and we actually see them develop a thick skin over time. Freddie eventually learns to not let Sam get to him. Robbie becomes more self confident that in later episodes we see him with Rex less and less. And think about this for a minute. In Dan's shows. A nerd is always with a girl in the end usually. The couples in Dan's shows fans love the most happen to be the ones with the nerd. Josh had Mindy, Chase had Zoey, Freddie had Sam and finally got a kiss from Carly that was genuine love for him this time and not because he saved her life. Robbie and Cat were growing closer and it's apparently still happening at some point in the spin-off Sam & Cat. These show that nerds can be loved and these shows do show that the nerds do make it through and live happy lives by the end of the show. This is something that's really overlooked and it's something that people have to be aware of.
And I know some people don't understand Sam and Freddie as a couple. Especially when she suddenly kissed him in iOMG. But here's something I've noticed. After iKiss, we do see Sam and Freddie getting along a lot better. And we've seen them together in the same room a lot since day one. The more time is spent between two people, it's possible relationships can happen. And it made a lot more sense than Josh and Mindy even. She might be a little more aggressive with him or insults him even more, but I think that was her way of denying that she might like Freddie, especially if she was afraid of getting hurt. She would rather just be friends with him, but I think her feelings kept growing so she'd keep hurting him somehow to keep denying to herself of any feelings she had. But when Freddie encouraged her to tell her true feelings, she suddenly dropped the act.
Another thing people like to complain about are that Sam and Jade are mean. They're not going around picking on whoever they feel like. But anyone who's wronged them in some way get to see their bad side. Anyone who annoys them, they will be open about it. They won't stay shut up and be sweet about it like Carly or Tori maybe. Jade isn't even really a bully and Sam does get better and better throughout the years.
But one other thing I notice most is that the characters Zoey from Zoey 101, Carly from iCarly and Tori from Victorious all get hated on. They're not as interesting to people as the sidekicks or the other main characters are but I don't think that's true. I think without these characters, these shows wouldn't be as appealing to some people. Some people might complain that there wouldn't be any "morals" in these shows if Zoey, Carly and Tori didn't exist.
Tori Vega is nice, but she's not too nice that she'd let someone walk all over her. And she could be a lot like somebody we know who's discovered something amazing about themselves, something that makes them realize they do have potential to make it somewhere in life, like she did in the first episode. Starting with the first season, she becomes more well known to directors and producers and to the public at Karaoke Dokie by other names like Louise Nordoff and Crystal Waters. But after that, she gets to be in parades and does auditions and become a stunt double as herself. In The Breakfast Bunch we learn that she wants to be a popstar and then by Tori Goes Platinum, she really gets to make it shine - on national television. At first she didn't know if she had what it takes and far into the show we see as well as herself she can really do it. And even though the show was cancelled at a time where it was really popular on Nickelodeon, episodes like Brain Squeezers and The Bad Roommate made me wish we had seen Tori becomes really successful, be really victorious and make it shine.
Carly Shay I can agree is an interesting character as well. She's really nice, but as pointed out by Dan before after iDate A Bad Boy, she isn't perfect. She could be a bit popular in school because of the webshow but she's not perfect. She's turned off by a bad boy with Pee-Wee Babies, has asthma and she's claustrophobic. She's said and done things people might not agree with but she's a pretty nice character overall. And she's close with the people around her as we've seen in iMeet the First Lady and iGoodbye. Who can love Sam as much as she does? And she and Spencer have always had a beautiful brother-sister bond. And even though Freddie crushes on her, she doesn't push him away or keep him our of her sight. She handled him really well. And she's even shown she does love and care about Gibby as well. She only ever seems ungrateful in the Christmas episode but she learns her lesson. She doesn't come off as bratty or spoiled or selfish. And we can see she really does love her dad. Any episodes revolving around her dad show she really does love him. And even though, in especially iCarly, we see mainly the kids, it's just very Nickelodeon. As far as I know, they represent kid power.
Zoey Brooks I discovered to have a lot of hate as a character in Zoey 101 and I don't understand that at all. They find her too perfect and boring but there is something to love about her. Zoey is popular at PCA but she wasn't a mean girl. In Zoey 101, popularity was shown in a better way. For once, we saw a girl who was smart, makes good grades and plays sports become popular at school. She got along with students and teachers and was still very much respected at the school. She even made a difference at PCA. Girls can play basketball with the boys even when it was just a boys basketball team. She really showed that anything boys can do, girls can do just as well and even better. I think she's really unique as a character! It's not everyday you see a popular girl whose personality is actually good.
Sure there were characters that were more popular like Drake, Megan, Sam, Jade, Lola, Logan, Quinn, but that doesn't mean the main characters, the stars of the show aren't any good. Same with Josh Nichols. He can really be sympathized what with Drake always overshadowing him and he's got many nice qualities as a person. I honestly hope from reading this, people will appreciate these characters a little more because all of these characters are written special in their own way and that's a lot like life whether we notice it or not. We're all special, cool and funny in our own way, whether a lot of people notice it or not.
The thing about comedy, I've noticed since the 50's, there have been shows that have been there to simply make you laugh, to provide you with some entertainment, something that gets you wanting to see what's new with the characters in any episode after school or work or after a bad day, nothing too serious and overdramatic. And I love that Drake & Josh and Zoey 101 were one of those shows for people growing up in the 2000's. Even iCarly, Victorious and Sam & Cat are a lot like that for people now. For me, when I would watch iCarly, I found the original four main characters to be a lot like me split into four different people. I found me and Carly were really nice people, I had my mama issues like Sam and her mama, was a bit of a geek like Freddie and even an artist like Spencer.
In iCarly, you don't see the characters having a really hectic life like on other shows for kids that have the fame concept. They go through life the way internet celebrities have. They live without the press being behind them 24/7, they don't have to live a double life or need to think before they act because it damages their celebrity status. They just live their lives normally, as they would. Just like any other sitcom.
At the beginning of the show, all the characters would've never really hung out altogether but by iRescue Carly, we see them all hanging out, watching a movie together, and I just like that. The characters honestly change so much throughout the series. Freddie becomes more confident, doesn't let Sam get to him, and he's not as obsessed with being with Carly as he originally was. He's no longer weak, shy with low self-esteem. Gibby went from the shirtless, shy weirdo to a confident, still-weird kid. The characters are a lot better off than they were before the webshow.
Friendships and even relationships form and some mend even. Some bonds grow because of the webshow existing. Without it, Freddie would still be letting Sam get to him and the time they spent together wouldn't have gotten them to get along more. They wouldn't have ended up dating and they wouldn't have broken up and suggested that either one becomes more normal or abnormal. Gibby would've never gotten on a date without the web show, and then have the confidence to be his weird self no matter what. And if iCarly didn't exist, then Nora Dershlitt would never become an obsessed fan who kidnapped Carly, Sam and Freddie and Gibby would've never had to save them and then get their respect and the fans' respect much more.
iCarly deserves more credit than it ever got before and these are some of the reasons why.
Now for Victorious, while iCarly was not only about how a webshow was able to affect the people involved, but see the brighter side of every situation, Victorious was about the process and crazy journey to find fame and keep following your dreams. Unlike iCarly, it revolved more around fame, but it wasn't actually about famous people. Out of all the kid/teen sitcoms that revolved around fame, I found Victorious to be the most realistic. I find it odd that André, Tori and even Cat and Jade never got record deals and even though atleast twice Tori and André seemed to get a record deal and could make it big, it wasn't even close to happening. Victorious shows in a subtle way that it is really hard to become famous and to even land a good deal. The kids at Hollywood Arts always have to do more gigs and perform more to get anywhere in the entertainment industry and you know what? That's life! Even Victoria Justice and other stars give advice that you have to keep going and do gigs, perform in plays before you can make it anywhere. That's something I love about Victorious.
As for the characters, I've spoken about Tori and how her story progresses throughout the series. I've said she's nice but not to the point where people walk all over her. She also learns to stand up for herself. Especially with Jade. Tori has handled Jade best out of all the people she's been mean to, aside from Beck. When Jade was revealed to have faked an injury, rather than letting Jade get in trouble as she deserved, she took her punishment for her and later helps her and Beck get back together. And even these things make Jade respect Tori a lot more. Especially when Tori refuses to kiss Beck even though he and Jade are broken up again in season three. At this point, they become good friends, even if Jade doesn't want to admit it. Taking the high road and not letting people get you down are another good message on this show even if it's not in your face. Her friendship with Beck shows guys and girls can be good friends. Her and André's friendship shows a singer-songwriter friendship which isn't shown a lot on TV but it's a really good friendship! And we get to see how much Tori does love her family and she's written a nice song for Trina, and she's shown to spend some time with her mother and her parents are actually still married and a part of her life. I love that moment in The Bad Roommate when she got excited for family pot pie. It was a small little moment but I think it showed she really loves spending time with her family. Another thing I love about Tori is that people can understand where she's coming from. Many people have been there where an audience really likes something they do and they discover about themselves that they really have some talent. And I love how she becomes confident enough to stay at Hollywood Arts and shows Jade she has what it takes. And by her being so positive from this point on, she ends up performing at an awards show, she won Sikowitz's contest to stay in character for an entire sleepover, she learned to take risks and could've won a part for a movie, and she got praise as a singer as Louise Nordoff when she performed for in a public place for the first time. She brings a lot of positivity to the show and shows that being positive and following your dreams can bring you good things.
Trina may not be as talented as Tori is but what makes her a good character is that she's a lot like us. While some maybe talented like Tori and learn that they do have what it takes to be an artist or performer, Trina could be relatable to a lot of people that aren't talented or really want to be a star. Some people would love to go to Hollywood Arts and she is the only person with pretty much no talent who managed to go to Hollywood Arts. In a way, we wish we could be Trina. Another good trait she possesses is that she's really confident and not even Jade can bring her down. Another thing to love about Trina is she's made a lot of points about Hollywood that are true. These days, talent has nothing to do with being famous. Being scandalous, and doing crazy things to simply shock the crowd so they pay attention to you is how a lot of people these days are in the spotlight. Reality shows have become popular to people and they don't even have to show any sort of talent to be really famous or for their show to become really famous. And if they are dating someone like Kanye West or heartthrobs like Justin Bieber, they get more attention, as well as possibly their reality show. Another thing Trina says that sounds true is that a performer has to feel the part to be the part, and no one cares who wrote the song. Atleast not everyone does care. There have been really popular songs that weren't written by the singer but we love them anyway. I think we do still love artists when they write their own songs, as that makes us respect them even more.
André is such a nice, funny guy. I love that he's so into his music and takes his music very seriously that he wants to put his music out there and is such a great friend. It's interesting to wonder whatever happened to his parents since we only see him live with his grandma who is a really crazy, funny woman. But it's good to know his talents will get him somewhere in life and that he will be alright, parents or no parents.
Sinjin starts off weird, especially around girls, but he has a lot of self-confidence. He's jealous of Beck because of Jade but I love how in the last episode they become good friends. He gains our respect even more when he convinces everyone to not feel bad about how many followers they have on The Slap and that their real friends matter more. Many fans were surprised when this happened as they never expected Sinjin to ever talk like this. If the show kept going, he could've been really popular like Gibby was.
Robbie is quite a character with the songs he writes and plays and how weird he is. He's even weirder with Rex. But I love that over time he's shown with Rex less and it just shows he can live his life fine without Rex involved.
Cat is possibly the most popular character in all of Victorious. Ariana Grande brought something to the character that made her really lovable to fans. I love how Cat started off in the show. She had this energy which made her really likeable and at times she had ideas that made her come off smarter than she looks. It was a good combination. Mostly in the first half of the series. Her character took a change and became more like a kid but she's developing a little more now with her spin-off show.
What I love about Beck is that even though he's a really popular guy, it doesn't ever get to his head and he's really down to earth. He even made friends with Sinjin. A freaky, geeky guy hanging out with the coolest guy in school? That's really unexpected, but really cool! And he can really tolerate and handle Jade if she goes too far usually.
What I love about Jade is she's definitely no bully, just really crazy. She's shown even to Tori that she's really human. I love what she hates and the points she makes about them. Some of us didn't even realize the words moist and tissue are really hated words for girls.
Sikowitz is another good character along with Lane. I love seeing others interact with Lane and him giving any advice to them. And I love his strange love for lotion. In a school like Hollywood Arts, they certainly need counsellors like Lane. Sikowitz's classes are a treat every time. We always learn something like the ways of The Bird Scene; not be afraid of the choices you make for your performance. They are strange, different and unique every time. I love his alphabetical improvs and drive by acting exercises, and his competitions for who can stay in character, who can go a week without technology and social media, to be more open minded, how to show you're really scared and to take risks.
I love when the characters perform. When it's to one person, to a crowd of kids or parents, or to an entire audience on live television. When they danced, I loved the choreography! All the characters got to showcase their talent on this show and it's amazing that this was one of Nickelodeon's number one shows. And I love how with Victorious, Leon and Victoria got to perform some of their songs they wrote themselves, individually or "together" as Tori and André.
I love the sets. Nozu, Karaoke Dokie, Hollywood Arts, Tori's house. I loved when the characters all went to Tori's house and just hung out and played cards together or ate somewhere. The whole show, as well as the characters, were pretty colorful. Each one was so different from the other and yet they were all good friends.
Despite any flaws the show had, Victorious was a really good show indeed.
And finally, Sam & Cat, the number one live action Nick show and the first double spin-off in TV history. There are many things I love about this show.
Sam is especially the reason I love Sam & Cat. She grew so much in iCarly, especially in season 4 (iSam's Mom) and onward. Even in iOwe You, iKiss, iMake Sam Girlier, iTwins, and iWas A Pageant Girl she developed as a character. We'd either learn more about her character or she would grow more as a person. After iOwe You, she borrows money less from Carly and Freddie. In iKiss, she begins to respect Freddie more, promising to apologize when she really goes too far and considers him more of a friend. In iMake Sam Girlier, she wishes she wasn't who she was because everyone's comments on how cool she is for being bad makes her feel bad and her crush called her a dude. In iTwins and in iWas A Pageant Girl, we learn more about Sam's life. Having a twin of her own and having been in beauty pageants. I find iSam's Mom and iLove You to be the episodes where we definitely see Sam start to grow more as a character. But she's still seen as the Sam Puckett we know and loved in the beginning and even now in Sam & Cat (tough and sarcastic). Sam and her mom made up after a fight and they seemed to be having a better mother-daughter relationship than before, even if they were still a mess. When Sam and Freddie break up and he suggests that she be a little more normal, she seems she does take this more to heart, as she shows to do more good. She manages to stay out of trouble for days and gets rewarded for it as a surprise (iToe Fatcakes), she stands up for little kids she sees getting picked on (iBattle Chip and iRescue Carly), and even in Sam & Cat, Sam seems to take notes from her parole officer when she gets mad and Cat softens up her character a little when they babysit. And it was nice to see her as a bit of a hero towards the end of iCarly and in Sam & Cat, she becomes more of a leader as she knows what to do in just about any situation. At this point, she isn't really the girl who would bully someone and fight with them and then get arrested, but she's still the girl fans still love. Sam doesn't have to be all sweet, girly and perfect to be any sort of example for anyone. Even Jennette McCurdy says this. You can be tough, sarcastic, independent, make fun of a few people and still be a good character: GJ Haute Mamas interview Jennette McCurdy
Despite what anyone says about her voice, Cat does show she's a really sweet babysitter. And when she babysits, she's almost like a mother to them such as Goomer, Butler and Oscar. Ariana gets to shine more and have more comedic scenes so for any fan of hers, this is, of course, a treat.
And then you have Dice, who is a lot like Larry from Three's Company, much like how Cat is like Chrissy from the same show. Cameron Ocasio has given off a Larry vibe, except he's no ladies man (except maybe a little girls' man). He's a fun character and he also reminds me a little of a season one Freddie Benson.
Goomer is a lot like Sam and Cat combined. He's practically their love child; tough like and can take someone down like Sam, sweet and stupid like Cat (but it's alright).
Nona is a sweet old grandmother of Cat's. I wish there were more episodes centered around Nona since we haven't seen much of her and haven't gotten to know her much. We've had some Dice-centric episodes, some Sam and Cat-centric episodes, some Goomer-centric episodes, but never any episodes about Nona. She's a nice character and Maree Cheatham plays her really well.
Sometimes though, Cat's motherly nature isn't enough for kids when they babysit and it's really good when Sam is babysitting with her. Kids are more in control when there's a voice of authority, which Sam possesses and she shows it in #PeezyB. If you put Sam & Cat apart, if either one of them babysits on their own, it would be just like iSell Penny Tees. Cat would be like Carly and Freddie and how they treated kids, and kids would be very afraid of Sam and uncomfortable. Sam would be a tough babysitter, and Cat would be a really easy on them. Together, as Sophie says in #BabysitterWar, they make a really good team.
Many people think Cat is a lot like Carly, especially when it comes to being friends with Sam, and it makes little sense. They maybe nice, but they're both much different from each other. As a friend, Carly was a bit like a mother to Sam. She always wanted the best for Sam and wanted her to be happy, but she still acted her age and she and Sam would be such great best friends that they were like sisters. Cat is different from Carly. As she accepts Sam more for who she is, and isn't so focused on Sam being good and they connect a lot and have fun despite being polar opposites. She does soften Sam up enough to where Sam can be really sweet, whether she likes it or not. Though I do wonder what Sam's friendship with season one of Victorious's Cat would've been like. Carly and Cat are both best friends to Sam in their own way and they can both be appreciated as her best friends.
What I also love about the show is that it's sweet and funny. There are short, and sweet moments on the show. If it's just Cat and her Nona, there's a sweet scene. The scene where Sam and Cat sleep on the sofa bed together because Cat doesn't want Sam to be alone and get scared, Sam telling her how she doesn't need to go back to Seattle right away because Carly is gone, Sam getting props from Cat's favorite show, Cat being scared of getting kicked out of their apartment and hugging Sam for comfort, both girls supporting Butler and wanting the mom to take it easy on him and stop living through him, Sophie's little speech about Sam and Cat being a good babysitting team, Cat telling Goomer they'll talk about his bad dream, Dice's love for his dog, Sam and Cat's friendship being jeopardized but realizing who is really to blame and apologizing to each other, the girls deciding to help Dice out with his mom so he doesn't have to dance for money anymore (but still punishing him by locking him in the same safe they were in), babysitting Oscar and helping him break out of his comfort zone and him standing up for Sam and Cat because they gave him the best day ever because he ended up taking risks and still had fun, Sam standing up to Peezy B for Cat and then later quitting her job as an assistant to help Cat with babysitting again, and showing more depth to Sam and her twin sister Melanie's sister-bond are all really sweet moments this show has shown so far.
Another interesting touch to the show is that sometimes they don't always get paid for babysitting if they don't do so well. Such as in #MotorCycleMystery and #OscarTheOuch show sometimes they'll do good for the day, other times they won't be able to. The theme song of the show goes, "we'll do it our way, no matter what they say". You could say that the result of the theme song is this: sometimes they'll win, sometimes they'll lose. And I love that sometimes when they babysit, the kids will either be a handful, or they'll be easy to babysit such as Oscar, Butler and Gwen & Ruby.
I also find that Sam and Cat get into all kinds of situations different age groups can relate to. Taking care of kids for a living, struggling to stay in their apartment, having trouble with the law due to copyright and having their business jeopardized because of that and because of a rival business, being conned, and living on their own with a friend are something adults can relate to, even teenagers today. Being obsessed with a show and getting upset over its cancellation and wanting a piece of it could be something kids and teenagers and some adults could all relate to, and not wanting to lose your dog like Dice almost did, having your friendship with someone jeopardized are something kids and teens can relate to. There are situations relatable to people of all ages. There isn't just some teen or kid drama going on in a show like this.
I really do believe the show gets better and better in quality and everyone gets a moment to shine and make people laugh for a whole half hour. Even the kids they babysit. For a spin-off, it's really underrated! It may not have the fame concept like especially Victorious, but it's still a good show! I'm loving every minute of it. Sam and Cat are shown in a much different light in a good way. And I love that they're living on their own and doing their babysitting service together. For a show made for a kid demographic, it even shows that living on your own can be cool and fun.
So that's everything I can say about the shows I love and what I love about them. So I wonder, what shows are you so interested in. What is it about the show you notice yourself that you really love? Are there any subtle things you see in a show that say something about the show itself, or the character, that makes you love it all more? Think about that for yourself and maybe the next time you watch anything on TV you can find something about a show you love that makes you love it more. Maybe even a show you didn't like before.
Monday 11 November 2013
Kids Comedy and Adult Comedy: Is Anyone Of Them Truly Better Than the Other?
Naturally, adult comedies get way more viewers normally than sitcoms with a demographic geared towards kids. People have such a different reaction when it comes to seeing the name of a sitcom and knowing which network it's on. If you see any show that's from the networks ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, to name a few, you really get the feeling you're about to watch something very mature - to a certain degree. If you see any show that's from the networks Disney Channel, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, there's that sense of dread flowing through you, based on how old you are and if you aren't someone stuck in the past or someone that hopes a sitcom will just be teaching you what to do. But is it really fair to say adult sitcoms are that much better than kid sitcoms?
I can say these are some of the things today that I find people will find wrong about each kind of sitcom. For adult sitcoms, it's the crude and gross jokes, the sex jokes that are free to be in your face because you're old enough, and even too much references to pop culture to get a laugh. For kid sitcoms, it's the acting and the writing people will find wrong. What gets people watching a kid sitcom now is if they are either a "sitcom" that's only going to be teaching kids lessons or ones that have the fame concept. Not that either of these are bad, and I promise to explain why shows with the fame concept aren't that bad.
I'm not going to add characters not being good role models for why kid sitcoms get criticized because we've had great comedies in the past for older audiences like I Love Lucy and Three's Company. And those shows weren't loved by people because they had role models. So why should kid sitcoms be that way when not even adult sitcoms today would ever do that? Because by the time you're old enough to watch a sitcom mainly for adults it doesn't matter what the characters do onscreen? As I said in my last blog, really needing a sitcom that raises a child says a lot about parents and the education system. But also at the end of the day, people make the choice whether to do something or not.
Moving on, if not all of adult sitcoms, a lot of adult sitcoms atleast have a live audience, while kid sitcoms are usually contained with a laugh track. We often hear how annoying the laugh track is. Heck, it was even used in cartoons like the Flinstones once upon a time, which for me I never understood why that is. It's not true that every line you hear has a laugh coming right after, but in Disney Channel and Nickelodeon's defense, I don't hear it literally every time. There is a moment of silence from the "audience". Several moments where they can just talk. And if something does seem funny to the writers or the team making the episode of that show, then that's when the laugh track is usually used. I think it is understandable for the purpose of the laugh track as some jokes may not be as funny when they've been done over and over, hence why live audiences aren't always around for the making of a show. I can understand wanting something funny to be fresh with all viewers for the first time around. I think when we're with a bunch of people, friends especially, we tend to laugh a lot more about something. For me, though, laugh track or live audience, I don't always have that feeling that I'm sitting with an audience. I can still laugh about something I saw, but I don't laugh so much that I feel like I'm overdosing on endorphins. That's kind of tough for me to do.
And speaking of live audiences, I find there are some problems with having a live audiences. Not just because a joke isn't as fresh to the audience unless the directors feel like they got a scene done right. But because if we're going to talk about realism in a sitcom, live audiences tend to end up contradicting that when a character says something totally true or something that means they've won the argument and if they've said something really funny. Actors have had to stop and wait for the audience to quiet down before they can talk again. And for a scene that takes place with just a couple of people, how real would it be if someone was winning an argument or said something funny or totally true but then suddenly stop because they feel interrupted? Sticking with the scripts, the characters wouldn't question if something's up with that character for them to suddenly stop talking. One other thing about live audiences that can be annoying, that makes me appreciate the laugh track sometimes, is whenever there's a kiss onscreen or if someone says sex or implies sex, the audience, assuming it's a live audience, go extremely mad over this. Too much, I should say where you could hear someone go, "Ow! Ow!" But if you watch a kid sitcom where a couple kiss, most of the time, the "audience" doesn't go crazy over a kiss or if someone is trying to flirt with someone or turn them on. And the most recent thing to happen that made me annoyed with live audiences, is with the show 2 Broke Girls. You couldn't watch last week's episode without hearing the woman in the audience either laughing or making noise. It was far more annoying than any show with a laugh track could. Normally, I'm not phased with live audiences and laugh tracks. I will atleast give writers of any sitcom credit if they actually try to make their show funny. But just know, no matter what, the sound of an audience is always going to be tedious at some point. (Even Three's Company had that once in a season 7 episode when a woman couldn't stop laughing when Jack was really drunk and was getting out of his clothes. It was funny to me hearing the sound of that laugh, as opposed to the person laughing too much all throughout last week's 2 Broke Girls. It wasn't as annoying either.)
For adult sitcoms, the best ones I've found that don't rely so much on sex jokes, crude or gross humor, or pop culture references much are Wendell & Vinnie and The Big Bang Theory. And both feel as if they can be watched not just for adults but with kids too, atleast probably not kids too young. Both are really funny and I find those two to be some of the best multi-camera sitcoms that are on the air right now.
Now, for kid sitcoms, not all of them are just shows that pretend to be sitcoms to teach you a lesson or are about fame. Kenan & Kel, Drake & Josh, and Sam & Cat have their moments where something serious happens. Even some really nice moments. If there is any messages from any of those shows, it's not in your face, and is rather pretty subtle. Victorious may have had the fame concept, yet it was still showing kids that were still as normal as they were and not in the spotlight in Hollywood, they are not living their dreams like in Hannah Montana, Sonny With A Chance, and Shake It Up yet. iCarly may have been about three kids with a popular web show, but the characters still lived their lives normally, they just had a popular web show they loved making for years. Those two are not so different from the other kid sitcoms that came before them just because they had the fame concept to go with the shows.
I find these shows I've named for adult sitcoms and kid sitcoms, as well as shows like I Love Lucy and Three's Company, they don't rely or rely completely on the things that can easily attract or appeal to an audience. And all kid sitcoms in general, a lot of them may not be able to do even two out of three of the jokes adult sitcoms can get away with and it may not be easy to make a kid laugh as some would suggest. But if a writer for a show geared to kids can make a kid laugh and if they can get a family invested in it, the writer is doing something right. And you're doing something right if you can make your shows loved by more than just kids/adults. Laughter shouldn't divide age groups. A sitcom should be able to bring all age groups together. That's what I think a good sitcom really is. When it's geared to a certain demographic but written so it can be watched by people of different ages and families, I think that's when you know you've written a good show. Not everyone is going to like a sitcom but if someone can watch something with their children or their parents, siblings and friends, it can't be that bad. When you think about it, writing for one demographic will feel easy to a writer. But writing a sitcom that'll hopefully be enjoyed by all ages, no matter what network you're on, could be one of the toughest jobs to do as a comedy writer and a great accomplishment if you can pull it off.
I can say these are some of the things today that I find people will find wrong about each kind of sitcom. For adult sitcoms, it's the crude and gross jokes, the sex jokes that are free to be in your face because you're old enough, and even too much references to pop culture to get a laugh. For kid sitcoms, it's the acting and the writing people will find wrong. What gets people watching a kid sitcom now is if they are either a "sitcom" that's only going to be teaching kids lessons or ones that have the fame concept. Not that either of these are bad, and I promise to explain why shows with the fame concept aren't that bad.
I'm not going to add characters not being good role models for why kid sitcoms get criticized because we've had great comedies in the past for older audiences like I Love Lucy and Three's Company. And those shows weren't loved by people because they had role models. So why should kid sitcoms be that way when not even adult sitcoms today would ever do that? Because by the time you're old enough to watch a sitcom mainly for adults it doesn't matter what the characters do onscreen? As I said in my last blog, really needing a sitcom that raises a child says a lot about parents and the education system. But also at the end of the day, people make the choice whether to do something or not.
Moving on, if not all of adult sitcoms, a lot of adult sitcoms atleast have a live audience, while kid sitcoms are usually contained with a laugh track. We often hear how annoying the laugh track is. Heck, it was even used in cartoons like the Flinstones once upon a time, which for me I never understood why that is. It's not true that every line you hear has a laugh coming right after, but in Disney Channel and Nickelodeon's defense, I don't hear it literally every time. There is a moment of silence from the "audience". Several moments where they can just talk. And if something does seem funny to the writers or the team making the episode of that show, then that's when the laugh track is usually used. I think it is understandable for the purpose of the laugh track as some jokes may not be as funny when they've been done over and over, hence why live audiences aren't always around for the making of a show. I can understand wanting something funny to be fresh with all viewers for the first time around. I think when we're with a bunch of people, friends especially, we tend to laugh a lot more about something. For me, though, laugh track or live audience, I don't always have that feeling that I'm sitting with an audience. I can still laugh about something I saw, but I don't laugh so much that I feel like I'm overdosing on endorphins. That's kind of tough for me to do.
And speaking of live audiences, I find there are some problems with having a live audiences. Not just because a joke isn't as fresh to the audience unless the directors feel like they got a scene done right. But because if we're going to talk about realism in a sitcom, live audiences tend to end up contradicting that when a character says something totally true or something that means they've won the argument and if they've said something really funny. Actors have had to stop and wait for the audience to quiet down before they can talk again. And for a scene that takes place with just a couple of people, how real would it be if someone was winning an argument or said something funny or totally true but then suddenly stop because they feel interrupted? Sticking with the scripts, the characters wouldn't question if something's up with that character for them to suddenly stop talking. One other thing about live audiences that can be annoying, that makes me appreciate the laugh track sometimes, is whenever there's a kiss onscreen or if someone says sex or implies sex, the audience, assuming it's a live audience, go extremely mad over this. Too much, I should say where you could hear someone go, "Ow! Ow!" But if you watch a kid sitcom where a couple kiss, most of the time, the "audience" doesn't go crazy over a kiss or if someone is trying to flirt with someone or turn them on. And the most recent thing to happen that made me annoyed with live audiences, is with the show 2 Broke Girls. You couldn't watch last week's episode without hearing the woman in the audience either laughing or making noise. It was far more annoying than any show with a laugh track could. Normally, I'm not phased with live audiences and laugh tracks. I will atleast give writers of any sitcom credit if they actually try to make their show funny. But just know, no matter what, the sound of an audience is always going to be tedious at some point. (Even Three's Company had that once in a season 7 episode when a woman couldn't stop laughing when Jack was really drunk and was getting out of his clothes. It was funny to me hearing the sound of that laugh, as opposed to the person laughing too much all throughout last week's 2 Broke Girls. It wasn't as annoying either.)
For adult sitcoms, the best ones I've found that don't rely so much on sex jokes, crude or gross humor, or pop culture references much are Wendell & Vinnie and The Big Bang Theory. And both feel as if they can be watched not just for adults but with kids too, atleast probably not kids too young. Both are really funny and I find those two to be some of the best multi-camera sitcoms that are on the air right now.
Now, for kid sitcoms, not all of them are just shows that pretend to be sitcoms to teach you a lesson or are about fame. Kenan & Kel, Drake & Josh, and Sam & Cat have their moments where something serious happens. Even some really nice moments. If there is any messages from any of those shows, it's not in your face, and is rather pretty subtle. Victorious may have had the fame concept, yet it was still showing kids that were still as normal as they were and not in the spotlight in Hollywood, they are not living their dreams like in Hannah Montana, Sonny With A Chance, and Shake It Up yet. iCarly may have been about three kids with a popular web show, but the characters still lived their lives normally, they just had a popular web show they loved making for years. Those two are not so different from the other kid sitcoms that came before them just because they had the fame concept to go with the shows.
I find these shows I've named for adult sitcoms and kid sitcoms, as well as shows like I Love Lucy and Three's Company, they don't rely or rely completely on the things that can easily attract or appeal to an audience. And all kid sitcoms in general, a lot of them may not be able to do even two out of three of the jokes adult sitcoms can get away with and it may not be easy to make a kid laugh as some would suggest. But if a writer for a show geared to kids can make a kid laugh and if they can get a family invested in it, the writer is doing something right. And you're doing something right if you can make your shows loved by more than just kids/adults. Laughter shouldn't divide age groups. A sitcom should be able to bring all age groups together. That's what I think a good sitcom really is. When it's geared to a certain demographic but written so it can be watched by people of different ages and families, I think that's when you know you've written a good show. Not everyone is going to like a sitcom but if someone can watch something with their children or their parents, siblings and friends, it can't be that bad. When you think about it, writing for one demographic will feel easy to a writer. But writing a sitcom that'll hopefully be enjoyed by all ages, no matter what network you're on, could be one of the toughest jobs to do as a comedy writer and a great accomplishment if you can pull it off.
Friday 8 November 2013
Boy Meets World and Girl Meets World: The Pros and Cons of Both Shows
The 90's was certainly a time everyone remembers being a fun decade. And that's basically it. People simply remember what the entertainment industry was like back in those days. Granted there were things to appreciate back then for sure like the words twerking and selfies didn't exist, Disney being its most popular with the Lion King, Aladdin, Mulan, etc. On top of that, people in the 90s were well acquainted with dramedy. In the case I make, that would be half hour situation comedies that focused way less on being anywhere funny and was your half hour PSA. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad. But to make them into a sitcom when it's so serious 95% of the time just doesn't work. It shouldn't be regarded as a sitcom and it definitely shouldn't be compared to other shows of the genre it's made out to be. It could've been like Lizzie McGuire. I haven't watched that show in awhile, but regardless of whether or not the characters were funny, it could relate to pre-teens and teens. It was in the right genre and didn't try to be a sitcom. Now All In the Family (especially All In the Family), and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air could be very serious shows as well. In fact, All In the Family was the first show of its kind to be a sitcom while also addressing any issues that went on during its time. The only difference was, it could act like a sitcom. The dialogue would come off as funny even during the scenes where things were starting to get serious, mainly due to how the characters are, especially Mike and Archie and how different their political views were.
Boy Meets World, on the other hand, couldn't equal up to that. It got too serious. But to be serious to get whatever message an episode had across, that I could tolerate. But it doesn't work as a sitcom and never should've tried to be. It's like if two people are fighting in front of a kid, but because they're supposed to make the kid happy, they remember he or she is in the room and try to lighten up the mood by making funny faces at them. Heck, I could give Marvin Marvin credit as a sitcom if it was ever actually trying. People tend to regard shows like Boy Meets World as a sitcom and they're not. Even when the episodes aren't trying to give us some sort of message for kids what to do and what not to do, it doesn't work most of the time. With the exception of Eric Matthews and George Feeny. There are good things to say about Boy Meets World regardless, but I like going into the cons first for anything before giving out the pros for something.
Before I tackle the cons of Boy Meets World, I'll atleast say something about Girl Meets World. Sure, it's nice that the show is going to show life from a girl's perspective, but, the YTV original show called Life With Boys is already doing what Girl Meets World will do. The only difference between those two shows is that Life With Boys really is fresh, giving us completely new characters and an even tighter family than even the Matthews in Boy Meets World. The family in Life With Boys are more closer, even if the family is not complete. And the main character, Tess played by Torri Webster, has one friend and we only see one friend: Allie played by Madison Pettis. The show is very family based and the show has even taught a couple of things that Boy Meets World didn't even do: smoking, bullying and how to deal with it, and even showing Valentine's Day in a better light, showing the girls celebrating Valentine's Day just with girls and trying to show they don't need a significant other to celebrate Valentine's Day. Surely, Girl Meets World will be like Boy Meets World but I find it won't be so good if it needs to rely on the original characters often to be more loved. In fact many people seem to be more keen on watching it if the original characters were on the show full time. Even bringing Mr. Feeny back I find to be a bad idea. He fulfilled his purpose in Boy Meets World as a teacher and a life coach (who could sadly only be there for just the main characters apparently for seven years). It will be more than a decade since everyone moved from Philadelphia. If Cory Matthews has grown as we believed him to be doing from the series finale and onward, then I'd rather we see that. Show him as a hybrid of his father Alan and Feeny, but have that part of himself fans remembered from the original series. The one who Topanga Lawrence fell in love with. It'd atleast be okay if the original characters did come to visit at some point or even for a holiday like Christmas. Heck, every Christmas special would certainly be special that way! So that's what I'd like to see for Girl Meets World, but as of now, I really love Life With Boys. It's not exactly funny either like Boy Meets World isn't, but as the kind of show all three are, I like Life With Boys best.
Onto the cons of Boy Meets World before addressing the pros. One thing that bothers me is when people speak about Boy Meets World, they have such high respect for it, saying the show taught morals and lessons but there's two flaws to this: it didn't teach fans to accept and respect people with different opinions from themselves, and it didn't teach people everything about life. It didn't teach us about bullying, suicide, school shootings, or showing us even the aftermath of a tragedy (terrorism, natural disasters, etc), or dealing with someone with cancer or any terminal illness. It didn't cover everything. And even after the show ended, the world didn't get any better. Regardless of how you feel about the entertainment industry, that's not why the world didn't get any better. America and the rest of the world woke up due to one of the biggest tragedies in this century. Children lost whatever innocence they had left and could no longer grow up the way kids in the 90's did, where they would simply grow up going to school, coming home from school, having a television show that they either enjoyed during their spare time or a show that helped them get through whatever problems they may have had either within their family or their peers in school. Teenagers still drink or do drugs and smoke and still find themselves getting addicted to them. I grew up with a huge set of kids in elementary school and we were taught atleast twice that drinking, drugs, and smoking are bad for you. We were even taught about bullying constantly and to not do it to anyone. But even with the message right in your face as Boy Meets World was, my peers didn't listen to them like I did. They still wanted to drink, do drugs even, smoke, some still bullied. Some people just wanted to fit in with the crowd any way they could. It's a lot like Hollywood in a way. You have to do certain things in order to become mainstream and fit in with the popular people like Lady Gaga and Rihanna and Nicki Minaj. They might actually be talented, but almost all the time now, simply being musically gifted or a talented actor alone isn't enough to get people to appreciate them as a performer, even if you are a decent person or someone who's well grounded thanks to the people in your life. Shocking people with being promiscuous or showing you drink or do drugs or smoke seems to sell a lot. Possibly because it makes people feel more comfortable to know someone isn't perfect (or to any fan of anyone, perfectly imperfect). The point is, even if a show like Boy Meets World gives out a really positive message and tells you something is bad, at the end of the day, it is our choices that matter most. We are to blame for our poor choices. Call of Duty and Halo don't make everyone pick up a gun and kill someone just as much as Marilyn Manson doesn't. When people are attacked by bullies in anyway too much, I believe a message eventually sinks in to that person that they need to do whatever it is they unfortunately feel like they have to do. On media alone, I believe if someone knows that something is right or wrong, they have their own code/morals/moral code/personal beliefs, and/or if they've been taught to appreciate themselves as they are, anything they see or listen to won't make them do anything bad.
Another problem I have with Boy Meets World is the fact that shows like this even existed, shows that had to send out a message to kids back then. What does that say about the parents or to the parents? What does it say about our education system? Fortunately, I had to be taught by my parents not to imitate what I saw on TV and then I was able to watch whatever show that got me doing it previously, only this time I wouldn't be so hooked on it that I would imitate what I saw. And my elementary school taught me twice when I was 8 and 12, respectively, the consequences of drinking, drugs and smoking. My high school taught me the risks of having sex and how we should be careful, how we should make sure that other person we could be lucky to be with isn't carrying any diseases he/she are probably not even aware of, how if we had sex with someone of the opposite gender, we could become a parent faster than probably our own parents. But some people still chose to drink, do drugs, smoke, or have sex before marriage even when there was visuals shown to us that those things aren't a good idea. I have seen pictures of people having parties where they could get drunk and their parents would be visible in the pictures and not showing that they have any problems with their teen(s) drinking. My own father did the same for one of my siblings. Does that say anything about the parents back then or even today? Does that say anything about our education system? Or do we just not have a stronger influence and a more positive impact on kids as we should (even stronger than the child themselves)?
Moving on from how flawed Boy Meets World is when it comes to our society, I'm sure it did teach some people to do better in life. But what also makes the show flawed are the characters. Nowadays, people could watch a show once and if a character does something bad in that episode, they lose a viewer because he or she wasn't perfect in the viewer's eyes. When you look at Boy Meets World, fans will think the characters do no wrong, or if they have done wrong, it's overlooked and ignored. Even if it was shown repeatedly and there's two good examples of that, but I'll save that for last.
First off, there's Morgan. Many people could look at her as a brat if the show took place in this decade and she does come off as a bit of one in later seasons. She even dresses sexy for her first date and Amy isn't even phased by this one bit, as opposed to Alan. Nowadays people would be hating on Amy for allowing that to happen. Especially if the characters went to the beach and the girls were shown in bikinis there'd be a riot, as there has been for other shows made for kids where the characters have went to the beach.
There's not much to say about Angela except she was a boring character who only seemed to exist to be Shawn's true love. I wonder if we'll ever hear about her character in the spin off.
I'm sure there has to be someone who didn't like Eric that much. I'm surprised no one complained about him being a ladies man. He became ridiculous in the last few seasons of the show that it's incredible how much he changed after high school. If this show was on today, people on IMDB would probably be complaining about how Eric wanted to poison his sister for his dad's birthday. His plan is so ridiculous that I'm surprised nothing is said or done about it. He even made fun of Shawn being poor. If any other character in another show did this, fans of that show would never hear the end of those people that are hating on that show. But for Boy Meets World, this one goes ignored.
And we have Rachel, who people can complain about for even just one episode, having dressed sexy and washing the dishes in a sexy way in front of Cory and Shawn and turning them on would've been something to complain about if this show didn't have its name people are familiar with. Not to mention the sexy picture of her she made for Jack that was revealed in the prank war episode in the final season would also show she's not a perfect character, but there's no criticism for her actions either, whether or not we know she was sorry she ever did those things.
Jack can be considered a bit conceited and greedy in the final season. People would not find it funny either that someone is being taught about their greed consuming them and then shrugs it off to go buy a lottery ticket anyway. But somehow the audience found that funny.
Speaking of which, I find the live audience for this show can be as annoying as laugh tracks would be. Except they can be even worse. Live audiences go wild when characters kiss, and sometimes for a show, if you're going to talk to me about realism in a sitcom, how real is it when a character wins an argument or says something really funny and then suddenly stops because we hear the audience cheer for them for one minute before they can finish everything they say?
Alan was a pretty decent character actually. I don't have anything to say about him that's really negative except what sounds like a running gag for him "Get a job" wasn't funny. Just a good message. But he and Amy did start treating Eric like he really was an idiot. They weren't that close to him in my opinion as they were with Cory and even Morgan.
Stuart Minkus wasn't really in the show much but no one speaks ill of Shawn and Cory for having always picked on him. And they picked on him constantly in the first season, yet no one complains about this.
Shawn could be complained about for being a ladies man too even. He wasn't the best with girls at all. Except maybe with Angela but even that relationship was a bit messy. He became quite a hypocrite in the sixth season when his character started to become depressing because he didn't have Angela. Losing his father, I understood, but this was a different story. The season before this one, he was criticising Cory for being all mopey because he didn't have Topanga anymore. Yet when it was his turn to be the one moping over his loss, Cory and Topanga were there for him. Nowadays, people just can't stand seeing people being so depressing. It's not even like we ever saw Cory and Topanga actually go through bullying or knew what it was like to make them stand by Shawn during this time in his life.
Now before I say anything about George Feeny, I have to say, this is the man who's the heart of Boy Meets World. He was the life coach and I know a teacher in my own life who was like him. The only difference was he was only my teacher for one year. Our whole class was close to him and he was close to everyone else, which is more than I can say for Feeny sadly. Think about it. He didn't talk to another student besides whoever was the main character for seven years. You have to feel sorry to the people that didn't grow up being taught by Feeny and guided through life by him. Those poor unfortunate souls.
And last but not least, Cory and Topanga. There's so much I can say that I found wrong with them more than halfway through the series. Some of the things they said and done would be outrageous to viewers if this was on today and not in reruns. They started off okay. Actually Cory wasn't so nice to Topanga during season 1, as far as I can remember. There can be a complaint about that as well. But season 3 is when things started going a bit downhill. In the Disney World episode, Cory follows Topanga all around the place trying to get her back. Just because he's in love with her still, does that make it okay for kids to follow someone they love around, thinking they'll win someone's heart? People in real life would not appreciate that at all, even if you say you love them. Then there came the two parter episode in season 4 when Topanga was going to move away with her parents - but then she disobeys her parents and runs away to be with Cory. Did that ever tell kids it's okay to do this because you'll be forever with your lover? If not, this just shows kids aren't always that affected by what they see or listen to. And in real life, doing something like this, I've never heard of it working out before. Besides, divorce rates are high these days. But then Topanga does even worse for herself. She gives up Yale to stay with Cory. If their love was so strong, surely Cory could've let her go and they'd be patient with each other until they were done school and they would meet up again, but this, to me, shows their relationship wasn't that strong. Also, just like how Bella Swan giving up her entire life just to be with Edward Cullen is considered a bad message to kids, doing this makes Topanga atleast half the woman Bella was. And once they're engaged, Cory reveals himself to be so obsessed with sex. He's so obsessed that even Topanga knows this and has no problem whatsoever! Does this send a good message to kids? That it's okay to be with someone even if they want to have sex with you so bad because you two are apparently so in love? He's still got a mind of his own. He's really into her for different reasons. At one point he really wants her to let him "touch something", and another time Topanga actually lets him see her butt. But this is okay for viewers apparently. How? You'd think people would complain about the fact that she's doing this before they even get married and a few episodes later, the wedding is off for a long while, with neither of them knowing if they'd ever actually be together again. And Cory alone isn't so much of a good character either. We never saw him get up and actually go to work. Despite all the ridiculous things Topanga did, atleast she was still doing something with her life, going into law. We atleast knew she actually had a goal for herself in life. All Cory had in life was just to be with Topanga forever and she seems to be the one doing so much for him and their relationship, it's kind of sad.
So that's all the flaws with Boy Meets World. So what is good about it? Simply the fact that it would try to teach you about life, if not everything there is. It taught us that the things we learn in school are for good reasons, it showed us parents leaving Shawn behind to have to fend for himself and how he had to deal with it, how important college is, it taught us about cults and what to do when you're being abused by a parent, it taught us not to cheat, not to settle, it showed us how a death in the family affects some people, sexual assault, how important friends are in one's life, it also taught us once about relationships in high school through one episode I can't remember right now. These were the messages that stand out to me the most. Possibly the only big messages that were really there. But the biggest message I think stands out the most with this show is that, despite Cory and Topanga, the show did try to show us how to love. The message about what love is was told like chapter to chapter all throughout the show I believe. So yes, Boy Meets World sure did have heart.
For sure, it was good with storytelling. The characters, not so much. There are flaws with the show and if there is anyone that's not a big fan of it, here's a message to the fans that Boy Meets World should've told you: no one's an idiot just because they don't like the same thing you do or they aren't as much of a fan of something like you are. Boy Meets World isn't a bad show, simply a bad sitcom. It's a lot like how people view good people. There are those that'll see someone and think they're just so perfect in every way. And then there are those who just can't believe that there isn't a single ounce of anything bad within this show. Or with people who are so goody two shoes like this show is. When people see someone who is a goody two shoes all the time, people often can't help but think they're fake and that they do have flaws that contradict their image. To me, it's fake, it isn't perfect as everyone pretends to be at all. But it's a great guide-to-life show and nothing more and that's okay. Okay is wonderful.
Boy Meets World, on the other hand, couldn't equal up to that. It got too serious. But to be serious to get whatever message an episode had across, that I could tolerate. But it doesn't work as a sitcom and never should've tried to be. It's like if two people are fighting in front of a kid, but because they're supposed to make the kid happy, they remember he or she is in the room and try to lighten up the mood by making funny faces at them. Heck, I could give Marvin Marvin credit as a sitcom if it was ever actually trying. People tend to regard shows like Boy Meets World as a sitcom and they're not. Even when the episodes aren't trying to give us some sort of message for kids what to do and what not to do, it doesn't work most of the time. With the exception of Eric Matthews and George Feeny. There are good things to say about Boy Meets World regardless, but I like going into the cons first for anything before giving out the pros for something.
Before I tackle the cons of Boy Meets World, I'll atleast say something about Girl Meets World. Sure, it's nice that the show is going to show life from a girl's perspective, but, the YTV original show called Life With Boys is already doing what Girl Meets World will do. The only difference between those two shows is that Life With Boys really is fresh, giving us completely new characters and an even tighter family than even the Matthews in Boy Meets World. The family in Life With Boys are more closer, even if the family is not complete. And the main character, Tess played by Torri Webster, has one friend and we only see one friend: Allie played by Madison Pettis. The show is very family based and the show has even taught a couple of things that Boy Meets World didn't even do: smoking, bullying and how to deal with it, and even showing Valentine's Day in a better light, showing the girls celebrating Valentine's Day just with girls and trying to show they don't need a significant other to celebrate Valentine's Day. Surely, Girl Meets World will be like Boy Meets World but I find it won't be so good if it needs to rely on the original characters often to be more loved. In fact many people seem to be more keen on watching it if the original characters were on the show full time. Even bringing Mr. Feeny back I find to be a bad idea. He fulfilled his purpose in Boy Meets World as a teacher and a life coach (who could sadly only be there for just the main characters apparently for seven years). It will be more than a decade since everyone moved from Philadelphia. If Cory Matthews has grown as we believed him to be doing from the series finale and onward, then I'd rather we see that. Show him as a hybrid of his father Alan and Feeny, but have that part of himself fans remembered from the original series. The one who Topanga Lawrence fell in love with. It'd atleast be okay if the original characters did come to visit at some point or even for a holiday like Christmas. Heck, every Christmas special would certainly be special that way! So that's what I'd like to see for Girl Meets World, but as of now, I really love Life With Boys. It's not exactly funny either like Boy Meets World isn't, but as the kind of show all three are, I like Life With Boys best.
Onto the cons of Boy Meets World before addressing the pros. One thing that bothers me is when people speak about Boy Meets World, they have such high respect for it, saying the show taught morals and lessons but there's two flaws to this: it didn't teach fans to accept and respect people with different opinions from themselves, and it didn't teach people everything about life. It didn't teach us about bullying, suicide, school shootings, or showing us even the aftermath of a tragedy (terrorism, natural disasters, etc), or dealing with someone with cancer or any terminal illness. It didn't cover everything. And even after the show ended, the world didn't get any better. Regardless of how you feel about the entertainment industry, that's not why the world didn't get any better. America and the rest of the world woke up due to one of the biggest tragedies in this century. Children lost whatever innocence they had left and could no longer grow up the way kids in the 90's did, where they would simply grow up going to school, coming home from school, having a television show that they either enjoyed during their spare time or a show that helped them get through whatever problems they may have had either within their family or their peers in school. Teenagers still drink or do drugs and smoke and still find themselves getting addicted to them. I grew up with a huge set of kids in elementary school and we were taught atleast twice that drinking, drugs, and smoking are bad for you. We were even taught about bullying constantly and to not do it to anyone. But even with the message right in your face as Boy Meets World was, my peers didn't listen to them like I did. They still wanted to drink, do drugs even, smoke, some still bullied. Some people just wanted to fit in with the crowd any way they could. It's a lot like Hollywood in a way. You have to do certain things in order to become mainstream and fit in with the popular people like Lady Gaga and Rihanna and Nicki Minaj. They might actually be talented, but almost all the time now, simply being musically gifted or a talented actor alone isn't enough to get people to appreciate them as a performer, even if you are a decent person or someone who's well grounded thanks to the people in your life. Shocking people with being promiscuous or showing you drink or do drugs or smoke seems to sell a lot. Possibly because it makes people feel more comfortable to know someone isn't perfect (or to any fan of anyone, perfectly imperfect). The point is, even if a show like Boy Meets World gives out a really positive message and tells you something is bad, at the end of the day, it is our choices that matter most. We are to blame for our poor choices. Call of Duty and Halo don't make everyone pick up a gun and kill someone just as much as Marilyn Manson doesn't. When people are attacked by bullies in anyway too much, I believe a message eventually sinks in to that person that they need to do whatever it is they unfortunately feel like they have to do. On media alone, I believe if someone knows that something is right or wrong, they have their own code/morals/moral code/personal beliefs, and/or if they've been taught to appreciate themselves as they are, anything they see or listen to won't make them do anything bad.
Another problem I have with Boy Meets World is the fact that shows like this even existed, shows that had to send out a message to kids back then. What does that say about the parents or to the parents? What does it say about our education system? Fortunately, I had to be taught by my parents not to imitate what I saw on TV and then I was able to watch whatever show that got me doing it previously, only this time I wouldn't be so hooked on it that I would imitate what I saw. And my elementary school taught me twice when I was 8 and 12, respectively, the consequences of drinking, drugs and smoking. My high school taught me the risks of having sex and how we should be careful, how we should make sure that other person we could be lucky to be with isn't carrying any diseases he/she are probably not even aware of, how if we had sex with someone of the opposite gender, we could become a parent faster than probably our own parents. But some people still chose to drink, do drugs, smoke, or have sex before marriage even when there was visuals shown to us that those things aren't a good idea. I have seen pictures of people having parties where they could get drunk and their parents would be visible in the pictures and not showing that they have any problems with their teen(s) drinking. My own father did the same for one of my siblings. Does that say anything about the parents back then or even today? Does that say anything about our education system? Or do we just not have a stronger influence and a more positive impact on kids as we should (even stronger than the child themselves)?
Moving on from how flawed Boy Meets World is when it comes to our society, I'm sure it did teach some people to do better in life. But what also makes the show flawed are the characters. Nowadays, people could watch a show once and if a character does something bad in that episode, they lose a viewer because he or she wasn't perfect in the viewer's eyes. When you look at Boy Meets World, fans will think the characters do no wrong, or if they have done wrong, it's overlooked and ignored. Even if it was shown repeatedly and there's two good examples of that, but I'll save that for last.
First off, there's Morgan. Many people could look at her as a brat if the show took place in this decade and she does come off as a bit of one in later seasons. She even dresses sexy for her first date and Amy isn't even phased by this one bit, as opposed to Alan. Nowadays people would be hating on Amy for allowing that to happen. Especially if the characters went to the beach and the girls were shown in bikinis there'd be a riot, as there has been for other shows made for kids where the characters have went to the beach.
There's not much to say about Angela except she was a boring character who only seemed to exist to be Shawn's true love. I wonder if we'll ever hear about her character in the spin off.
I'm sure there has to be someone who didn't like Eric that much. I'm surprised no one complained about him being a ladies man. He became ridiculous in the last few seasons of the show that it's incredible how much he changed after high school. If this show was on today, people on IMDB would probably be complaining about how Eric wanted to poison his sister for his dad's birthday. His plan is so ridiculous that I'm surprised nothing is said or done about it. He even made fun of Shawn being poor. If any other character in another show did this, fans of that show would never hear the end of those people that are hating on that show. But for Boy Meets World, this one goes ignored.
And we have Rachel, who people can complain about for even just one episode, having dressed sexy and washing the dishes in a sexy way in front of Cory and Shawn and turning them on would've been something to complain about if this show didn't have its name people are familiar with. Not to mention the sexy picture of her she made for Jack that was revealed in the prank war episode in the final season would also show she's not a perfect character, but there's no criticism for her actions either, whether or not we know she was sorry she ever did those things.
Jack can be considered a bit conceited and greedy in the final season. People would not find it funny either that someone is being taught about their greed consuming them and then shrugs it off to go buy a lottery ticket anyway. But somehow the audience found that funny.
Speaking of which, I find the live audience for this show can be as annoying as laugh tracks would be. Except they can be even worse. Live audiences go wild when characters kiss, and sometimes for a show, if you're going to talk to me about realism in a sitcom, how real is it when a character wins an argument or says something really funny and then suddenly stops because we hear the audience cheer for them for one minute before they can finish everything they say?
Alan was a pretty decent character actually. I don't have anything to say about him that's really negative except what sounds like a running gag for him "Get a job" wasn't funny. Just a good message. But he and Amy did start treating Eric like he really was an idiot. They weren't that close to him in my opinion as they were with Cory and even Morgan.
Stuart Minkus wasn't really in the show much but no one speaks ill of Shawn and Cory for having always picked on him. And they picked on him constantly in the first season, yet no one complains about this.
Shawn could be complained about for being a ladies man too even. He wasn't the best with girls at all. Except maybe with Angela but even that relationship was a bit messy. He became quite a hypocrite in the sixth season when his character started to become depressing because he didn't have Angela. Losing his father, I understood, but this was a different story. The season before this one, he was criticising Cory for being all mopey because he didn't have Topanga anymore. Yet when it was his turn to be the one moping over his loss, Cory and Topanga were there for him. Nowadays, people just can't stand seeing people being so depressing. It's not even like we ever saw Cory and Topanga actually go through bullying or knew what it was like to make them stand by Shawn during this time in his life.
Now before I say anything about George Feeny, I have to say, this is the man who's the heart of Boy Meets World. He was the life coach and I know a teacher in my own life who was like him. The only difference was he was only my teacher for one year. Our whole class was close to him and he was close to everyone else, which is more than I can say for Feeny sadly. Think about it. He didn't talk to another student besides whoever was the main character for seven years. You have to feel sorry to the people that didn't grow up being taught by Feeny and guided through life by him. Those poor unfortunate souls.
And last but not least, Cory and Topanga. There's so much I can say that I found wrong with them more than halfway through the series. Some of the things they said and done would be outrageous to viewers if this was on today and not in reruns. They started off okay. Actually Cory wasn't so nice to Topanga during season 1, as far as I can remember. There can be a complaint about that as well. But season 3 is when things started going a bit downhill. In the Disney World episode, Cory follows Topanga all around the place trying to get her back. Just because he's in love with her still, does that make it okay for kids to follow someone they love around, thinking they'll win someone's heart? People in real life would not appreciate that at all, even if you say you love them. Then there came the two parter episode in season 4 when Topanga was going to move away with her parents - but then she disobeys her parents and runs away to be with Cory. Did that ever tell kids it's okay to do this because you'll be forever with your lover? If not, this just shows kids aren't always that affected by what they see or listen to. And in real life, doing something like this, I've never heard of it working out before. Besides, divorce rates are high these days. But then Topanga does even worse for herself. She gives up Yale to stay with Cory. If their love was so strong, surely Cory could've let her go and they'd be patient with each other until they were done school and they would meet up again, but this, to me, shows their relationship wasn't that strong. Also, just like how Bella Swan giving up her entire life just to be with Edward Cullen is considered a bad message to kids, doing this makes Topanga atleast half the woman Bella was. And once they're engaged, Cory reveals himself to be so obsessed with sex. He's so obsessed that even Topanga knows this and has no problem whatsoever! Does this send a good message to kids? That it's okay to be with someone even if they want to have sex with you so bad because you two are apparently so in love? He's still got a mind of his own. He's really into her for different reasons. At one point he really wants her to let him "touch something", and another time Topanga actually lets him see her butt. But this is okay for viewers apparently. How? You'd think people would complain about the fact that she's doing this before they even get married and a few episodes later, the wedding is off for a long while, with neither of them knowing if they'd ever actually be together again. And Cory alone isn't so much of a good character either. We never saw him get up and actually go to work. Despite all the ridiculous things Topanga did, atleast she was still doing something with her life, going into law. We atleast knew she actually had a goal for herself in life. All Cory had in life was just to be with Topanga forever and she seems to be the one doing so much for him and their relationship, it's kind of sad.
So that's all the flaws with Boy Meets World. So what is good about it? Simply the fact that it would try to teach you about life, if not everything there is. It taught us that the things we learn in school are for good reasons, it showed us parents leaving Shawn behind to have to fend for himself and how he had to deal with it, how important college is, it taught us about cults and what to do when you're being abused by a parent, it taught us not to cheat, not to settle, it showed us how a death in the family affects some people, sexual assault, how important friends are in one's life, it also taught us once about relationships in high school through one episode I can't remember right now. These were the messages that stand out to me the most. Possibly the only big messages that were really there. But the biggest message I think stands out the most with this show is that, despite Cory and Topanga, the show did try to show us how to love. The message about what love is was told like chapter to chapter all throughout the show I believe. So yes, Boy Meets World sure did have heart.
For sure, it was good with storytelling. The characters, not so much. There are flaws with the show and if there is anyone that's not a big fan of it, here's a message to the fans that Boy Meets World should've told you: no one's an idiot just because they don't like the same thing you do or they aren't as much of a fan of something like you are. Boy Meets World isn't a bad show, simply a bad sitcom. It's a lot like how people view good people. There are those that'll see someone and think they're just so perfect in every way. And then there are those who just can't believe that there isn't a single ounce of anything bad within this show. Or with people who are so goody two shoes like this show is. When people see someone who is a goody two shoes all the time, people often can't help but think they're fake and that they do have flaws that contradict their image. To me, it's fake, it isn't perfect as everyone pretends to be at all. But it's a great guide-to-life show and nothing more and that's okay. Okay is wonderful.
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