VICTORiOUS

***Victorious*** (stylized as *VIC**TORi**OUS*) is an American television series created by Dan Schneider for Nickelodeon. The series revolves around aspiring singer Tori Vega, portrayed by Victoria Justice, who attends a performing arts high school while getting into wacky screwball situations on a daily basis. The series' Pilot episode premiered on March 27, 2010, and viewership was estimated at 5.7 million. The show ended on February 2, 2013. The show continued to air reruns on Nick until February 1, 2017.

## Plot

The series follows Tori Vega, a teenager who is accepted into Hollywood Arts High School (a school for talented teens in various performing-arts fields) after taking her older, much less-talented sister Trina Vega's place in a showcase after Trina has an allergic reaction to a Chinese herb product designed to help make people sing better. The plot follows Tori as she finds her place within Hollywood Arts while getting into crazy situations and adventures, and meeting friends to help her along the way. Other students at Hollywood Arts who make up Tori's group of friends include André Harris, a musical prodigy who becomes Tori's best friend at Hollywood Arts after encouraging her to stay at the school and helping her realize her talent; Robbie Shapiro, a socially awkward ventriloquist who carries around his puppet Rex Powers, who is seen by Robbie (and generally everyone else) as a living person; Jade West, a sarcastic and gothic "mean girl" who has a complicated frenemy relationship with Tori and often threatens her; Cat Valentine, a sweet and innocent but naive and somewhat dim-witted girl who is also Tori’s best friend; and Beck Oliver, a down-to-earth and handsome guy who is Jade's boyfriend. Other characters include Erwin Sikowitz, the performing-arts teacher for Hollywood Arts; Lane Alexander, the school's guidance counselor; and Sinjin Van Cleef, an odd classmate who is mostly in charge of A/V.

## Open Credits

Here I am, once again

Feeling lost but now and then

I breathe it in to let it go

And you don't know where you are now

Or what it would come to, if only somebody could hear

When you figure out how

You're lost in the moment, you disappear

You don't have to be afraid to put your dream in action

You're never gonna fade, you'll be the main attraction

Not a fantasy, just remember me

When it turns out right

'Cause you know that if you live in your imagination

Tomorrow, you'll be everybody's fascination

In my victory, just remember me

When I make it shine

Reachin' high, feelin' low

I'm holding on but letting go

I like to shine, I'll shine for you

And it's time to show the world how

It's a little bit closer, as long as I'm ready to go

All we have is right now

As long as you feel it inside, you know

You don't have to be afraid to put your dream in action

You're never gonna fade, you'll be the main attraction

Not a fantasy, just remember me

When it turns out right

'Cause you know that if you live in your imagination

Tomorrow, you'll be everybody's fascination

In my victory, just remember me

When I make it shine

Everyone can tell you how it's all been said and done (oh-whoa)

That harder times will change your mind

And make you wanna run

But you want it, and you need it

Like you need to breathe the air

If they doubt you, just believe it

That's enough to get you there

You don't have to be afraid to put your dream in action

You're never gonna fade, you'll be the main attraction

Not a fantasy, just remember me

When it turns out right (turns out right)

'Cause you know that if you live in your imagination

Tomorrow, you'll be everybody's fascination

In my victory, just remember me

When I make it shine

## Cast

### Main Characters

Victoria Justice as Tori Vega (main character) (16)

Leon Thomas III as Andre Harris (2nd main character) (16) (Tori's best friend)

Matt Bennet as Robbie Shapiro (3rd main character) (16) (Tori's friend)

Liz Gillies as Jade West (4th main character) (16) (Tori's frenemy)

Ariana Grande as Cat Valentine (5th main character) (16) (Tori's best friend) (Star in spinoff)

Avan Jogia as Beck Oliver (6th main character) (16) (Tori's friend) (Jade's boyfriend)

Danielle Moner as Trina Vega (7th main character) (17) (Tori's sister)

### Recurring

Eric Lange as Erwin Sikowitz (Main recurring character) (34) (Tori, Andre, Jade...'s teacher)

Jim Pirri as David Vega (2nd least recurring character) (47) (Tori and Trina's father)

Jennifer Carta as Holly Vega (3rd least recurring character) (46) (Tori and Trina's mother)

Michael Eric Reid as Sinjin Van Cleef (2nd recurring character) (16) (Tori's somewhat friend)

Lane Napper as Lane Alexander (least recurring character) (Toei's counsellor) (Hollywood Arts Counsellor)

### Characters

Victoria "Tori" Vega, a 16-year-old aspiring singer who enrolls at Hollywood Arts, a prestigious performing arts school, after unexpectedly filling in for her older sister, Trina Vega. Though initially self-conscious and uncertain among Hollywood Arts' talented student body, she soon embraces her own talents and new life. She is generally respectful to others, except Jade sometimes.

André Harris, one of Tori's best friends and biggest supporters at Hollywood Arts. He is a gifted musician and is also a talented song writer. He can play any instrument, but he prefers the keyboard. He has written almost every song Tori has performed so far in the series. He first met Tori when he was assigned to work with Trina on a performance for the school's annual talent showcase. They became best friends right away. His grandmother is afraid of everything and everyone. He is the guy everybody likes and is always the shoulder to lean on.

Robert "Robbie" Shapiro a shy and awkward student who is more comfortable speaking through his ventriloquist's dummy, Rex. His grandmother, Mamaw, implies that Robbie has had Rex for a long time; she tells her husband that Robbie "still" takes the puppet to school. He tends to take the slightest romantic advance from a girl, even while acting, very seriously. He is lactose intolerant. He can play the guitar and the harmonica.

Jade West, who used to consider herself a "not good friend" of Tori's. Although she has a caustic personality, Jade is hard working, talented, and popular. She often wears black clothing and can be somewhat of a masochist, implying in several episodes that she likes pain. She was Beck's girlfriend for at least three years. Jade is seen to get jealous easily. Although she and Tori were adversaries at the beginning of the series and Jade is quick to point out that she doesn't consider Tori a friend, Jade occasionally asked Tori for help and they seem like friends later in the series.

Catarina "Cat" Valentine, a sensitive drama queen. She tends to overreact and is extremely emotional, but she is pretty good friends with the gang. She is also Tori’s other best friend. She is a brunette but dyes her hair to a red velvet cupcake color. She is seen as eccentric and random. A running gag for Cat is that she often gets offended by people even when they are not trying to be nasty, and she reacts by saying, "What's that supposed to mean?!" Her favorite foods are cupcakes, candy, noodles, and potatoes. In the episode The Birthweek Song, Cat admits that she has psychological problems. She often talks about her weird brother and the strange situations he gets into.

Beck Oliver, a handsome and respected actor. He is kind and supportive to everyone at Hollywood Arts. He lives in an RV parked in his parent's driveway in order to avoid listening to his parent's rules. He wants to get a Rottweiler as a pet. His girlfriend is Jade.

Trina Vega, Tori's 17-year-old sister. Though she has good intentions and truly cares for Tori, Trina is materialistic, egotistical, and truly believes stardom is her destiny. Unfortunately, while she behaves like a diva, her performance level is of a significantly lower grade. Not a lot of people really like her because of her diva ways. Nonetheless, she has managed to somehow get into Hollywood Arts. Trina can sometimes be spoiled and will stop at nothing until she gets what she wants. She is physically strong, contrary to her image. She claims nothing scares her due to the fact that she's seen her grandmother naked. It is unknown exactly *what* Trina's talent is, but it may be acting or martial arts

## Trivia

* All female cast members are naturally brunettes. Ariana Grande was asked to dye her hair for Cat Valentine's hair to be red velvet, so that all the female cast members would not share the same hair color.
* Sikowitz, Rex, Cat, Jade and Robbie are the only characters from Victorious to appear on Sam & Cat.

## Production

#### Development

*Victorious* is the fifth series created by Dan Schneider for Nickelodeon, following *The Amanda Show*, *Drake & Josh*, *Zoey 101*, and *iCarly*. Schneider first met Justice in 2005, when she was twelve and arrived to audition for the part of Lola Martinez on *Zoey 101*. Impressed by her energy and look, Schneider hired her and, after working with her on three episodes, called Nickelodeon to say, "I’ve got your next star." Justice continued her role on *Zoey 101* until the series ended in 2008. In the meantime, Disney Channel, Nickelodeon's main competitor, had experienced immense success with franchises like *Hannah Montana* and *High School Musical*, which featured original songs and generated revenue through music as well as television. Seeking to "follow where the kids are", Nickelodeon executives asked Schneider to create a music-based show for the channel. Near the end of *Zoey 101'*s run, Justice was summoned to meet with Schneider about a potential series starring her.

While discussing possible concepts for the series during the meeting, Justice mentioned that she had attended a performing arts middle school. The idea intrigued Schneider, who recognized the appeal of series concerning fame. "If there is anything I've learned about kids today—and I'm not saying this is good or bad—it's that they all want to be stars," said Schneider. Marjorie Cohn, who was then Nickelodeon's executive vice president of original programming and development, agreed. "Every kid thinks they're five minutes away and one lucky circumstance from being famous," Cohn stated. She noted that Schneider's *iCarly*, a sitcom about a girl who hosts a popular web show, was spurred by the rise of YouTube celebrities and had become a successful show for Nickelodeon.

On August 13, 2008, Nickelodeon announced that Justice had signed "an overall talent and music deal" with the company, agreeing to star in a then-untitled musical-comedy series about a girl who attends a performing arts high school. While discussing the show's premise, Schneider stated that while it would be nice if more children "wanted to be teachers and social workers" instead of celebrities, "At least in 'Victorious,' you see a world where they're all working on the talent part." Nickelodeon Productions and the Columbia/Epic Label Group of Sony Music Entertainment agreed to co-produce the series as part of a partnership to develop talent and release their music.

#### Casting

Several of actors on *Victorious* had appeared in Nickelodeon programs prior to the premiere of *Victorious'*. In addition to *Zoey 101*, Justice appeared in the TV series *iCarly*, *The Naked Brothers Band*, and *True Jackson, VP*. She also co-starred with Avan Jogia, who plays Beck, on the Nickelodeon television movie *Spectacular!*. Daniella Monet guest starred in three episodes of *Zoey 101* while Leon Thomas was cast in episodes of *iCarly* and *The Naked Brothers Band*. Justice earned $12,000 per episode for *Victorious*.

#### Sets

The series is filmed in Hollywood, California. According to Paula Kaplan, Nickelodeon's executive vice president for talent, "In our adult world, nobody accommodates us for down time. But in a child's life on a set, we do take that seriously. At our studios on Sunset Boulevard, where we shoot *iCarly* and *Victorious*, the greenrooms are filled with games and Rock Band. We create an environment where they can have fun with their colleagues and take it easy."

The series is set primarily at Hollywood Arts. Outdoor shots of Hollywood Arts depict Burbank High School, which is located approximately fifteen minutes from the set. According to David Hinkley of the *New York Daily News*, "Outside of school, *Victorious* has the same look as *iCarly*, with most of the action taking place on one main set with a few basic home-furniture items."

*Victorious* and *Sam & Cat* are the only Dan Schneider shows to be filmed completely at Nick on Sunset. *iCarly* was filmed there seasons 1-5 and consisted of 6 seasons, *Drake and Josh* was only filmed there seasons 1, 2, and 4, *All That* was only filmed there for seasons 3-10, and *Zoey 101* wasn't filmed there at all.

#### Reception

The series premiere performed well among viewers. The pilot episode, advertised as a "sneak preview" of the series, aired after the 2010 Kids' Choice Awards on March 27, 2010 to 5.7 million viewers. This audience made *Victorious* Nickelodeon's highest rated live-action series debut. *Victorious'*s second episode was advertised as the series' official premiere and drew 3.48 million viewers. By comparison, Nickelodeon's *Big Time Rush* received 3.5 million viewers for its "sneak preview" debut in November 2009, and 6.8 million viewers for its "premiere" in January 2010.