“Dont panic… They added Victorious to Netflix!” -My 16 year old brother
If you are like me, you religiously watched all Disney Channel and Nickelodeon teen hits. Shows like Zoey 101, A.N.T Farm, Drake and Josh, and Hannah Montana shaped my life from 2005 to even now. These shows offered iconic characters, smash hit songs, and hours of entertainment. Recently, Victorious has been added to Netflix and my brain practically exploded. I have spent the last 48 hours re-watching Victorious and fully enjoying what it has to offer. By doing this I have realized that the show is even better than I initially thought. Victorious was ahead of its time and still provides great entertainment.
Tori Vega Practically Invented Twitter Culture
For those who don’t remember, a key feature of the show was giving ‘The Slap’ status updates as a transition between scenes. The Slap is equivalent to modern day Facebook or Twitter. Tori would usually send an update with something that was going on and an interesting mood that fit. Something along the lines of “wazzed” was usually good enough to convey any emotion. This is eerily similar to twitter culture today – funny and short snapshots of Tori’s day to day life. This show was clearly ahead of its time and may have been responsible for the twitter craze we see today.
The Songs Are Still Bops
Victorious created and pulled off some of the greatest teen songs of all time. From the iconic theme song “Make It Shine” to “Beggin’ on Your Knees” and everything in between, these songs were memorable and big hits. I have found that even those who didn’t necessarily watch the show as much as I did can still recall most of the lyrics. Most of the Victorious songs have over 30 million plays on Spotify. The high energy and dramatic tunes fit in with their time and can still make me belt them out any day.
Pear Phones
How do you avoid copyright issues you may ask? Just change the name of the associated fruit. This is exactly what the writers did. Oddly enough, the Pear franchise made several significant appearances. The iconic PearPhones and PearPads strangely resembles the iPhone. I always wanted one! In almost every episode the technology is woven into the story line. Don’t forget that Tori sends out her famous status updates through her PearPhone.
The Characters
Each and every one of the characters was new and interesting. The show heavily focused on a developing group of friends that was unpredictable. This was great to watch as a kid and still great to watch now. Tori the very talented and pretty girl, Robbie the group outcast, Jade the teen emo and edgy girl, Cat the ditzy and bubbly girl, André the comedic companion, and Beck the teen heartthrob. All these characters were lovable in their own way and made the show interesting. However, these characters don’t feel overused. They all felt new and exciting when the show aired and still do to this day. Everyone can find a character they appreciate because they are all very different.
Character Development
One of the most fascinating parts of the show is the development that every character experiences and the growth of the relationships between the characters. Jade and Tori are notoriously at odds, yet their relationship develops throughout the series and they become unlikely friends. Cat becomes slightly less ditzy (and even gets a spinoff show Sam & Cat), and even Robbie starts to part with his puppet. It’s hard not to enjoy the series to the very end when all the characters better themselves and the friendships become stronger. You find yourself attached to their stories by the end.
This series has always been one of my favorites. I can still sing all of the songs, I can still remember EVERY episode (I know, it’s weird), and I can still enjoy watching every episode over and over again. The show slapped when it aired live and it still slaps today. If you have never watched or have forgotten that you loved it… please go to Netflix and watch immediately.
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