From l., Sam Puckett (played by Jennette McCurdy) and Cat Valentine (Ariana Grande) in Nickelodeon's new series "Sam & Cat"
Yes, kids, that’s Sam Puckett from “iCarly” pulling up on that cool motorcycle at the beginning of “Sam and Cat,” a Nickelodeon show that premieres June 8 at 8 p.m.
And yes, that ditzy girl with whom Sam strikes up a conversation, then a friendship, then a roommate deal, is Cat Valentine from “Victorious.”
“As far as I can tell,” says Dan Schneider, creator of all three shows, “This may be the first double spinoff in TV history.”
Schneider says he doesn’t plan for spinoffs, but after eight series on Nickelodeon, things seem to work out that way. The same way “Drake & Josh” spun into “iCarly,” now two familiar characters get their own showcase.
“Of course we love having the built-in audience of fans from’iCarly’ and ‘Victorious’,” says Schneider, and yes, he’d love to have an old friend like Miranda Cosgrove, who played Carly, drop in for a guest appearance somewhere down the line.
“But we also want ‘Sam and Cat’ to stand entirely on its own,” he says. “Nickelodeon is for kids 6 to 14, so there is always a younger audience that’s not familiar with anything before.”
Sam (Jennette McCurdy) will still “be a free spirit” and eat bad food, while Cat (Ariana Grande) won’t lose her spaciness.
“But they had supporting roles on their last shows,” Schneider notes, “and that sometimes requires you to be a little more one-dimensional. We’ll round their characters out more on this one.”
Both Grande and McCurdy are ready for their closeups, he adds.
“I had no idea Sam would break out the way she did on ‘iCarly’,” says Schneider. “But the fans love her. And whenever kids talk about ‘Victorious,’ they all want to meet Cat.”
Schneider doesn’t lay out a formula for his shows, which have consistently been among the most popular on the network.
He does say, however, that it’s crucial to have jokes his whole range of viewers can understand.
“I say to my writers all the time, ‘This is s a great joke, but will an 8-year-old get it?’ Someone wrote a President Clinton joke recently. I told him President Clinton might as well be President Lincoln to these kids. They don’t know him.”
He also tries to minimize pop-culture references that tie the show to a particular point in time. He has the characters use his own fictional brand of computer. When he needs a reality-show joke, he uses his own made-up series, “Celebrities Under Water.”
“That sounds like it actually could be a reality show,” he says.”But it isn’t, so the reference never gets dated.”
Viewers also never hear what grade Sam and Cat have reached in school. For the show’s purposes, the more important details will surround their new baby-sitting service.
“They’re great characters to work with,” says Schneider. “I love buddy comedies anyway. I loved the Fonz and Richie on ‘Happy Days.’ ”
Even if his current audience has no idea who they were.
(Source: DailyNews)
