ICarly is a worthy successor to Dan Schneider previous hit, Drake and Josh with great characters, strong humor and just the right amount of heart and character development...is what I would say if the show didn't drop the ball less than half way through it's run. Like, this is a classic case of a show overstaying its welcome and going from an ambitious and unique show with a well executed premise to a generic sitcom with tired cliches and lackluster storytelling. Ever since I last saw the show, I've always wondered what happened to the quality in the latter seasons. Well, let's pull a classic Saberapark and find out what ruined iCarly (for me, I know a lot of people still have fond memories of it; this is just my opinion).
The first season actually showed a lot of promise and in hindsight was so ahead of it's time I almost want to believe Dan Schneider and his team of writers were psychic. The first episode portrays almost exactly how something went viral and how these kids decided to continue making funny videos. It wasn't for the money or fame, but because they liked making the audience laugh. The season also had episodes wher they tried to get more views, filmed in detention, tried catching an alleged criminal, and even exposed one of their teachers for illegally downloading songs. They even tackle sponserships and tv deals in a hilarious and clever way. The show started out with a bang and you'd think that same level of quality would continue into later seasons. Spoilers, it didn't.
Alot of people point to the Seddie arc as the downfall of the show, and that's a fair assessment. Although I'd argue that the Seddie arc was climax of a common problem that started all the way back with the first episode of season 2. That problem was having the web show, the very foundation of the series, take a backseat in favor of romance and drama. Many episodes post Season 1 don't have the web show integral to the plot and some don't even have the web show present at all. This leads to many episodes feeling really generic and beneath the show's concept. Like, did we need an hour long special where Carly dates a "bad boy?" Or an episode where they try to make Sam "girly?"
Then came the Seddie arc, which I never understood why the writers thought Sam and Freddie being together would be either interesting. They been at it with each other since the very beginning. At best, they'd learn to respect each other but even then a romantic relationship would be out of the question. They lack any real chemistry, they never agree on anything, and they take focus away from what the show is supposed to be about.
There are other problems with the show as well and it baffles me how they weren't fixed as the show went on. In the first season, Freddie's Mom, Marissa, was overprotective but still loved her son and respected his boundaries. In the later seasons, she might as well put Freddie in a plastic bubble and she was so ungrateful that he saved Carly's life, she got vindictive on her for "almost killing her son." This isn't even funny, this is just mean. Ms. Briggs and Mr. Howard are such bad teachers, they make Mrs. Hayfer look like Professor McGonagall in comparison. They clearly despise kids, they make unjust punishments to them, they kiss up to the superintendent, and it's confirmed that they're in a relationship despite Mr. Howard still being married. If I had to pick the worst sin this show commits is having One Direction, David Archuleta and Good Charlotte feel wasted. They didn't let David Archuleta sing because they spent too much time on an unlikable character who deserved to lose the music competition. Good Charlotte was completely superfluous to the plot of the TV movie and the best they could do with One Direction, the biggest boy band on the planet at the time, was have Harry pretend to be sick? I here by dub thee LAME!
Ultimately, the reason why iCarly fell from grace is because Dan Schneider and the writers chose to make the show less about wacky antics in front of a camera and more about the romance and gags outside the web show. I suspect they did this to prevent the show from being dated, but like I said before: the first season was a head of its time. The Internet gave rise to many popular celebrities such as Arin Hanson and Dan Avildan (Game Grumps), Doug Walker (Nostalgia Critic), the Fine Brothers, James Charles, Salman Khan (Khan Academy), and the biggest ones of all, Felix Kjellberg (Pewdiepie) and T-Series. It's no longer a niche novelty that'll become dated in a few years; it's now part of our modern society. The decline of iCarly happened because Dan Schneider and the writers had an inherent misconception about the longevity of content made on the Internet. It's ironic that in an effort to not feel dated, the show ended up using tropes and cliches that were tired even before the show first aired.
In conclusion, iCarly could've been one of Nickelodeon's best shows had it stayed consistent in quality. The characters were likable and funny, the humor was on point, the sets were well done and and there's just the right amount of heart to prevent it from being schmaltzy. However, all those positives only apply to the first season, about half of season 2, very little of seasons 3-7 and of course the finale. The show overall is a mixed bag with a lot of good episodes but also a lot of mediocre episodes. My advice, just stick with first season and some of season 2.
