I was skeptical when I heard about the iCarly revival because this was one of my favorite childhood shows and I didn’t want to see it ruined. Revivals are incredibly tricky to do well and more often than not, they tend to flop. Revivals either drastically change the show or rely too much on the past. I thought that iCarly (2021), however, did a fine job balancing this and was an enjoyable watch. The plot of the show connects wonderfully to the plot of the original as Carly recreates her webshow using modern social media.
While the show felt like a cheesy sitcom at times, I was pleased to see that it incorporated adult themes. These themes are quite common for modern shows, but they stand out in iCarly because they were avoided in the original. The revival includes a pansexual person of color, touches on cancel culture and being problematic on the internet, and uses more mature language and storylines. These things were considered taboo for the original kid’s show to include, especially since it came out in 2007.
The original characters Carly, Spencer, and Freddy slip right back into their roles and their dynamics feel very natural. Revivals always get heat for the addition of new characters and absence of old characters, but I really wasn’t bothered by the neighbor, Harper. I thought she did her best to be a funny supporting character without trying to replace anyone. Freddy’s adopted daughter, however, I could do without. I can see that the show was trying to bring in a youthful perspective in contrast with all the adults, but I thought her character was unnecessary and just plain irritating.
My biggest issue with the show is that key characters like Sam and Gibby were not there. Sam and Gibby were personally my favorites from the original show; I felt like much of iCarly’s humor was done at their hands. It’s understandable why actors choose not to return to the revival, but their absences are still greatly missed and make the show feel as if it is missing something. Apart from Sam and Gibby’s absence, I’m grateful that Spencer was still there and acting like his wacky, chaotic self. Spencer and Freddy’s upgraded friendship was hilarious and in some ways made up for the others not being there. I was also happy to see that some iconic side characters like Mrs. Benson and Nora Dershlit came back, but I want to see more of them and would love an appearance from T-Bo and Lewbert.
Revivals will never be able to live up to the success of the original because fans will always be disappointed about something. With that said, the revival made a decent effort to be something fresh and new while staying true to the original show. It’ll take some time to get used to character absences, but I’m curious to see where the show will be going and will definitely stay tuned.
iCarly is streaming on Paramount+ with new episodes coming out every Thursday.