ICarly (Television Series)

Title: ICarly
Channel: Disney Channel
5 Seasons
Starring Miranda Cosgrove

Currently in its' 5th season, ICarly has been an extremely popular show among tweens. My younger brother and sister (12 and 10 respectively) are huge fans of the show and the reason for my exposure to the program.

Description:

ICarly follows the life of Carly, a young girl who lives with her older, kooky brother Spencer in a trendy loft apartment in Seattle, WA. The show stars Miranda Cosgrove as Carly and centers around a video blog that Carly and her friend Sam star in, with their friend in charge of the camera work. Sam is most often portrayed as a brash, tom-boy like girl who constantly picks on Freddie who is the brunt of many of Carly and Sam's jokes. The episodes usually find the trio involved in some sort of conflict or uneasy circumstance, often times involving their website and online T.V. show, which by the show's end is usually resolved and the general dynamic from the beginning of the show is restored.

Review:

After watching ICarly several times with my younger sister, I was left with a couple questions; where are her parents and where are the adults in general? The lack of adult presence in the show makes it so that Carly and her friends can basically do whatever they like and they are often portrayed as meeting together at a smoothie restaurant (very similar to the coffee shop in 'Seinfeld'). They speak, dress and act much older than the characters age would indicate (although the actors themselves are probably older than their characters or audience would indicate).

While some of the sight gags were amusing, and one overweight character named Gibby really got a rise out of my sister, I have to say that this is not the kind of programming kids should be watching. While not harmful in the least, the jokes are sort of dumbed-down and the characters fail to face any really difficult situations (or even realistic ones). Not a horrible show that one should never let their kids watch, but there are just so many better things that a tween could be spending their time with.