Just finished the first few episodes of Victorious’ spinoff series: Hollywood arts and to be frank, it’s terrible. I didn’t have high hopes for it but went in with an open mind and immediately I was hit with an hour of nostalgia bating and content that would appeal more to brainrotted kids that need the cocomelon-style stimulation to stay alive. Many elements that should have stayed: The Slap, Pear phones, the large and detailed sets have been removed, creating that sense of forced familiarity, while still somehow managing to half heartedly pay homage the original comedic style that relied on absurd scenarios. The cast is incredibly talented and passionate about this project which makes it especially sad to see such poor execution. Unfortunately, this show seems not to be for the audience that actually watched Victorious, but for the audience that was born after it finished airing, which is something we all must make peace with. More comments coming soon once I finish the 1st season and can give a well rounded review.

You dont realize how amazing the singers were in victorious until you have to watch hollywood arts and realize none of them compare.

Forget ariana grande and liz gillies who were just too good to ignore, but the new tori for hollywood arts just doesnt compare to victoria justice.

When tori performed at the showcase it was like, oh wait shes actually really good. But now its like ehh, shes okay when it comes to the new girl in hollywood arts.

This show has a lot if fun nuisances despite the over acting but the talent just isnt really comparing to any degree.

Victorious songs had you replaying them because they were so good, but hollywood arts has a lot to be desired when it comes to the singing.

I can see her making it big after this show

I was so excited for Hollywood Arts, even after the trailers didn’t seem so promising. I don’t even think I’m going to get past the first episode, here’s why.

The whole vibe of the show is completely incomparable to Victorious. I at least expected a spin-off/sequel series to have a similar style, but if you took away the set you wouldn’t be able to tell that it was even in the same universe. I understand they had to target to a younger audience, but the og show stayed within their TV-G guidelines so I see no reason for that immediately recognizable disconnect in atmosphere. The script is so typically and modernly cringey. If anyone remembers The Thundermans, it almost feels like that, which was/is not bad at all if that fits the vibe, but for a continuation of VICTORIOUS there’s no way that you can tell me that makes sense. This was disappointing because the one thing I had hope for was the writers not taking it in that direction. Victorious was cool and edgy, especially in the beginning. Given that was the source material, it makes me question if they just let anyone write Netflix shows. I think they should all be fired.

Another thing that threw me off is the main cast. What made the original show so compelling was that it was overflowing with STYLE. WHY IS THERE NO STYLE IN THIS SHOW. The actors seem like good people, I’m happy for them, and they worked with what they got, but there’s no range. They all act with that stereotypical dumbness that you would see in a drama-short ad. I couldn’t tell you the personality of any of the characters after watching the first ep, except that Jen seems like Jade if she went on to become Miss Rachel. Also, there was a vibe amongst everyone in the Victorious main cast that made it very believable that any one of them could go on to become a “star.” They were attractive, talented, and they knew who they were. I don’t feel that with this show in the slightest, and they all lack that cool Hollywood aesthetic that I was in awe over as a kid.

Talent-wise it is laughable, especially when you think about how Liz and Ariana were casted fresh off of Broadway. None of them hold a torch even to Robbie’s vocals, which says a lot. I actually couldn’t believe what I was hearing when every one of them were singing, both the production and the vocals are terrible (better than me for sure but not good enough for something like this). It sounds like they recorded the songs on Smule and threw them straight into the show. The songs are typical emotionless TikTok pop, so to be expected but I was still disappointed.

Some of these issues aren’t exclusive to this show, as I feel like everything has gone downhill since the 2010’s, but this is an abomination to the Victorious name. As much of a disgusting person Schneider is, he sure knew how to write a show, so we should’ve let it die with his name (or at least let someone with a brain write it???)

Would love to know anyone else thoughts, and just know I’m criticizing with love and my opinion obviously doesn’t matter whatsoever, just what I was thinking after watching lmao

It's not perfect, there's a lot missing, but it was never going to be the show we grew up with. I'm having a good time watching it though, the cast is incredibly talented, I'm enjoying the old references, and new plotlines, is it an amazing show? No! But I love the direction they took with Trina, and they took a different enough direction with the new students. Things have changed a lot since the 2010's, I went to three different high schools in that time and saw nearly the same personalities in each one, so dare I say it's not unrealistic to cast similar but also different roles.

I just finished watching the first 12 episodes of Hollywood Arts, and honestly, I went into this expecting it to be cringey. Let’s be real: with the number of disappointing reboots, revivals, and spin-offs we’ve gotten in recent years, it’s hard not to approach another one with a healthy dose of skepticism. Surprisingly, though, Hollywood Arts has been pretty serviceable so far. It’s not without its flaws, but there’s enough here to make it an enjoyable watch.

Trina Vega carried this show, and I will die on that hill.

Her mannerisms, antics, and overall characterisation feel so natural that it’s almost as if she never left the original series. What makes Trina work isn’t just the nostalgia factor; it’s that her character still feels distinctly Trina. She doesn’t come across as a watered-down version of herself or a character who’s been brought back solely for fan service. She brings the same chaotic energy that made her memorable in Victorious, and honestly, the show benefits tremendously from her presence.

I also appreciate the callbacks to iconic Victorious moments and references, such as Karaoke Dokie, the Pear Phone, Tori’s locker, the Lockout episode, and the Big Showcase. These references feel like little rewards for longtime fans without making the entire series dependent on nostalgia. That’s precisely how you incorporate callbacks into a spin-off: respect the original show’s legacy while giving the new series room to establish its own identity.

The new cast deserves credit, too.

Oscar and Jen are the two newcomers who stood out to me the most. They have that exaggerated, expressive, almost cartoonish approach to comedy that made so much of Nickelodeon’s classic sitcom acting memorable. Their performances don’t feel like they’re trying too hard to imitate the original cast; rather, they capture the spirit of that era of Nickelodeon television. They’re expressive, committed to the absurdity, and willing to go all out with their characters. For me, they understand the assignment.

As for Emmy, I think she’s been okay as the lead, but I was hoping she’d hold her own a little more against the rest of the cast. At times, she fades into the background, which is particularly noticeable when the supporting characters have such strong and distinctive personalities. This isn’t necessarily a knock on her acting abilities, but I do think the show needs to give its lead more opportunities to stand out. When your supporting cast consistently commands more attention than your protagonist, that’s something worth addressing.

My biggest criticism, however, is the show’s Disney coded storytelling.

A lot of the storylines revolve around working together, supporting one another, and chasing your dreams. There’s nothing inherently wrong with those themes, but the execution sometimes feels a little too polished and formulaic. One of the things that made Victorious stand out was its willingness to embrace weirdness, absurdity, and characters who weren’t always trying to teach the audience a lesson. I would’ve liked Hollywood Arts to lean further into that unconventional energy instead of occasionally feeling like a Disney Channel sitcom wearing a Nickelodeon costume.

I’m also a little disappointed by the use of existing pop songs. I would’ve preferred the series to stick more closely to original songs, which were such an integral part of Victorious. The original music wasn’t just filler between scenes; it helped establish the show’s identity and gave its musical performances a personality of their own. Using familiar pop songs isn’t automatically a bad decision, but I think original music would’ve done more to distinguish Hollywood Arts from other teen sitcoms.

Overall, I’m giving the first 12 episodes an 8.5/10.

My biggest hope for the remaining episodes is that the show becomes more confident in its own identity. It doesn’t need to replicate Victorious beat for beat, but it should understand what made the original memorable in the first place: its unapologetic weirdness, ridiculous humour, eccentric characters, and original music.
Hollywood Arts has the potential to be more than a nostalgia trip. I just hope it stops playing it safe and lets itself be as weird as the school it’s named after.

I am so pissed about Robbie's return episode. Literally the Cabbie romance had no closure, and they retcon the fact Robbie stopped liking Trina. And he said that students thought he had a crush on Cat? And in the end while he doesn't end up with Trina, and gets with another girl, that pissed me off, the ending should have be Robbie calling a number, and we hear Cat's giggle. So yea, anyone pissed Cabbie didn't get any closure?

“Me and this frenemy who went to Hollywood Arts were after the same role. She had the hottest boyfriend. Actually, you kinda remind me of this girl. She loved scissors.” What do you guys think Jade is doing with her career now?

So, I basically started watching Victorious (idk I'm on and off) I'm on s1 mostly and by far I'm liking it sm.

I love Tori the most. I love how she handles Jade bullying. Like the alphabet fight between them was my absolute fav. And also the fake black eye... Jade is really an interesting and complex character second fav after Tori. I'm enjoying their dynamics though ngl.

Hmm...idrc about Cat I kinda find her annoying. But she's cute 😭

So, yeah I'm watching. Any advice?

It's unrelated to the actual plot but Daniella has SUCH an amazing wardrobe. The heels, the skirts. She looks fabulous and has hardly aged since Victorious!

I'm 7 eps in, and personally I really like the show. Daniella Monet effortlessly steps back into Trina, and she is so good in this new role for Trina. I love that being a teacher is making her a better person, and I love that the kids love her. The new cast is lovable; even when they are trying to be updated versions of the old cast, they are still their own. Emmy, Qwest, and Pepper are my favorites so far.

Robbie, Rex, Sikowitz, and Helen are delightful in the show. The Humor feels like Victorious, which is expected since Jake Farrow wrote it. It's never going to be Victorious, and I think everyone who's mad about it needs to accept that. If you want it to be Victorious, then go watch that show. It's a perfectly fine show that I'm really enjoying, and I hope it lasts past Season 1.

The show is so bad. All the jokes are unfunny and aimed at little kids, like 6-year-olds. Victorious and Icarly etc were aimed at teens for teens. This show completely got rid of the teen themes and made it for little kids. Also, the whole set feels cheap and small. You can tell just by watching how small all the sets are including where they have lunch to the hallway. If you compare it to original show the set was far bigger. The script is also very unfunny and not very good at all. It just feels really dumbed down.
Not once did anyone watching victorious and stuff have issues with the jokes. It's only this new cancel culture. I've seen far worse Disney channel shows than anything on Nickelodeon. Even sponge bob is 100 times more rude than this whole show. And Nickelodeon would show content that is pg 13. Fun size is far worse and so is ninja turtles movies. But they were afraid of cancel culture so made it really tame and couldn't make rude or teen jokes. Even DreamWorks animated kids movies have more mature humour.
Also lots of what happened to the characters is unrealistic and doubt would have ever happened if it was aimed at teens like the Og show was. They really ruined Sikowitz character

Getting rid of pear phones is another thing that don't make sense. Victorious is set in the same universe as Icarly. Icarly came out in 2023 and they still had pear phones. In 3 years I doubt pear company would have gone bankrupt

Also, getting rid of the slap and making them all have a live-stream, TikTok-style app instead is really bad and lazy; it's not creative.
I was really excited but unfortunately it was a big let down. If it do get a season 2 hopefully they will aim it at the target audience watching that are teens and young adults who grow up with victorious. Until then if they keep dumbing it down and making it for very very little kids then this show I don't think will work

All the cast are great and have great chemistry and some cool outfits and shoes, and fantastic voices. But besides that the show was a big letdown.

For people asking how I watched the show early, one of my family members is a journalist critic and got sent the Eps early

so in the first episode, something kinda weird goes down — Jen Z says her mom signed her up for magic classes, and then she straight up teleports and vanishes in a cloud of smoke. Now, for anyone who doesn't know, that's a parody of another Nickelodeon show called Grachi, which also aired worldwide just like Victorious EXCEPT in the U.S. it didn't air on Nickelodeon! it was on MTV 3, Netflix, and a bunch of other channels.

And just in case some of you are wondering, yes! Grachi is the original version of Every Witch Way. And fun fact: Victoria Justice actually met the leads of Grachi (Isabella Castillo and Andres Mercado) during a tour in Brazil and Argentina, where Nickelodeon even set up a joint autograph signing for both shows — they signed Grachi and Victorious CDs together. On top of that, Victoria said she wanted to guest star in Grachi season 3, but it never happened because just days after that meetup, Grachi was already wrapping filming.

Some fans are kinda confused because they didn't know about Grachi, and honestly, the scene looks super weird if you're not familiar with it — like, it makes no sense for Jen Z to suddenly have witch powers out of nowhere. It's a pretty surreal scene!!

I’ve gotten through a few episodes of the series now and I have to share my thoughts

I do enjoy the new series and think it is a binge worthy show. I like all the characters and it’s nice to jump back into this universe again.

I do think this series is better than Seasons 3-4 of Victorious but still not as good as Seasons 1-2.

I am excited for the second half of season 1!

I'm almost finished watching Hollywood arts but i had to take a break to get this out bc to be honest I'm not really liking it.

The tone of the show itself feels way younger than Victorious which felt pretty aimed at teens.

Then we have Trina and Emmy both kinda being the leads of the show but we haven't really learned anything about Emmy's personal life yet other than "she's stuck in her brother's shadow", haven't seen her house or her parents. For her to be the main character it doesn't really feel like it aside from her big spotlight in episode.

Pepper i find more annoying than funny and Gen is just Jade but not goth and is more of a try hard person. I'm also not a fan of them constantly fighting over Oscar it's just not funny and feels dated itself something the og show didn't even have.

I know everyone liked beck in the og show but it feels weird when it's also characters in this friendgroup doing the thirsting .

I'd say Quest is the best new character.

Then they bring back Robbie for no other reason other than to nostalgia bait so this was for OG fans but they use this to retcon and rewrite history so it makes me question why was it even the point.

I'm not mad Cat and Robbie aren't together i was never a fan of that ship but I don't like how brushed off their relationship was. Robbie going "everyone thought i liked cat but actually" felt like they were trying to gaslight me.

Robbie was obviously in love with cat (even came back in sam & cat for her) but was also a little weirdo who wanted attention from any pretty girl. I don't like how they tried to force the narrative he's also had actual feelings for Trina. Idk It was just weird to me honestly i wouldn't have a problem with him and trina if they just simply had Robbie refer to Cat as his ex girlfriend instead of pretending he didn't like her that much.

The show also feels so dated which isn't a great thing bc why are we making 6/7 jokes?? I hate when shows set themselves in a specific time bc it just comes across as cringe especially reboots i dont know why they feel the need to write like this when the og show never even dated itself like this. The slap would've been still fine to have and be relevant bc people still use twitter but they wanted to do a tiktok spoof for some reason?

I hope if more OG character's come back they've found success too and didn't end up like Robbie, Tori isn't the only one who deserved to be famous. I also hope they're all still friends since Robbie is implied to not really talk to them anymore.

At least everyone in this new show can sing. I will give them that.

I enjoyed it! Honestly, I was shocked to see how awful it’s been received so far in this sub. Some of the hate to me feels kinda forced/just because it’s not the same as the original, which it’s obviously not as it’s a spinoff and a different target audience. Anyway, here are my thoughts as a 20yr old who grew up on Nickelodeon:

The characters: I really like how they are actually unique and not basic, they all feel like theater kids. Sure they remind me of the Victorious cast but is that really such a bad thing? The Victorious cast dynamic and chemistry worked really well, in fact for me it’s what made the show, so it makes sense that the spinoff would take from that but still make the characters their own in terms of certain talents, background story, clothing style, and how they interact. This makes even more sense when you focus on the new target audience (who may not have watched Victorious) by giving them the chance to experience a similar dynamic and characters. Daniella still plays Trina like she never stopped and she’s doing great. Edit: Forgot to mention that to me, Trina’s storyline about how she got here makes perfect sense. I’m also glad we got to see Sikowitz and principal Helen again.

The set: I think it’s actually replicated REALLY well. It’s nostalgic for me as a major Victorious fan and the classroom and lockers especially are fantastic. Karaoke Dokie really takes me back and I love that they included that. My only critique is not having many other students in the background/extras, but I don’t think it’s that big a deal.

The music: This cast is super talented. They can all sing and dance in a way that exceeded my expectations. So far, the covers are fun and a nice touch. The Girls Just Wanna Have Fun cover already became a memorable moment for me. The theme song is great too. I’m excited to see what other music this series has in store.

The language and humor: It’s modern, which is expected. There’s gen z language but it’s better than foot jokes. I thought plenty of things were funny. For example, Qwest’s entrance into the class switching outfits in 2 seconds, his dad’s sudden reaction to the whole basketball game thing, Sikowitz going out the window like old times, Trina making everything about her and not even trying to hide it, Oscar acting as the basketball coach, Emmy’s french performance, Pepper’s voice after being poisoned, Helen pronouncing Trina’s name wrong still, Jen continuously bringing up Trina’s age, the way some phrases are repeated exactly the same by everyone separately (like the karaoke healing thing), etc. It has the randomness of Victorious which I enjoy. Edit: I do miss the dark humor a bit (not the really weird DS things though). The new app is basically a modern version of the slap. I wish they would’ve kept pear phones for sure.

Seeing both good and bad things about it online right now, thusfar I’ve only watched the first episode and it was….rough. I wasn’t going into it thinking it was gonna be just like Victorious of course bc I feel like Victorious was such a product of its time, I went in with an open mind bc Victorious is so near and dear to me but this attempt to make it appeal to the current gen of younger kids felt way too “how do you do fellow kids” for me to enjoy it. Gonna chalk it up to it not being my thing. Maybe this does appeal to kids who are my age when I grew up with Victorious? With this first episode it felt like the humor lost so much of its edge. I sat thru the whole episode stonefaced, which is fine!! It’s for kids, not me. But also idk I’m nineteen and the jokes in victorious still to this day make me laugh as hard as I did then, this show is very obviously catering to fans of the original show and I felt like it missed the mark. I didn’t entirely hate it. My reaction was basically “Cute!! But something’s missing”

Would love to know how other ppl are feeling

Sorry, y'all, I could only stomach 4 episodes of the show. Anybody who saw all 12, did we get any current status on Andre, Jade, Cat, or Beck? Or at least some mentions?

On the iCarly channel

America only

Ends Saturday