Review of âiCarlyâ S2 EP 8 by Laura Rosa Fernandes
Looking Back - iCarly
(Nickelodeon, 2014)
Which of you recall iCarly â that American sitcom aimed at teens and young adults which ran from 2007 to 2012 on Nickelodeon? Whether you are a past fan or have just discovered the show, here are some thoughts on the sitcom and a deep dive into one of my favourite episodes. Many forget that iCarly was the longest running live action sitcom on Nickelodeon until 2019 and remains third longest-running show on the channel until to date (iCarly Fandom, 2025a). In 2020, Paramount + revived the show and Netflix have also started re-running earlier seasons, showing that there is still an audience out there interested in the show and its characters.
In a show that imitates art, the main character Carly Shay, created an internet webshow with her brother, Spencer, and friends Sam and Freddie. The programme was family friendly, aimed mainly at older teens and young adults (although we may be a little older now!), and was the first ever show to have audience members participate by sending video clips to the showâs official website, (iCarly Fandom, 2025). It had a lot of humour, cultural references â the show was made in Canada â and was extremely successful until 2011 when ratings began to fall. This was partly due to a legal dispute between the corporation who owned Nickelodeon, Viacom, and DirecTV.
One of the things which made iCarly popular was the fact it mimicked life, in that it had a group of friends in a High School creating a webshow. One of the things sitcoms attempt to do is to create a feeling of warmth and closeness to the characters. As mentioned above, iCarly took advantage of âfictional reality,â allowing viewers to send in their own clips and be involved with the show (Latouche, 2011). This meant that there was a link between television and social, online media, with many viewers finding a more enjoyable world on television than in their actual lives.Â
iCarly took hyperreality to an audience in a new way, blurring boundaries in how it created characters that seemed like friends or people that viewers would know in their own lives. In addition, the show alongside the website, made it seem to viewers as if the characters were creating a real webshow rather than a fictional one. In order to create authenticity, the show involved unsteady camerawork, as though the teens were filming, a battery indicator on the screen and prompts which were later removed for the online webshow, shown within the episode. It could be said that Carly Shaw was one of the original influencers, with guest appearances from celebrities and also internet engagement, (Shanfield, 2021). In todayâs world, iCarly could possibly be a YouTube channel.
In order to celebrate iCarly, letâs look in-depth at one of the episodes. The episode chosen for this blog is âiGo to Japanâ, which is the fifth episode of the second season of the show. Season Two had seven episodes in all, aired in 2008. This episode highlights the hyperreality of the show, as the iCarly team are invited to Tokyo, as they have been nominated for the iWeb Awards. During the award ceremony, the team are asked to perform a live skit on stage, and they create one called, âMelanie Higgles: Space Cheerleader.â The trip gets off to a bad start, when Mrs Benson refuses to allow Freddie to attend and only agrees if she is allowed to come too. However, the group have only been given three airplane tickets, and, with Mrs Benson, Carly, Spencer, Freddie and Sam, there are five of them.  The group try to trade in their three, first class tickets, for five in economy but end up riding in a possum-filled cargo plane and having to skydive out of the plane into Japan!
The group are found by a Japanese policeman who takes them to their hotel. While there, they are met by the stars of a competing web show, Kyoko and Yuki, who are nominated for the same award as them. At first, they appear to be friendly, offering Spencer and Mrs Benson free passes for Japanese seaweed massages at a spa and taking Carly, Freddie and Sam shopping. They then pretend to be lost and run away, leaving them stranded. Meanwhile, Mrs Benson and Spencer are left tied to the massage tables by seaweed. Spencer manages to eat the seaweed and escape and cut Mrs Benson free. The group eventually manage to reunite for the reward ceremony, but the security guards refuse to let them in as they do not understand English. Carly and Sam act out what has happened during their trip to try to explain to the guards what happened and, when Freddie videos their actions, they are broadcast to the audience at the awards ceremony. They are far more popular than Kyoko and Yuki, who attempted to stop them and win the award for best comedy. Â
(iCarly.com, 2025)
This is a great episode in my opinion. It is not part of the first series, where the team are finding their feet, so characters are more established. However, it is in the second of the first of five original series, so still feels new and fresh and has a good amount of comedy. I particularly like Carly and Sam acting out the actions at the end of the episode, working together to try to save the situation and the way that Freddie is involved in filming what they are doing. Even though they had a rough journey, plus another group trying to stop them winning the award, they were always positive.
Overall, iCarly had a lot to offer viewers, especially for those interested in possibly having their own webcast or an interest in filming. It showed that creating things together could be fun and that, although the shows were difficult to make, they worked out in the end.
Sources
iCarly.com (2025). Carly and Sam dressed up for their iWeb Awards. Available at: https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/icarly/images/e/e5/Mealanie.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100302040023 [Accessed 20 Feb. 2025]
iCarly Fandom. (2025a). ICarly (TV show). [online] iCarly Wiki. Available at: https://icarly.fandom.com/wiki/ICarly_(TV_show)?scrlybrkr [Accessed 14 Feb. 2025).
iCarly Fandom (2025b). IGo to Japan. [online] iCarly Wiki. Available at: https://icarly.fandom.com/wiki/IGo_to-Japan [Accessed 20 Feb. 2025]
Latouche, J., 2011. My real imaginary friends: iCarly and the power of hyperreality. Americana: The Journal of American Popular Culture, 1900 to Present, 10(1).
Nickelodeon (2014). Find Out What Happened to Your Favorite âiCarlyâ Characters. Available at: https://www.j-14.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/icarly-cast.jpg?fit=1000%2C895&quality=86&strip=all [Accessed 20 Feb. 2025].
Shanfeld, E. (2021). âiCarlyâ: Top 10 Episodes, Ranked. [online] Variety. Available at: https://variety.com/lists/top-10-icarly-episodes-ranked/icook/ [Accessed 14 Feb. 2025]
Written/published by: Laura Rosa Fernandes
Stream: Netflix/Paramount+
Rating: 5/5














