Victorious VS iCarly: Battle of the Nickelodeon Sitcoms

Will we make it shine or leave it all to her? Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re going head to head to see which Nickelodeon teen sitcom reigns supreme - “Victorious” or “iCarly”? Although we love both shows, we’re evaluating our winner based on which series had the most charming cast, the funniest jokes, the best taste in music, and the most promising premise. Round 1: Leading Lady Played by Nick alum Victoria Justice, Tori Vega is the new girl at Hollywood Arts, enrolled thanks to her amazing singing abilities. Being a fish-out-of-water in a brand-new school, she has a lot to learn about the entertainment business compared to her veteran friends. However, she welcomes challenges with a determined look on her face – and perfect cheekbones. Out of her friends, Tori’s easily one of the most mature and level headed, although she can be short-tempered when things go awry. She can also be pretty spiteful when she needs to be – ESPECIALLY to Jade. Played by another Nick alum, Miranda Cosgrove, Carly Shay is the spunky ringleader of the “iCarly” trio, and the head of the web show of the same name. She’s the friendly, optimistic member of the group, although at times she can also be a little naive. Despite this, Carly’s usually the first to play the peacemaker – especially when Sam and Freddie are going at it. In fact, she’d do anything for her friends, including standing up to bullies, and even if it means being trapped in enclosed spaces - which she absolutely hates due to her claustrophobia. This was a tough call since both girls are hilariously charming, but we’re giving this round to Carly. While Tori was still learning how to be a big performer, Carly was already living the dream with her web show –which became INSANELY popular overnight. Sorry, Cheekbones. WINNER: Victorious 0 / iCarly 1 Round 2: Supporting Cast Luckily for Tori, she’s got a whole ensemble of characters to help show her the ropes at Hollywood Arts… if they don’t drive her crazy first. Among her circle of friends is cool musician André; the bubbly and ditzy Cat, played of course by Ariana Grande; nerdy Robbie and his possibly- puppet Rex; and mean girl Jade with her laidback thespian boyfriend, Beck. Also found around the school are Trina –Tori’s bossy-yet-hilariously untalented sister; Mr. Sikowitz – the brilliant-yet-eccentric acting teacher; and Sinjin – the creepy oddball student in charge of of A/V.. Thankfully, Carly never has to do her web show alone. She can always rely on her best friends - Sam, her poorly behaved and vicious co-host; and Freddie, their technical producer, who has a not-so-subtle crush on Carly. There’s also Spencer – Carly’s artistic older brother known for accidentally setting things on fore, and Gibby – the oddball recurring character who became one of the star players in the last three seasons. While not as prominent as those four, helping round out the cast are recurring characters such as Freddie’s overprotective mom; the devilishly persistent Nevel; and Groovy Smoothie manager T-Bo. Both series feature an extensive, funny ensemble cast. But this round goes to the “Victorious” gang, thanks to their larger assembly of creative characters. Seriously, they managed to turn a PUPPET into a major player. WINNER: Victorious 1/ iCarly 1 Round 3: Running Gags Naturally, “Victorious” had no shortage of recurring jokes that knew how to tickle our funny bones – ranging from peculiar quirks to snappy jabs. Every now and then, Cat has a new story to tell about her estranged brother’s abnormal behavior and habits –which is both funny and… kind of concerning. Some of the best running gags come from hilarious mix-ups – such as everyone mistaking Robbie for Andy Samberg. Then again, there’s also Jade’s unflattering impression of Tori using a southern accent –which, as Tori keeps reminding everyone, is NOT what she sounds like. Easily one of “iCarly”’s funniest running gags was Spencer penchant for miraculously setting things on fire. This was made even more hilarious when the object in question wasn’t even flammable. Other humorous recurring jokes included Freddie’s tendency to speak Spanish at random times, and Sam’s willingness to get swingy with a butter sock. Weirdly enough, Gibby’s running gags actually evolved over time – from randomly taking off his shirt to loudly declaring his name when he entered a room – though some fans wouldn’t have minded too much had he returned to his roots. Another tough call, but we ultimately felt that the “iCarly” running gags had the perfect amount of randomness and zaniness to keep us laughing until our sides ached. WINNER: Victorious 1/ iCarly 2 Round 4: Music Right off the bat, the theme song “Make it Shine” graces our ears with an energetic, inspirational pop jam sung by Victoria Justice herself. Of course, the music didn’t stop there – throughout the rest of the series, the cast got to really show off their singing chops in every way imaginable. This included solos like Jade’s “You Don’t Know Me”, duets like Jade and Tori’s “Take a Hint”, and even song covers, such as when the whole gang comes together to perform the Jackson Five’s “I Want You Back”. Of course, we can’t ever forget arguably the best song of the series – Robbie’s “Broken Glass” tune. The opening theme for “iCarly” saw Miranda Cosgrove teaming up with former “Drake & Josh” costar Drake Bell to belt out the bubbly power-pop tune “Leave it All to Me”. While the series isn’t too focused on musical moments, it has taken time to showcase the talents of artists like Leon Thomas III, Niki Watkins, and - of course - Miranda herself. They were even fortunate enough to get big names like The Plain White T’s and One Direction to strut their stuff. Other than that, however, most of the songs featured on the show were either incidental tunes or in-universe pop songs. It’s safe to say that “Victorious” won this round for putting much more emphasis on its music. WINNER: Victorious 2/ iCarly 2 Round 5: Show Premise Think high school is rough for you? Try being the new girl at Hollywood Arts. Not only do you have to deal with the struggles of a regular teenage lifestyle, but also the pressures of learning to make it big in the entertainment business. That’s the daily life of Tori Vega and her friends; and when that isn’t enough, they’ll usually find a way to end up in some kind of insane predicament anyway. Some of their hijinks end well, but the majority of them end hilariously badly for nearly everyone involved. Throw in some amazing, toe-tapping songs and it’s no secret what made “Victorious” so well-conceived. When Carly and Sam are forced to record auditions for a talent show, Freddie accidentally uploads them goofing off behind-the-scenes … and the Internet loves their comedic personalities. So together, the trio decides to give their newfound audience more with their very own web show where they can do anything they want – talent shows, comedy skits, and general randomness. Nothing is too outrageous for “iCarly” as long as it’s fun for everyone. It’s hard enough to balance Internet fame with adolescence, but these three welcome any abnormal challenge… except for shipping wars. While both series have a compelling premise, we had to give it to “iCarly” for being able to offer something unique compared to other high school drama sitcoms. WINNER: Victorious 2 / iCarly 3 It was a close call and we love both shows to pieces, but the “iCarly” crew has triumph over the Hollywood Arts gang with a narrow victory of 3 to 2. Did we pick the right team? Be sure to debate it in the comments and of course, don’t forget to subscribe to MsMojo for more entertaining versus battles.