'Hollywood Arts': A 'Victorious' Carbon Copy — SkimNews
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- Netflix's "Hollywood Arts" is a 12-episode spinoff of Nickelodeon's "Victorious," which ended 13 years ago, with Daniella Monet reprising Trina Vega as a struggling actress who takes a substitute teaching gig at the LA performing arts school after Mr. Sikowitz's abrupt retirement.
- Creators Jake Farrow and Samantha Martin built the series without the involvement of original "Victorious" creator Dan Schneider, whom the review labels "disgraced creator/producer," recycling an early-2000s Nickelodeon/Disney Channel sitcom playbook for Gen Alpha preteens.
- The Variety review singles out Trina as a rare trope for children's TV: a thirtysomething woman who "doesn't have her life together" yet stays "stylish, upbeat and continuously striving" — contrasted with the "frumpy old folks" adults typical of earlier kid shows.
- The new ensemble includes Qwest (Peyton Jackson), Oscar (Martin Kamm), Emmy/"Techie" (Alyssa Miles), Jen (Erika Swayze) and Pepper (Emmy Liu-Wang); the reviewer calls Liu-Wang's singing voice "incredible" and the cast "talented" overall.
- Reprising cast members Monet, Victoria Justice (Tori) and Eric Lane (Mr. Sikowitz) return alongside Yvette Nicole Brown as Principal Helen, who steps in to introduce Trina to the class.
- The review verdict calls "Hollywood Arts" "a near-carbon copy of its predecessor," "hokey, over-the-top and full of garbled dialogue," positioned for viewers not yet ready for YA series like Prime Video's "Sterling Point" or Netflix's "Crew Girl."
Why it matters: For Netflix, "Hollywood Arts" revives a 13-year-old Nickelodeon IP without disgraced creator Dan Schneider to capture preteens between YA titles like "Sterling Point" and "Crew Girl." The Variety review singles out the thirtyshowish protagonist template as a rare twist in children's programming.
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