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Big Time Rush is an American musical comedy television series created by Scott Fellows, which aired on Nickelodeon from November 28, 2009, until July 25, 2013, lasting four seasons. The show revolves around the misadventures of four Hollywood hockey players from Duluth, Minnesota who are given the opportunity to fly to Hollywood and become a famous singing group. Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Carlos PenaVega, and Logan Henderson, who comprise the real-life band Big Time Rush, play fictional versions of themselves. The series was produced by Jack Mackie Productions in collaboration with Sony Music Entertainment and Nickelodeon Productions.
Filming took place at Studio 27 of Paramount Pictures in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.
Premise[]
Kendall Knight, James Diamond, Carlos Garcia, and Logan Mitchell are four hockey players from Minnesota who spend their days chasing girls and working dull part-time jobs. James, who aspires to become a singer and live the glamorous Hollywood lifestyle, attends an audition for music producer Gustavo Rocqué, who has fallen from his days of creating mega-hits for the most famous groups in Hollywood. When James is thoughtlessly rejected, Kendall makes a scene while sticking up for his friend, which ultimately captures Rocqué's attention. Gustavo offers to sign Kendall to his label, and he agrees on one condition: He and his three friends are all picked up and become a singing group. Gustavo hesitantly agrees, and the four teenagers, who name themselves Big Time Rush, are flown out to Hollywood to record demos for the infamously cold executives behind Rocqué Records.
Outside the recording studio, the boys are habitually confronted Mr. Bitters (David Anthony Higgins), the Palm Woods manager, who covets their apartment and continually searches for reasons to evict them. Each episode centers around a problem that the boys attempt to resolve the problem with a ridiculous scheme. Instead of fighting with her brother as would a stereotypical younger sibling, Kendall's sister Katie, is by far the sharpest person on the show and often functions as a deus ex machina whose assistance is valuable to the boys' plans. Many episodes end with a music video-like segment in which the boys sing one of their songs. Over time, elements of the show have disappeared, creating the show to be more dramatic and focused on one thing.
Each episode begins with a cold open, leading into the theme song. The opening theme is "Big Time Rush," and is presented as shots of characters mixed in with animated booklet pictures, scenes from various episodes, and graphic effects. As of season 2, Tanya Chisholm appears in the opening sequence as she has been added to the main cast.
Cast and characters[]
Main cast[]
- Kendall Schmidt as Kendall Knight, the leader of the group.
- James Maslow as James Diamond, the dreamboat of the group.
- Carlos PenaVega as Carlos Garcia, the crazy, wild, and fun loving one of the group.
- Logan Henderson as Logan Mitchell, the brains one of the group.
- Ciara Bravo as Katie Knight, Kendall's younger sister.
- Tanya Chisholm as Kelly Wainwright (recurring, season 1; main, seasons 2–4), Gustavo's assistant.
- Stephen Kramer Glickman as Gustavo Rocque, the boys' hot-tempered manager.
Recurring cast[]
- Katelyn Tarver as Jo Taylor, an actress, a singer, and Kendall's girlfriend from North Carolina.
- Challen Cates as Jennifer Knight, Kendall and Katie's mother, who takes care of all four boys while they are in L.A.
- Erin Sanders as Camille Roberts, a dramatic method actress, Jo and Lucy's best friend and Logan's on and off girlfriend.
- Malese Jow (Season 2–4) as Lucy Stone, a red-haired punk rock artist, Kendall's ex-girlfriend, and James's crush.
- Matt Riedy as Arthur Griffin, Gustavo's boss who is the CEO of RCM-CBT GlobalNet Sanyoid.
- David Anthony Higgins as Mr. Reginald Bitters, the manager of the Palm Woods and Katie's main nemesis.
- Denyse Tontz as Jennifer 1, who is the first Jennifer.
- Spencer Locke (season 1) and Kelli Goss (onwards) as Jennifer 2, who is the second Jennifer.
- Savannah Jayde as Jennifer 3, who is the third Jennifer.
- Tucker Albrizzi as Tyler Duncan, a star of juice box, diaper and underwear commercials, and neighbor from Palm Woods.
- Barnett O'Hara as Guitar Dude, a guitarist who was originally a cello player.
- Daran Norris as Buddha Bob, the Palm Woods' maintenance worker.
- David Cade as Jett Stetson, Kendall's nemesis.
- Tara Strong as Miss Collins, the teacher of the Palm Woods' one-room school campus.
- Stephen Keys as Freight Train, Gustavo's bodyguard and executive "in charge of making Dogs do what he says".
- Lorenzo Lamas as Dr. Hollywood, a local doctor.
- Phil LaMarr as Hawk, Gustavo's nemesis and founder of rival business Hawk Records.
- Ted Garcia as himself, a KULA news reporter.
- Fabio Lanzoni as himself, Katie's second nemesis and a pocket grill salesman.
- Chris Fabregas as various characters.
Episodes[]
Main article: List of Big Time Rush episodes
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 20 | November 28, 2009 | August 20, 2010 | |
| 2 | 29 | September 25, 2010 | January 28, 2012 | |
| Film | December 10, 2008 | |||
| 3 | 12 | May 12, 2012 | November 10, 2012 | |
| 4 | 13 | May 2, 2013 | July 25, 2013 | |
Season 1[]
It was shown as a preview in Australia and New Zealand on April 10, 2008, and premiered on May 15, 2008. It previewed on April 16, 2008, and premiered on May 31, 2008, in Southeast Asia. In the United Kingdom and Ireland it previewed on May 27, 2008, and premiered on June 21, 2008. In Canada it previewed on August 6, 2008, and premiered on May 6, 2008.
Season 2[]
It premiered in September 25th, 2010, in Australia and New Zealand and in May 2008 in the UK and Ireland.
Season 3[]
The third season premiered May 12th, 2012, in Australia and New Zealand and in May 2009 in the UK and Ireland.
Season 4[]
It premiered in May 2nd, 2013, in Canada and in late 2011 in the UK and Ireland.
Television film[]
Main Article: Big Time Movie
In late 2008, Nickelodeon announced that a television film based on the television series was going to premiere. However, a promo did not air until February 2009. The movie premiered on Nickelodeon on December 10, 2008, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Throughout the whole weekend, the movie drew 13.1 million viewers.
Production[]
The series was conceived and created by Scott Fellows, formerly the creator, executive producer and showrunner of Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. Fellows says his inspiration for the show was the musical comedy show, The Monkees—a popular and culturally significant American television series from the 1960s about a group of four young male adults who form a rock band, and perform songs while having comedic adventures. Although the show had a concept as early as 2006, the series had actual title as late as August 2007.
The opening titles for the show were recorded in a valley using a large green screen.[1]
Casting[]
A nationwide casting effort began in 2006. More than 1,500 teens and young adults auditioned for the four roles. James Maslow and Logan Henderson were the easiest and first actors cast. Kendall Schmidt was the last actor cast, and the most difficult role to cast. The role of Kendall Knight was originally to go Simon Curtis, and then to Curt Hansen, who played Dak Zevon on the show, but due to a few issues, the producers auditioned and cast Schmidt after a recommendation by Logan Henderson, who was also friends with the actor before casting. Filming of the series began in August 2007. Actor Carlos PenaVega previously worked with Scott Fellows on Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. As he had just entered the Boston Conservatory to study musical theatre, PenaVega was reluctant to audition but sent in a tape at the encouragement of his manager. Executive producer Scott Fellows was inspired to write each character by the personality of the actor playing him.
In addition to PenaVega, Spencer Locke, Daran Norris, Carlie Casey, Ted Garcia, Tristin Mays, Linda Cevallos, Fabio Lanzoni, Adam Conway and Hamilton Mitchell all worked with Scott Fellows previously on Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide.
Premiere[]
The series premiered with an hour-long pilot episode, "Big Time Audition", on Nickelodeon, on November 1, 2007. Its official debut episode premiered on January 1, 2008, earning 6.8 million viewers, making it Nickelodeon's highest-rated live-action series debut ever. The show's second season premiered on May 25, 2008. On June 24, 2008, Big Time Rush was renewed for a third season with production scheduled to begin January 2009. Season three premiered May 12, 2009. On December 10, 2008, a film adaptation named "Big Time Movie" based on the series premiered. On May 6, 2009, Nickelodeon renewed Big Time Rush for a 13-episode fourth season. Production began on May 17, 2009. The fourth season premiered May 2, 2011, and aired its series finale "Big Time Dreams" on July 25, 2011. With a series run of 74 episodes spanning over four seasons in 4 years, Big Time Rush is the sixth longest running live-action TV series in the history of the Nickelodeon.
Music[]
Main article: Big Time Rush
Big Time Rush is a Nickelodeon Viacom Music Productions Band consisting of four members: Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Logan Henderson, and Carlos Pena Jr. Nickelodeon partnered with Columbia/Epic Label Group to produce the show, which is why music and instrumentals are incorporated throughout the series.
Big Time Rush's debut album, B.T.R., was released on October 11, 2010, via Sony/Columbia. Their second full-length album, entitled Elevate, was released on November 21, 2011. Big Time Rush released their new song "If I Ruled the World" ft. Iyaz on iTunes July 22. They have also released a number of new songs such as "Music Sounds Better with U" (feat. Mann), "Love Me Love Me", "Time of Our Life" and "Superstar". They also released three singles, "Paralyzed", "Blow Your Speakers" and "Epic" in 2012. Note: These songs were bonus tracks on their album "Elevate". "Blow Your Speakers" was the bonus track for iTunes, "Paralyzed" was the bonus track on Big Time Rush's Official Website. Then, "Epic" was the bonus track on the U.K. album version. They released their third CD, 24/Seven in the summer of 2013. Among the songs on the CD is "We Are" which won a Viewer's Choice award.
Nickelodeon partnered with Columbia/Epic Label Group to produce the show, which incorporates original music into the series. Big Time Rush is one of the three Nickelodeon shows (the others are iCarly and Victorious) on which the cable network is partnering with the music group to promote music as well as shows. The Los Angeles Times has been critical of the show's focus on music, noting:
The closing credits of Nickelodeon airings of the show contain short clips of music videos for singles featured the series. Occasionally, full versions of the videos are featured.
The show incorporates wacky sound effects, some laugh-like noises, music, and editing cuts designed to make it more humorous to the intended demographic of viewers age 10 to 18; this was also typical of creator Scott Fellows' previous work on Nickelodeon. However, the show does not have a laugh track. Big Time Rush made an appearance at the 2007 Kids' Choice Awards, the 2008 Teen Choice Award and performed at the 2008 Kids' Choice Awards. they also appeared in an episode of BrainSurge during the week of May 18–22, 2008. On November 24, 2008, the group performed the National Anthem at Cowboys Stadium for the Thanksgiving NFL game which was broadcast on CBS. Big Time Rush has released 3 albums, B.T.R, Elevate and 24/Seven.
More singles were released in 2008. Big Time Rush covered The Beatles songs in their movie "Big Time Movie" which was released December 10, 2008.
They went on tour with Victoria Justice in 2009 on the Summer Break Tour. Their final tour before the hiatus was the Big Time Rush: Live World Tour in 2014 for the month of February.
On July 19, 2021, the band officially announced their comeback via Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok, after their indefinite hiatus back in 2014. The group released a video announcing two reunion performances which occurred in December 2021, along with two Jingle Ball appearances. They have confirmed their intention to continue independently as band without the show.
Reception[]
Audience reception[]
A one-hour special preview (which serves as the series pilot and first episode) debuted on Nickelodeon on November 1, 2007, drawing an audience of 3.6 million viewers. The series' official premiere on January 1, 2008 (which followed the premiere of the iCarly special "iSaved Your Life"), was watched by a total of 6.8 million total viewers, Nickelodeon's highest-rated live-action series debut.
Critical reception[]
The show received mixed reviews. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette stated the show was "Nick's attempt at building a Jonas Brothers-style pop band. It's Nick's answer to Disney Channel's 'JONAS,' albeit slightly less organic since 'Rush' doesn't feature siblings." The Hartford Courant stated the series a "not so good" show "with their thin pop and unfunny comedies". The Boston Globe stated the show as "one example in a growing list of kid shows selling showbiz fantasies to children. The genre is stronger than ever now and more fixated on the perks of the glamorous Hollywood lifestyle ... wish fulfillment at a time when tabloid dreams are ubiquitous." DVD Talk had the following review of the Big Time Rush: Season 1, Volume 1 DVD. "It would be hard to craft a description engineered to be less interesting to me, and yet, as I plowed through this collection from the series' beginnings, I frequently found myself amended and entertained. Say what you will about Nickelodeon's teen programming, but they've got the art of making a solid sitcom down to a science."
Awards and nominations[]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 2010 Australian Kids' Choice Awards | Fave TV Star | Big Time Rush | Nominated |
| Casting Society of America | Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Children's Series Programming | Tara-Anne Johnson
Carol Goldwasser Sharon Chazin Lieblein Howard Meltzer Geralyn Flood |
Nominated | |
| 2008 | 2011 Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite TV Show | Big Time Rush | Nominated |
| 2011 UK Kids' Choice Awards | Nick UK's Favourite Show | Big Time Rush | Nominated | |
| 2011 Australian Kids' Choice Awards | Fave TV Star | Big Time Rush | Nominated | |
| Young Artist Awards | Best Performance In A TV Series – Guest Starring Young Actor 18–21 | Thomas Kasp | Nominated | |
| Best Performance In A TV Series – Recurring Young Actor Ten and Under | Tucker Albrizzi | Nominated | ||
| Best Performance In A TV Series – Recurring Young Actress 17–21 | Erin Sanders | Won | ||
| Youth Rocks Awards | Rockin' Ensemble Cast (TV/ Comedy) | Big Time Rush | Nominated | |
| Kids' Choice Awards Mexico | Favorite International Show | Big Time Rush | Won | |
| Kids' Choice Awards Argentina 2011 | Favorite International TV Show | Big Time Rush | Nominated | |
| Meus Prêmios Nick Brazil | Favorite TV Show | Big Time Rush | Nominated | |
| 2009 | Young Artist Awards | Best Performance In A TV Series – Supporting Young Actress | Ciara Bravo | Nominated |
| Best Performance In A TV Series – Guest Starring Young Actor Ten and Under | Tucker Albrizzi | Nominated | ||
| Best Performance In A TV Series – Recurring Young Actress 17–21 | Erin Sanders | Won | ||
| Kids' Choice Awards Mexico | Favorite International Show | Big Time Rush | Nominated | |
| Kids' Choice Awards Argentina | Favorite International TV Show | Big Time Rush | Nominated | |
| TV Grama Awards | International Pop Series | Big Time Rush | Nominated | |
| 2009 | Hollywood Teen TV Awards | Favorite Television Actor | Kendall Schmidt | Nominated |
| 2009 | 2013 Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite TV Actor | Carlos Pena | Nominated |
| 2010 | Kids Choice Awards México 2013 | Favorite International TV Show | Big Time Rush | Nominated |
| 2011 | Kids Choice Awards Argentina | Favorite International Program | Big Time Rush | Won |
| 2012 | Kids Choice Awards Colombia | Favorite International TV Series | Big Time Rush | Won |
| 2013 | Shorty Awards | Best TV Show in Social Media | Big Time Rush | Nominated |
| 2014 | Shorty Awards | Best TV Show in Social Media | Big Time Rush | Nominated |
| 2016 | Kids Choice Awards Colombia | 20 Years Of Nick In Latin America | Big Time Rush | Nominated |
| 2017 | Kids Choice Awards Mexico | 20 Years Of Nick In Latin America | Big Time Rush | Won |
| 2017 | Meus Prêmios Nick Brazil | Nick Retro / 20 Years Of Nick | Big Time Rush | Nominated |
| 2017 | Kids' Choice Awards Argentina | Favorite International Nick Show of The Past 20 years | Big Time Rush | Won |
Distribution[]
Broadcast & Streaming Services[]
The series aired worldwide on Nickelodeon.
As of March 2021, the series is available to stream on Netflix and Paramount+. The series was previously available to stream on Hulu until it was removed in March 2021.
Home media[]
| Name | Region 1 | Region 2 | Contains |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Time Rush: Season One, Volumes One/Volume Two | June 29, 2008 | October 10, 2011(part 1)/ February 13, 2012(Part 2) | Volume One Episodes 1-12/Volume Two Episodes 13–20. |
| Big Time Rush: Season Two, Volume One | September 1, 2008 | November 8, 2012 | Volume One episodes 21–31, 34–36 episodes from season 2. |
| Big Time Movie/Rags: 2-In-One Movie Pack' | May 1, 2009 | TBA | Features Big Time Movie and Rags on a disc pack. |
| Big Time Rush: Season Two, Volume Two | June 8, 2009 | June 6, 2013 | Volume Two episodes 32–33, 37–49 episodes from season 2. |
| Big Time Rush: The Complete First Season | July 8, 2011 | March 26, 2009 | Contains all the episodes from season 1. Manufactured on demand (MOD) on DVD-R. |
References
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