Big Time Rush is an American musical sitcom television series created by Scott Fellows that originally aired on Nickelodeon from November 28, 2009, to July 25, 2013, featuring the band Big Time Rush portrayed as a fictional version of themselves, similar to The Monkees.
It focuses on the Hollywood misadventures of four hockey players from Duluth, Minnesota—Kendall Knight, James Diamond, Carlos Garcia, and Logan Mitchell—after they are selected to form a boy band by fictional mega music producer Gustavo Rocque.
History The series premiered with an hour-long pilot episode, "Big Time Audition", on Nickelodeon, on November 28, 2009. Its official debut episode premiered on January 18, 2010. The show's second season premiered on September 25, 2010. On May 24, 2011, Big Time Rush was renewed for a third season with production scheduled to begin in January 2012. Season three premiered on May 12, 2012. Big Time Movie, a film adaptation of the series, premiered on March 10, 2012. On August 6, 2012, Nickelodeon renewed Big Time Rush for a 13-episode fourth season. Production began on January 7, 2013. The fourth season premiered on May 2, 2013, and aired its series finale "Big Time Dreams" on July 25, 2013.
Cast and characters
Main Kendall Schmidt as Kendall Knight, the most rebellious of the group and the self-appointed leader James Maslow as James Diamond, the handsome one of the group Carlos Pena Jr. as Carlos Garcia, the crazy, wild, and fun-loving one of the group Logan Henderson as Hortense “Logan” Mitchell, the smart one and the voice of reason of the group Ciara Bravo as Katie Knight, Kendall's younger sister Stephen Kramer Glickman as Gustavo Rocque, the boys' hot-tempered manager and record producer Tanya Chisholm (seasons 2–4; recurring season 1) as Kelly Wainwright, Gustavo's assistant
Recurring 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 girlfriend from Connecticut Malese Jow (seasons 2–4) as Lucy Stone, a red-haired punk rocker and James's love interest Matt Riedy as Arthur Griffin, Gustavo's boss who is the CEO of RCM-CBT GlobalNet Sanyoid David Anthony Higgins as Reginald Bitters, the manager of the Palm Woods and Katie's nemesis Denyse Tontz as Jennifer 1 Spencer Locke (season 1) and Kelli Goss (seasons 1–4) as Jennifer 2 Savannah Jayde as Jennifer 3 Tucker Albrizzi (seasons 1–2) as Tyler Duncan, a star of a 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 Lorenzo Lamas as Dr. Hollywood, a local doctor Phil LaMarr as Hawk, Gustavo's nemesis and founder of rival business Hawk Records
Episodes
Film adaptation
In late 2011, Nickelodeon announced that a television film based on the television series was going to premiere. However, a promo did not air until February 2012. The movie premiered on Nickelodeon on March 10, 2012, 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.Lloyd, Robert. "Reviews: 'Big Time Rush' and 'I'm in the Band'." Los Angeles Times. January 18, 2010. Fellows says his inspiration for the show was the musical comedy show, The MonkeesMartin, Denise. "Child's Play." Los Angeles Times. November 22, 2009.—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.Baker, Glenn A. Monkeemania: The Story of the Monkees. Rev. ed. Medford, N.J.: Plexus Publishing, 2000. ; Lefcowitz, Eric. The Monkees Tale. Rev. ed. San Francisco, Calif.: Last Gasp, 1989. ; Sandoval, Andrew. The Monkees: The Day-By-Day Story of the '60s TV Pop Sensation. Charlotte, N.C.: Thunder Bay Press. Although the show had a concept as early as 2007, the series had no actual title as late as August 2009.
Music
Nickelodeon partnered with Columbia/Epic Label Group to produce the show, which incorporates original music into the series."Nickelodeon Scores Record-Breaking Night with Brand-New and Big Time Rush Debut." Press release. Nickelodeon. January 19, 2010.. Retrieved January 24, 2010. 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 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 aged 10 to 18; this was also typical of creator Scott Fellows' previous work on Nickelodeon. However, the show does not have a laugh track.
Casting A nationwide casting effort began in 2007.Martin, Denise. "'Big Time Rush' Is A Little Bit 'Entourage,' A Little Bit 'Monkees'." Boston Globe. November 26, 2009. La Jolla Village News. November 28, 2009. More than 1,500 teens and young adults auditioned for the four roles.Moore, Frazier. "An Inside Look at a Boy Band on Nick's New Comedy." Associated Press. January 15, 2010. 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 to Curt Hansen, who later played Dak Zevon on the show, but when he appeared a lot older than the others and sounded too much like James in the pickup pilot, 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 2009. Actor Carlos Pena Jr. previously worked with Scott Fellows on Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. As he had just entered the Boston Conservatory to study musical theatre, Pena was reluctant to audition but sent in a tape at the encouragement of his manager.Rentería, Melissa. "Plans Change as Pena Lands Co-Starring Role in Nickelodeon's 'Big Time Rush'." Conexión. November 26, 2009. Executive producer Scott Fellows was inspired to write each character by the personality of the actor playing him.Blair, Iain. "Big Time Rush." Daily Variety. December 4, 2009.
Locations The series was filmed in Stage 27, Paramount Pictures in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. The series premiere's one-hour special took place in the suburbs of Los Angeles and a small town in Minnesota.
Reception
Audience reception A one-hour special preview (which serves as the series pilot and first episode) debuted on Nickelodeon on November 28, 2009, drawing an audience of 3.6 million viewers. The series' official premiere on January 18, 2010 (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 positive reviews from audiences and mixed reviews from critics. 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."Owen, Rob. "Producer of FX's 'Justified' Recalls 'Boom' Times Here." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 18, 2010. The Hartford Courant stated the series a "not so good" show "with their thin pop and unfunny comedies".Catlin, Rogert. "Also On Tonight: 'Buried Life,' 'American Pickers'." Hartford Courant. January 18, 2010. 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."Rizzzo III, Francis. "Reviews, DVD Video Reviews, Big Time Rush" "DVD Talk." March 29, 2011.
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Recipient(s) Result2010 2010 Australian Kids' Choice Awards Fave TV Star Big Time Rush Casting Society of America Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Children's Series Programming Tara-Anne JohnsonCarol GoldwasserSharon Chazin LiebleinHoward MeltzerGeralyn Flood 2011 2011 Kids' Choice Awards Favorite TV Show Big Time Rush 2011 UK Kids' Choice Awards Nick UK's Favourite Show Big Time Rush 2011 Australian Kids' Choice Awards Fave TV Star Big Time Rush Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a TV Series – Guest Starring Young Actor 18–21 Thomas Kasp Best Performance in a TV Series – Recurring Young Actor Ten and Under Tucker Albrizzi Best Performance in a TV Series – Recurring Young Actress 17–21 Erin Sanders Youth Rocks Awards Rockin' Ensemble Cast (TV/ Comedy) Big Time Rush Kids' Choice Awards Mexico Favorite International Show Big Time Rush Kids' Choice Awards Argentina 2011 Favorite International TV Show Big Time Rush Meus Prêmios Nick Brazil Favorite TV Show Big Time Rush 2012Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a TV Series – Supporting Young Actress Ciara Bravo Best Performance in a TV Series – Guest Starring Young Actor Ten and Under Tucker Albrizzi Best Performance in a TV Series – Recurring Young Actress 17–21 Erin Sanders Kids' Choice Awards Mexico Favorite International Show Big Time Rush Kids' Choice Awards Argentina Favorite International TV Show Big Time Rush TV Grama Awards International Pop Series Big Time Rush 2012 Hollywood Teen TV Awards Favorite Television Actor Kendall Schmidt 2013 2013 Kids' Choice Awards Favorite TV Actor Carlos Pena 2013 Kids Choice Awards México 2013 Favorite International TV Show Big Time Rush 2013 Kids Choice Awards Argentina Favorite International Program Big Time Rush 2014 Kids Choice Awards Colombia Favorite International TV Series Big Time Rush 2014 Shorty Awards Best TV Show in Social Media Big Time Rush 2015 Shorty Awards Best TV Show in Social Media Big Time Rush 2017 Kids Choice Awards Colombia 20 Years of Nick in Latin America Big Time Rush 2017 Kids Choice Awards Mexico 20 Years of Nick in Latin America Big Time Rush 2017 Meus Prêmios Nick Brazil Nick Retro / 20 Years of Nick Big Time Rush 2017 Kids' Choice Awards Argentina Favorite International Nick Show of The Past 20 years Big Time Rush
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