Big Time Rush

*Big Time Rush*
Big Time Rush
	File:Th btr logo.png Series logo
Genre	Teen/musical sitcom
Created by	Scott Fellows
Starring	Kendall Schmidt; James Maslow; Carlos Pena Jr.; Logan Henderson; Stephen Kramer Glickman; Ciara Bravo
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	15 + pilot (aired) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Scott Fellows; Marjorie Cohn
Production locations	Los Angeles, California; (setting and filming location)
Camera setup	Film; Single-camera
Running time	approx. 23 minutes; (30 min. with commercial)
Production companies	Jack Mackie Pictures; Sony Music; Nickelodeon Productions
Original release
Network	Nickelodeon
Release	November 28, 2009 –; present

For the musical group, see Big Time Rush (band).

Big Time Rush (abbreviated BTR) is a comedy music-themed American teen sitcom, airing on Nickelodeon. The show revolves around four hockey-playing boys from Minnesota, "Kendall Knight" (Kendall Schmidt), "James Diamond" (James Maslow), "Carlos Garcia" (Carlos Pena, Jr.) and "Logan Mitchell" (Logan Henderson), who move to L.A. to become the next hit-making boy band, after they got a deal with record producer "Gustavo Rocque" (Stephen Kramer Glickman). The series was conceived and created by series showrunner and executive producer Scott Fellows, who previously created the now-defunct Nickelodeon sitcom Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, but still airs on TeenNick. Marjorie Cohn is also the series executive producer, partnered with Scott Fellows.

The show incorporates original music, sung by the real life boy band with the same name created for the show, due to partnership with Sony Music to produce the series. All or most of the music videos for the singles are available at YouTube.^[1] According to a review in New York Post, the series became the second most popular Nickelodeon sitcom after less than a month on the air, exceeded by iCarly by only a few hundred thousand viewers.^[2] Also according to the New York Post review, the series attracts an average of more than 3.0 million viewers per episode.

The show entered development and production in 2007, but had no actual title or episodes ordered before August 2009. The show is currently in its first season & will conclude its first season in the Fall of 2010. The hour-long pilot episode, "Big Time Audition" aired as a "sneak preview" episode on November 28, 2009 right after the iCarly special iMove Out, and the series` debuted on Monday January 18, 2010 at 8:30 p.m. ET, following the iCarly special iSaved Your Life, with the series opener "Big Time School of Rocque", where the boys get a dose of reality when Kelly tells them they have to go to School as they live in Los Angeles. The "sneak preview" attracted a total of 3.5 million viewers & the series' debut attracted a total of 6.8 million viewers^[2] in which as a result, made it the highest-rated live-action series premiere among kids, tweens and total viewers in Nickelodeon's history. Nickelodeon currently airs new episodes of the series` on Friday nights, with occasional episode premieres on Saturday nights.

Premise

Four hockey friends from Minnesota, Kendall Knight (Kendall Schmidt), James Diamond (James Maslow), Carlos Garcia (Carlos Pena Jr.), and Logan Mitchell (Logan Henderson), successfully try out to be the "next great boy band."^[3] They move to Los Angeles, California, where they live at the "Palm Woods Hotel" and attend the "Palm Woods School", a special school just for actors, actresses, singers, and other performers. The boys routinely come into conflict with their overbearing, outrageous, hard-driving (but successful) boy band manager, Gustavo Rocque (Stephen Kramer Glickman), and his well-meaning assistant Kelly Wainwright (Tanya Chisholm), while trying to impress Gustavo's boss, Arthur Griffin (Matt Riedy), so that they can become successful. Griffin is portrayed as an executive who is largely clueless about the music industry, although he is often the final decision maker, & he is also surrounded by yes-men and is overly caught up in the trappings of executive "perks". The boys also frequently come into conflict with "Mr. Bitters" (David Anthony Higgins), the manager of the Palm Woods, a self-important middle manager who delights in catching Palm Woods residents in the act of breaking the (many) Palm Woods rules. He constantly threatens to evict the boys (and various other residents) for rule violations.

Cast

Main cast

For the rest of the cast, see List of Big Time Rush characters.

Kendall Knight (Kendall Schmidt) - Kendall is the normal, understandable, leader. According to Kelly in Big Time Audition, Kendall is tall, blond, and all eyebrows. Gustavo chose Kendall as his singer in Big Time Audition, but Kendall talked Gustavo into letting him, James, Carlos, and Logan become a singing group. Kendall was supposed to be the cliché bad boy of the band in the episode Big Time Bad Boy, but refused to succumb to a stereotype that didn't fit him (or any of the boys, for that matter). Out of the four, he is probably the most loyal, the most grounded, and the glue that holds the group together. The others also seem to look up to him in a way since they always go to him when they can't figure their way out of a problem themselves. Even though Logan is the resident genius, it's Kendall's ideas and schemes that usually solve their problems. Kendall is shown as a loyal friend, with good ideas and sarcasm. Kendall is always the one to get the band back together and in control. For example, in the episode Big Time Fever, Kendall is the only one in the band without "Hollywood Fever" because he stayed true to his roots, & he is also the one who reminds the guys where their roots were when they had all changed from "Hollywood Fever" -- which they find out is actually just a term for home sickness.
James Diamond (James Maslow) - James is the pretty boy of the group who originally wanted to be a popstar. He is apparently obsessed with his hair and good looks and always keeps his lucky comb in his jacket and takes personal head shots of himself. According to Carlos in the episode Big Time Love Song, James always gets the girls: he declares himself the "pretty one." In the episode Big Time Dance James accidentally asks out several girls to the school dance in an attempt to help Logan ask Camille to the dance. All of the girls said they'd go with him. James is upset when Griffin's daughter Mercedes sequentially picks everyone else in the band to be her boyfriend (and summarily dumps each one shortly thereafter) but doesn't ever pick him. But afterwards, he feels better when she admits she doesn't date anyone prettier than her. James is obsessed with bandannas and always suggests wearing them, as seen in Big Time Crib. As a result of his obsession, he has an alter ego called "Bandanna Man", also seen in Big Time Crib; the costume consists of wrapping himself in several purple bandannas. According to various episodes, he thinks he is "the face", but this lessens after Big Time Jobs, in which when he fails a modeling job, he says to Katie (his assistant manager) in Minnesota he was "the face", and that he is now a "handsome grain of sand on an extremely beautiful beach". He, alongside Carlos, strives to be the "Hollywood Super Party King of Hollywood", shown in Big Time Party.
Carlos Garcia (Carlos Pena Jr.) - Carlos is the jokester of them all and always wears his hockey helmet. His dad is a cop who takes his job seriously and has gone through sensitivity training nine times. Carlos has never had a real girlfriend, although Mercedes Griffin forced him to be one of her short-lived "boyfriends" in the episode Big Time Demos. Carlos seems to be very easygoing, and whenever the others start to get into a fight, he suggests thinking "happy thoughts about kittens", as seen in Big Time Audition. He strives to be, alongside James, the "Hollywood Super Party King of Hollywood", as shown in Big Time Party. Carlos also thinks being carried by Freight Train, Gustavo's huge new bodyguard, is "kinda fun."
Logan Mitchell (Logan Henderson) - Logan is the smart one of the group but panics under pressure. Whenever the others are doing something bad and they tell him to join them, he always says "I've gotta get new friends", as in the episode Big Time Audition, but still joins them afterward. Logan is dating Camille, an actress also living at the Palm Woods. It was initially unclear if Logan knew about Camille's deep crush on him, but when she kissed him pretending it was for an audition for One Tree Hill, he said he was pleasantly surprised. Logan returned her crush, Camille being quick to forgive him when he attempted to be with her and Mercedes Griffin at the same party (Mercedes having forced him to be one of her short-lived "boyfriends" (just as she had with Kendall and Carlos). When they had a school dance, Logan's first choice for a date was Camille. She, however, stated that she wished to be asked in a more memorable way. After several failed attempts, Logan showed up on a "horse" (Kendall and James in costume), and she finally agreed to be his date. Logan has a learner's permit. He is the most level-headed and realistic of the four and always sees the downside to the others' schemes.
Katie Knight (Ciara Bravo)^[4] - Katie is Kendall's precocious little sister who sometimes helps the boys out. For example, in Big Time Break, when Kendall is the only one (out of the whole band) that still is determined to win the affection of a girl named Jo, Katie found out Jo was lying about having a boyfriend when she overheard a phone call between Jo and her mother. Katie revealed this to Kendall and helped him get a date with Jo. After the events in episode Big Time Dance, to Jo's surprise, Kendall revealed he thought that they were together, and now they are indeed a couple. Katie is always shown to have more tricks up her sleeve than her mother, who is portrayed as being very naive with regard to Hollywood machinations. Katie is bossy, clever and tricky, which is a big help when getting involved in the boys' plans.
Gustavo Rocque (Stephen Kramer Glickman) - Gustavo Rocque is a world-renowned record producer who meets the boys in Minnesota and offers Kendall a chance to come to Los Angeles with him, when Kendall turns the table around and convinces him to bring the others too. Gustavo was previously successful but hasn't had a hit in nine years, and believes the boys are his ticket back to the top. He is cliché, mean and always has a frown on his face while the boys are performing, even when he likes the song. In the episode Big Time Crib, he states that "All talent, are dogs"; he also calls the boys "monkey dogs." Even so, when he tells the boys that a song wasn't as good as he wanted it to be, they always manage to call his bluff. He admits to liking the boys after dealing with an absolutely perfect boy band that he hated because they were so perfect. When the boys were house-sitting his mansion, they wrecked the house and had Kendall's mom clean it up (but not fully); Gustavo then accidentally wrecks his own house, but nevertheless tells the boys he likes them afterwards. Gustavo is seen to have serious anger issues and his blood pressure can skyrocket. An example is in Big Time Audition when he breaks a tea cup to pieces and destroys a few things outside after Kendall rejects his first offer. He also causes a 3.1 earthquake after being really annoyed with Kendall.

Guest stars

Nicole Scherzinger as herself; she makes a brief appearance in the middle of the pilot episode ("Big Time Audition"). She worked together with "Gustavo Rocque" in her first album but departed after "creative differences" (1 episode)
Ted Garcia as himself; he is the News Anchorman who usually appears in one scene in random episodes (3 episodes)
Dee Bradley Baker as Mr. Smitty, one of the boys' teachers at the School of Rocque (1 episode: "Big Time School of Rocque")
Roz Witt as Mrs. Chisdak, another one of the boys' teachers at the School of Rocque (1 episode: "Big Time School of Rocque")
Chris Masters as himself, another one of the boys' teachers at the School of Rocque (1 episode: "Big Time School of Rocque")
Tara Strong as Miss Collins, the boys' current teacher at the Palm Woods school (2 episodes: "Big Time School of Rocque", "Big Time Dance")
Matt Angel as Wayne Wayne/Wally Dooley, a mean bad boy who is actually a nerdy comedian who tries to kick Kendall out of the band (1 episode: "Big Time Bad Boy")
Tiana Madry and Tiera Madry as the Simms Twins, two girls at the Palm Woods who the guys like, although the girls get angry when their names are messed up (2 episodes: "Big Time Love Song", "Big Time Dance")
Lorenzo Lamas as Dr. Hollywood, a cowardly doctor at the Palm Woods, who is obsessed with himself, almost to the level of James. (1 episode: "Big Time Love Song")
Eric Nelsen, A.J. Mendoza and Kamen Edwards as the Windmills, a perfect band who Gustavo likes but then dislikes because of their perfectness (1 episode: "Big Time Mansion")
Curt Hansen as Dak Zevon, a teen hunk whose autograph Katie and Mrs. Knight demand (1 episode: "Big Time Photo Shoot")
Carlos Alazraqui as Marcos, a photographer obsessed with "stuffy puppies" in his shots (1 episode: "Big Time Photo Shoot")
Erik Estrada as Officer Garcia, Carlos's father, who is seen to have anger issues that are up to Gustavo's level (1 episode: "Big Time Break")
Parker Young as Travis, Jo's fake boyfriend (1 episode: "Big Time Break")
James Arnold Taylor as Regional Manager Taylor, Mr. Bitters's boss (1 episode: "Big Time Demos")
Tristin Mays as Stephanie King, a new girl who frightens the boys by acting as a ghost and turns out to be actually producing her first no budget horror flick. She likes the boys, prefering them as "cute and hot". Her name is probably a reference to novelist Stephen King (2 episodes: "Big Time Terror", "Big Time Dance")
Fabio as himself, Mrs. Knight's date in the episode "Big Time Dance" (1 episode: Big Time Dance)
Phil LaMarr as Hawk, the president of Hawk Records, Rocque Records' rival label. (1 episode: "Big Time Sparks")
Jordin Sparks as herself, recording a duet with Big Time Rush. (1 episode: "Big Time Sparks")

Episodes

The first season, which will end in the "Fall of 2010", is confirmed for 20 episodes. On March 12, 2010, Nickelodeon announced that the show was renewed for a 20-episode second season, which began filming on July 19, 2010, according to James Maslow's twitter,^[5] and is expected to start airing in Fall 2010.^[6]

Seasons		Episodes	First air date	Last air date
	1	20^[7]	November 28, 2009	Fall 2010
	2	20	Fall 2010	2011

Music

For further information see: Big Time Rush (band)

Nickelodeon partnered with Columbia/Epic Label Group to produce the show, which is why music and music instrumentals are incorporated throughout the series. All or most of the music videos for the singles are available on YouTube.^[8]

Singles

Year	Song	Peak chart positions	Album
Year	Song	U.S.	Album
2009	"Big Time Rush"	116	Big Time Rush
2010	"Any Kind of Guy"	124
	"Halfway There"	93
	"Famous"	119
	"The City Is Ours"

Big Time Rush's first album (mostly compiled of songs from season 1 of their show) will be released in August 10, 2010, via Sony/Columbia.^[9] Several songs featured in the show, including "Shot in the Dark," "Stuck," "The City is Ours," and "Count on You" have yet to air in their full versions. Several songs like "Forget About You," "One in a Million," and "Oh Yeah" have yet to be featured on the show. "Famous" was released on iTunes on June 29, 2010, and the music video for the song was released on June 25, 2010. "The City is Ours" will be released in iTunes on August 3, 2010, & the music video will be shown in the episode "Big Time Video".

After the wrapping of the show's second season, Big Time Rush will be going on their first headlining tour. The tour, which has 16 scheduled stops, kicks off on October 29, 2010 in Dallas, Texas, and ends on November 21, 2010 in Portland, Oregon.^[10]

References to other media

Risky Business - When they show the flashback of Freight-Train watching the mansion, he is dancing to a riff similar to Bob Seger's Old Time Rock and Roll which is a parody of the famous scene in Risky Business.
Cosmopolitan - In the end of "Big Time Love Song", during the music video of "Any Kind of Guy", Jo is shown reading "Cosmopolin", a parody of "Cosmopolitan". "Cosmopolin" is also shown a few more times throughout the show.
Desperate Housewives - The "Hopeless Housewives" skit in the episode "Big Time School of Rocque" is a parody of Desperate Housewives.
Wizards of Waverly Place - In the episode "Big Time Break", James and Camille audition for "Witches of Rodeo Drive", a parody of the Disney Channel series Wizards of Waverly Place, which at the time of the original broadcast of that episode, Big Time Rush had competed against in its timeslot.
Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide - The Magic middle school wolf is the same wolf used in Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide although in red and white instead of yellow and green, and Buddha Bob is a parody of the character Gordy from Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, both characters being played by Daran Norris.
Eminem - Wayne Wayne is a parody of Eminem.
Tiger Beat - In the episode: "Big Time Photo Shoot", The magazine "Pop Tiger" is a parody of the magazines "Tiger Beat" and "Popstar."
The Wiggles - In the episode: "Big Time Jobs": The Ziggle Zaggles are a parody of The Wiggles.
Twitter - In the episode: "Big Time Blogger": Scuttlebug is a parody of Twitter.
Blue's Clue's - In the episode: "Big Time Terror": Gustavo mentions the "original host of Blue's Clues" (Steven Burns) to be on the hotel unwelcome list with him and Russell Crowe and all the members of Aerosmith.
Scooby Doo - In the episode "Big Time Terror", a scene similar to Scooby-Doo is seen when the boys try to catch the ghost.
Ghostbusters - In the episode "Big Time Terror", the band members believe a ghost is haunting the Palm Woods and there is one girl that is controlling it all named Stephanie. The boys team up with nets and vacuums to rescue the ghost when they find the imposter.
Star Wars - There are various references to The Star Wars franchise. It is the most referenced show in the show: In the episode "Big Time School of Rocque", Dee Bradley Baker, who plays the Clone Troopers and several other roles in the CGI/animated TV series: Star Wars: The Clone Wars, played Mr. Smitty in the episode. In the episode: "Big Time Demos": James Arnold Taylor whose notable role in the Star Wars universe is Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series with Dee Bradley Baker, played a cameo role as Regional Manager Taylor in that episode. Also, in various episodes: Daran Norris who played Jedi master Ki-Ad-Mundi and the bounty hunter Durge in the TV series: Star Wars: Clone Wars, plays a recurring role as Buddha Bob in the series. In the episode: "Big Time Blogger", the boys try to impress a blogger, and when they go crazy in the process, Kendall refers to all of them as "four Anakin's who turned to the Dark Side." Ahmed Best who played Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars films and video games and an episode of The Clone Wars TV series, made an apperance as amarketing agent for Big Time rush in the Pilot episde of the series as well is Big Time Blogger.
Popular Celebrities - Many celebrities either appear, are mentioned or parodied on the show, e.g. Nicole Scherzinger appeared as herself, Green Day, Aerosmith, Lindsay Lohan, Kanye West, Shia Labeouf, Matthew McConaughey and "the original host of Blues Clues" are also mentioned, while Dak Zevon is a parody of Zac Efron and Ronaldonho is a parody of the Brazilian Soccer Star, Ronaldinho.

Production

The series was conceived and created by Scott Fellows, formerly the creator, executive producer and showrunner of Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide.^[11]^[12]^[13] Fellows says his inspiration for the show was the 1960s musical comedy show, The Monkees^[14]—a popular and culturally significant American television series about a group of four young male adults who form a rock band, become famous, and sing songs while having comedic adventures.^[15] Although the show had a concept as early as 2007, the series had no actual title as late as August 2009.^[16]

Nickelodeon partnered with Columbia/Epic Label Group to produce the show,^[11] which will incorporate original music into the series.^[17] Big Time Rush is one of 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.^[16] The four actors will sing in a band whose name will be "Big Time Rush."^[3]^[18] The first single from the show, "Big Time Rush" (the series theme song), was released in November 2009.^[3] Additional songs will be released throughout the show's first season.^[3] The Los Angeles Times has been critical of the show's focus on music, noting:

There is a marketing angle, to be sure, the same crossing of the revenue streams that powers "Hannah Montana" and "American Idol" and "Glee," and whose conceptual forerunner was "The Monkees"—television shows that function as elaborate advertisements for music that in turn advertises the TV show. "Big Time Rush," which has more than a little of "The Monkees" in its makeup, was developed with Sony Music specifically to move units.^[12]

A nationwide^[16] casting effort began in 2007.^[18]^[19]^[20] More than 1,500 teens and young adults auditioned for the four roles.^[21] Kendall Schmidt was the last actor cast, and the most difficult role to cast.^[21] Filming of the series began in August 2009.^[21] Actor Carlos Pena Jr. previously worked with creator/producer Scott Fellows on Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide.^[19] Although he was reluctant to do so (he had just entered the Boston Conservatory to study music), Pena submitted an audition tape and won the role a month later.^[22] Executive Producer Scott Fellows was inspired to write each character by the personality of the actor playing him.^[23]

The show incorporates cartoon-like noises, music, and editing cuts designed to make it more humorous;^[12] this was also a trademark of series creator Scott Fellows' previous Nickelodeon series Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. It is targeted primarily at children age 6 to 18.^[13]

Twenty episodes were ordered in August 2009 for the first season.^[13]^[16] Nickelodeon airs new episodes of Big Time Rush in Eastern time on Friday nights, with occasional premieres on Saturday nights.^[24]

Reception

Audience reception

A one-hour special preview (which serves as the series` pilot and first episode) premiered on Nickelodeon on November 28, 2009.^[11] That airing was watched by 3.5 million viewers.^[13] The series officially debuted on Monday January 18, 2010 with the series opener "Big Time School of Rocque" at 8:30 p.m./ET, following the iCarly special premiere of iSaved Your Life on the same date at 8:00 p.m./ET. It was watched by 6.8 million total viewers, making it the most watched & highest-rated live-action show premiere in Nickelodeon history.^[17]^[24]

Critical reception

The show has received mixed reviews.^[25] Los Angeles Times television critic Robert Lloyd called the show an "excellent show on Nick," although he also did note that the "music is incidental" (which might disappoint a number of viewers).^[12] The Associated Press said the show had "a nice style, rousing spirit and snippets of music and dance", and concluded it was an "engaging romp that should slap the network's core audience".^[13] AP critic Frazier Moore also credited the show with "sharp writing and snappy pacing".^[13] Reporter Maxine Shen of the New York Post declared, "The guys look nice and cool and full of rock that will arouse tons of parents and kids."

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was slightly less enthusiastic, concluding that 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."^[26] The Hartford Courant was openly critical, calling the series a "copycat" show "with their own thin pop and unfunny comedies. Many called the show "stupid and unbarable to watch". "^[27] The Boston Globe criticized 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."^[19]

DVD release

The first Big Time Rush DVD will be released on August 10, with six episodes, music videos, and more.^[28]^[29]

International release

The series has been released in Nickelodeon (Germany), Nickelodeon (UK & Ireland), Nickelodeon (Brazil), Nickelodeon Israel, Nickelodeon (Southeast Asia), Nickelodeon (Netherlands), Nickelodeon Poland, Nickelodeon (Italy), & is set for release in Nickelodeon Indonesia (A.K.A Global TV) on August 31, 2010, & Nickelodeon (Croatia) in Fall 2010.

Country\Region	Channel	Series Premiere
United States	Nickelodeon	November 28, 2009 (Sneak Preview) January 18, 2010
Germany	Nickelodeon Germany	April, 24 2010 (Sneak Preview) May 29, 2010
Austria
Switzerland
United Kingdom	Nickelodeon UK and Ireland	May 3, 2010 (Sneak Preview) May 31, 2010
Ireland	Nickelodeon UK and Ireland	May 3, 2010 (Sneak Preview) May 31, 2010
Brazil	Nickelodeon Brazil	April 15, 2010 (Sneak Preview) May 13, 2010
Israel	Nickelodeon Israel	May 20, 2010 (Sneak Preview) July 1, 2010
Malaysia	Nickelodeon Southeast Asia	April 16, 2010 (Sneak Preview) May 31, 2010
Singapore
Hong Kong
Philippines
Netherlands	Nickelodeon Benelux	May 1, 2010 (Sneak Preview) May 29, 2010
Belgium	Nickelodeon Benelux	May 1, 2010 (Sneak Preview) May 29, 2010
Poland	Nickelodeon Poland	May 29, 2010 (Sneak Preview) June 12, 2010
Indonesia	Nickelodeon Indonesia, Global TV	August 17, 2010 (Sneak Preview) August 31, 2010
Italy	Nickelodeon	May 15, 2010 (Sneak Preview) May 28, 2010
Croatia	Nickelodeon	May 20, 2010 (Sneak Preview) Fall 2010