Miranda Cosgrove reveals original iCarly reboot idea that got scrapped

23 July 2021, 12:58

iCarly revival trailer teases the return of fan fave characters

By Katie Louise Smith

“I don’t think that any of us would have been up for that [idea]."

With iCarly season 2 already confirmed, it's pretty safe to say that the mature reboot has been a hit with fans and critics alike.

Once the news of an adult iCarly revival was confirmed, fans began speculating about what kind of adult situations the show would include. Ahead of the release, Jerry Trainor teased that there would be "sexual situations" included in the show and so far, we've seen Freddie set up on a date with a sex worker and we've seen Harper reference her own sexual encounters. We've even heard Carly swear for the first time.

The show has also been praised for its diverse cast and the consistent LGBTQ+ representation in each episode.

But, it could have all been very different had it not been for Miranda Cosgrove's "adult show" reboot idea. Initially, the iCarly reboot was pitched as a kids show, with Carly and Spencer Shay running their own influencer house full of young content creators.

In an interview with Bustle, Miranda revealed that the initial iCarly reboot pitch included a new generation of influencers who were part of a Hype House-type collective, all been inspired by Carly’s original web show. The whole thing would have taken place in Spencer's apartment in Seattle. It also would have been aimed at a much younger audience.

However, Miranda admitted that the cast were not into that idea: “I don’t think that any of us would have been up for that [idea]. What excited me about doing iCarly again was getting to put the characters in situations that we couldn’t show before.”

Shortly after the interview was published, fans of the series shared their own thoughts about the original pitch idea and well, they did not like it. Although, one Twitter user did point out that it "would have been better than the actual hype house".

Baby Spencer swears in hilarious iCarly blooper

Ultimately, it was Miranda's own suggestion that set the ball rolling on the more "mature" reboot airing on our screens right now, aimed at the show's original Nickelodeon audience who are now all grown up.

Miranda also revealed that her suggestion was inspired by the conversations surrounding the now-cancelled Lizzie McGuire reboot. After creative disagreements and reported concerns that the Hilary Duff-led series was not 'family-friendly' enough, Disney+ decided to shelve it.

While Miranda thought it was going to be difficult to get the network to agree on a "mature" reboot, she said that they were "almost immediately" up for creating a brand new grown up iCarly.

Now everyone say, "THANK YOU, MIRANDA COSGROVE!"