Big Time Rush

This article is about the television show. For the band, see Big Time Rush (band). For the album, see B.T.R. For the song, see Big Time Rush (Big Time Rush song).

Big Time Rush
File:20100808022148!Th btr logo.png Series logo
Genre	Musical comedy
Created by	Scott Fellows
Starring	Kendall Schmidt James Maslow Carlos Pena, Jr. Logan Henderson Stephen Kramer Glickman Ciara Bravo
Theme music composer	Joe Raposo
Opening theme	"Big Time Rush," performed by Big Time Rush
Ending theme	"Big Time Rush" (second verse), performed by Big Time Rush
Composers	Dusty Moon & Guy Moon
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	19 + hour-long pilot (aired) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Scott Fellows Marjorie Cohn
Production locations	Los Angeles, California (setting) Hollywood (filming location)
Camera setup	Film; Single-camera
Running time	approx. 23 minutes
Production companies	Jack Mackie Pictures Sony Music Productions Nickelodeon Productions
Original release
Network	Nickelodeon
Release	November 28, 2009 (2009-11-28) (sneak preview) January 18, 2010 (2010-01-18)  – present

Big Time Rush (commonly abbreviated as BTR) is an American television music-themed teen sitcom based on the band of the same name. The series chronicles four high school friends from Minnesota — Kendall Knight (Kendall Schmidt), James Diamond (James Maslow), Carlos Garcia (Carlos Pena, Jr.) and Logan Mitchell (Logan Henderson) — whose lives are changed when they move to Los Angeles and become a hit-making, chart-topping boy band.

The series became the second highest-rated Nickelodeon sitcom after less than a month on the air — behind iCarly by 600,000 viewers — and attracts an average of more than three million viewers per episode debut.

The show was created by showrunner and executive producer Scott Fellows for Nickelodeon, who also created the former Nickelodeon sitcom Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. The series incorporates original music created for the show/band, due to a partnership between Nickelodeon and Sony Music to produce the series. This is the second Nickelodeon series featuring a boy band, after The Naked Brothers Band.

The hour-long pilot episode, "Big Time Audition", aired as a "sneak preview" on November 28, 2009. The regular series debuted January 18, 2010 at 8:30 pm ET with the episode "Big Time School of Rocque", to 6.8 million viewers. New episodes usually air on Friday nights at 8:00 pm, with occasional episode debuts on Saturday nights. Reruns also currently air each weekend afternoon on Nickelodeon's spinoff channel, TeenNick.

The series soon became the number-one live-action series on Nickelodeon, according to BigTimeRushTV.com.

Premise

Four hockey friends from Minnesota, Kendall Knight (Kendall Schmidt), James Diamond (James Maslow), Carlos Garcia (Carlos Pena, Jr.), and Logan Mitchell (Logan Henderson) get the opportunity to become famous and successfully try out to be the "next great boy band." 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) producer, 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, and 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. They get mixed up through various issues and adventures as they live in Los Angeles.

Cast

File:Big time rush.jpg

Big Time Rush from left to right:
Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Carlos Pena Jr., Logan Henderson

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Main cast

Main article: List of Big Time Rush characters

• Kendall Knight (Kendall Schmidt) - Kendall is the "proclaimed leader" of the group and is normal, understandable, and smart. 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 so he wouldn't have to leave his friends behind. 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). For example, in the episode Big Time Fever, Kendall is the only one in the band without "Hollywood Fever" because he is always a normal kid, and he is also the one who makes sure the guys remembers where their roots were when they had all changed from "Hollywood Fever" -- which they find out is actually just a term for home sickness. He is also known for himself ending up in awkward situations. For example, in the episode "Big Time Sparks" he would be caught with Jordin Sparks on all of the dates he sets up with Jo. In Big Time Concert, he is described as "The Complete Package", strong-headed, and hard to control. Kendall is dating Jo and they had their first kiss in "Big Time Concert."

• 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 after wards, he feels better when she admits she doesn't date anyone prettier than her. James is obsessed with bandanas and always suggests wearing them, as seen in Big Time Crib. As a result of his obsession, he has an alter ego called "Bandana Man", also seen in Big Time Crib; the costume consists of wrapping himself in several purple bandanas. 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. He is shown to get nervous before auditions (as seen in Big Time Audition when he tried stalling his audition, and in Big Time Break when he claimed to have butterflies in his stomach right before his movie audition) In Big Time Concert, he is described as extra pretty, having a solid voice, and being "driven beyond belief".

• 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." In Big Time Concert he is described as energetic, a good dancer, and "wearing a helmet for no apparent reason".

• Logan Mitchell (Logan Henderson) - Logan is the sensible one in the group. He is also 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 seems to like 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 to the dance. 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. In Big Time Concert, he is described as "the smart one", and indecisive. It's also stated in 'Big Time Mansion', that he like cats. In Big Time Concert, Logan said that he wanted to be a doctor on the show.

• Katie Knight (Ciara Bravo) - (Absent for one episode) is Kendall's precious 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. She is like Megan from Drake and Josh in many ways.

• 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" and calls them that; 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, despite in Big Time Video, he briefly whispers to himself, "I hate those dogs" when they steal the set of their video for theirs. 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.

Minor cast

Main article: List of Big Time Rush characters

• Kelly Wainwright (Tanya Chisholm) is the nice and charming talent scout and Gustavo's assistant. She seems to be fond of the band and their work.
• Arthur Griffin (Matt Riedy) is Gustavo's straight-forward boss who frequently annoys him.
• Mrs. Knight (Challen Cates) is the mother of Kendall and his little sister, Katie. She is a very nice mother who doesn't get mad that easily (shown in Big Time Audition) and as shown in Big Time Dance, is sensitive about dating.
• Jo (Katelyn Tarver) is the first new girl at the "Palm Woods" , who the guys went crazy for in "Big Time Love Song", but is currently Kendall's girlfriend, as confirmed in "Big Time Dance". They finally had their first kiss in "Big Time Concert". Jo got jealous when she thought Kendall was cheating on her with Jordin Sparks in "Big Time Sparks" but she thought wrong.
• Camille (Erin Sanders) is friends with the boys and is the "Method Actress Queen" at the "Palm Woods", who according to Kendall in "Big Time Party", is somewhat crazy. She has a huge crush on Logan, and it seems he is starting to like her back.
• Reginald Bitters (David Anthony Higgins) is the straight-forward manager of the "Palm Woods" who frequently cause problems to the band, & feels delight from disciplining residents, especially the boys.
• Freight Train (Stephen Keys) is Gustavo's bulky enforcer, who according to him, is in charge of making people do what Gustavo says at all times and can hold all the boys at once. Freight Train is a parody of Christopher "Big Black" Boykin.
• Tyler's mom (Alyssa Preston) is the mother of Tyler whose name remains unknown. She frequently pesters him about his acting career, when he just wants to be a regular kid.
• Tyler (Tucker Albrizzi) is a 10-year old who, because of his annoying mother, stars in Juice-Box commercials, much to his dismay. Thanks to his friend, he is, on occasion able to hide from her. Even though it is stated that Katie has no friends in various episodes, he seems to be her friend.
• Guitar Dude (Barnett O'Hara) is the well-known song writer and guitar player at the "Palm Woods" who is a former cellist before he got "Hollywood Fever", as revealed by Camille in the episode "Big Time Fever".
• Buddha Bob (Daran Norris) is the easy-going grounds keeper at the Palm Woods. He was mistaken as an "axe-maniac" by Mrs. Knight in "Big Time Bad Boy" and has snow making machines.
• The Jennifers (Denyse Tontz [Jennifer 1], Spencer Locke/Kelli Goss [Jennifer 2], and Savannah Jayde [Jennifer 3]) are three self-absorbed girls with the same name, who were the boys interests but is now Carlos' interest. They used to walk in normal motion, before they got "Hollywood Fever", as revealed by Camille in the episode "Big Time Fever". They also sing, act, and dance, according to Tyler in the pilot Big Time Audition, "We've seen them act and dance, but not sing".
• Mercedes Griffin (Carlie Casey) is the vain, self-absorbed, rude, untruthful, and manipulating daughter of Griffin. She makes major appearances in "Big Time Demos" & "Big Time Party" and is fond of the boys, which is why she used them to start dating them by pretending to be the "secret someone who picks their demos", & threatening to choose their competition "Vampirah!" over them unless they date her, however didn't date James since she thinks people prettier than her is "out of her league". She dated Carlos and Kendall but broke up with them and dated Logan for a week but he "cheated" on her and broke up with him and made Guitar dude her boyfriend.
• The Simms Twins (Tiana Madry and Tiera Madry), are two girls at the Palm Woods, first seen in "Big Time Love Song", who the guys like, although the girls get angry when their names are messed up.
• Rachael (Rachel DiPillo) is the "second" new girl, first being Jo, who is fond of James, but was part of a mob that chased him out in "Big Time Dance".
• Stephanie King (Tristin Mays), the third "new girl", first being Jo and second being Racheal, introduced in the episode "Big Time Terror", 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, preferring them as "cute and hot", But It seems she likes Carlos more as seen Big Time Terror & Big Time Dance.

Guest stars

Main article: List of Big Time Rush characters

Guest Star	As	Starring role	Year(s) of appearance	Season(s)	Episode(s)
Jordin Sparks	Herself	Recording a song at Rocque Records	2010	1	Big Time Sparks
Chris Masters	Himself	Third but last School of Rocque teacher	2010	1	Big Time School of Rocque Big Time Demos (hardly noticeable half-second appearance in a flashback)
Phil LaMarr	Hawk	Gustavo's arch-rival	2010	1	Big Time Sparks, Big Time Concert
Nicole Scherzinger	Herself	Visiting Rocque Records	2009	Pilot	Big Time Audition
Matthew Moy	Deke	Music Entertainment Blogger	2010	1	Big Time Blogger
Lorenzo Lamas	Dr. Hollywood	Doctor at the Palm Woods	2010	1	Big Time Love Song
Fabio	Himself	Mrs. Knight's date at the School dance	2010	1	Big Time Dance
Carlos Alazraqui	Marcos Del Posey	Photographer\Director	2010	1	Big Time Photo Shoot, Big Time Video
Erik Estrada	Officer Garcia	Police Officer\Carlos Dad	2010	1	Big Time Break
Parker Young	Trevor\Travis	Jo's fake boyfriend assigned to cover her lie of actually having one for $20.00.	2010	1	Big Time Break
Koji Kataoka	Fujisaki	Head of CEO headquarters	2010	1	Big Time Crib, Big Time Party
Dee Bradley Baker	Mr. Smitty	First School of Rocque teacher	2010	1	Big Time School of Rocque
Matt Angel	Wayne Wayne\Wally Dooley	Fifth band member (only in the episode, Big Time Bad Boy)	2010	1	Big Time Bad Boy (main role) Big Time Jobs (cameo appearance)
Roz Witt	Mrs. Chisdak	Second School of Rocque teacher	2010	1	Big Time School of Rocque
Curt Hansen	Dak Zevon	Teen popstar\Singer	2010	1	Big Time Photo Shoot (main role) Big Time Blogger (mentioned and cameo appearance), Big Time Concert (main role)
James Arnold Taylor	Regional Manager Taylor	Regional Manager	2010	1	Big Time Demos
Ahmed Best	Marketer	Part of Preparation Crew for "Day With Deke"	2010	1	Big Time Blogger
Tara Strong	Miss Collins	the boys' current teacher at the Palm Woods school.	2010	1	Big Time School of Rocque (major appearance) Big Time Dance (minor appearance)
Reece Kirk	Jean-Luc Varn Darn	A protester of Gustavo\Movie star	2010	1	Big Time Blogger
Rachel Quaintace	Roberta	Co-partner with "Marketer" for Day With Deke	2010	1	Big Time Audition, Big Time Blogger, Big Time Concert
Camilla Luddington	Rebecca	Hawk's (karate-like) assistant	2010	1	Big Time Concert
Brian McGovern	Mr. Diamond	James father	2010	1	Big Time Concert
Ed Begley Jr.	Himself	Voice Actor hired to read "Can You Foo?" (by Dr. Smoosh) when the record company switches to producing childrens' books on tape	2010	1	Big Time Concert
Sam Stone (V)	Skippy Hippenlooper	Trying out to replace James	2010	1	Big Time Concert
Jeanine Mason	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA

Episodes

Main article: List of Big Time Rush episodes

Twenty episodes were ordered in August 2009 for the first season. The first season focuses on the process the boys go through to achieve their dream of forming a band.

The regular timeslot is 8:30 p.m., although it is sometimes changed to 8:00 p.m. The regular premiere is Friday, although there have been several Saturday episode premieres. When "Big Time Dance" premiered, it was at 9:30 p.m.

On March 12, 2010, after less than two months on the air, Nickelodeon announced that the show was renewed for a 20-episode second season, which began filming on July 19, 2010. It is scheduled to start airing September 24, 2010. James Maslow has denied rumors he will be absent from some episodes.

Seasons		Episodes	First air date	Last air date	DVD release
	Pilot	1 (two-part episode)	November 28, 2009 (2009-11-28)		—
	1	20	January 18, 2010	September 25, 2010	March 1, 2011
	2	20	September 25, 2010	—	—

Big Time Audition

Main article: Big Time Audition

The hour-long pilot episode, "Big Time Audition", aired as a special "sneak preview" for the series on November 28, 2009 at 8:30 p.m., following the iCarly special, "iMove Out". In the pilot, four hockey-playing teenage best friends from Minnesota get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become famous. It was intended for Kendall to go solo, but he refused to succumb to this chance without his best friends, so eventually Gustavo gave in and made them a singing group. They must prove to their record label they are ready for that chance.

Big Time Concert

Main article: Big Time Concert

The first season finale premiered and was released as an hour-long made-for-TV movie, Big Time Concert, on Friday, August 20, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. ET. This marked the film debut of the franchise. The boys learn about their first CD release when Griffin boosts the boys dream of being hit singers. They return to Minnesota to think about other dreams, but have come to a point where their lives have changed and decide to take control of that. They return to Los Angeles for their first concert. Right before the concert begins, Hawk kidnaps the four boys and ties them up at a private location to destroy their career.

Music

Main article: 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.

Singles

Year	Song	Peak positions	Album
		US
2009	"Big Time Rush"	116	B.T.R.
2010	"Any Kind of Guy"	124	Non-album single
	"Halfway There"	93	B.T.R.
	"Famous"	119	Non-album single
	"City Is Ours"	105	B.T.R.
	"Til I Forget About You"	—	B.T.R.

Big Time Rush's debut album, B.T.R., will be released on October 12, 2010 via Sony/Columbia.

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. "City Is Ours" was released in iTunes on August 3, 2010 and the music video was shown in the episode Big Time Video. "Til I Forget About You" was leaked onto Youtube on September 15th, 2010 and will be released in iTunes on September 28, 2010. .

Several songs featured in the show, including "Shot In The Dark", "Stuck", "This Is Our Someday" and have yet to air in their full versions. Several songs like "Oh Yeah", "One In a Million", "I Know You Know", "Worldwide", "Big Night", "Nothing Even Matters", "Boyfriend", and "Paralyzed" have yet to be featured on the show.

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.
• Toy Story - In the episode "Big Time Demos", Carlos answers one of Kendall's questions with, "Every time you leave your house your toys come alive!" such as in "Toy Story".
• 2Unlimited - In fast-paced cutscenes in certain episodes, music similar to Get Ready for This plays in the background.
• 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.
• Christopher "Big Black" Boykin - Freight Train is a parody of Christopher "Big Black" Boykin.
• 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 - In the episode "Big Time Bad Boy", 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. Buddha Bob is a parody of the character Gordy from Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, with 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 appearance as amarketing agent for Big Time Rush in 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, "the original host of Blues Clues", Lady Gaga, Taylor Lautner mentioned in episode Big Time Fever, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Fresh Beat Band are also mentioned, while Dak Zevon is a parody of Zac Efron and Ronaldonho is a parody of the Brazilian soccer star Ronaldinho.
• Cuda - James uses Barracuda man-spray in Big Time Love Song. Cuda is an exact parody of "Axe".
• Joe Penna - Guitar Dude is a parody of Joe Penna.
• Lil Wayne - Matt Angel's character, Wayne Wayne, is named after Lil Wayne.
• Johnny Test - In the episode, "Big Time Jobs", at the beginning, James, Carlos, Kendall, and Logan were about to race to the Palm Woods desk and winner would be super champion of the world. In Johnny Test, in the episode Johnny Kart Racing, Johnny and friends were about to race to the pier and winner would be Super Champion of the World. James and Johnny both said Super Champion of the World. That makes sense because both Johnny Test and Big Time Rush were created by Scott Fellows.
• Johnny Test episode: Downhill Johnny - In the episode, Big Time Photo Shoot, Katie shows a sad face to persuade people to give her what she wants. This is a reference to the Johnny Test episode, "Downhill Johnny", where Johnny showed the look to get what he wants as well. This makes sense considering both were turned down at some point during the look.

Production

Production notes

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 1960s musical comedy show, The Monkees—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. Although the show had a concept as early as 2007, the series had no actual title as late as August 2009.

Nickelodeon partnered with Columbia/Epic Label Group to produce the show, which will incorporate 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 four actors will sing in a band whose name will be "Big Time Rush." The first single from the show, "Big Time Rush" (the series theme song), was released in November 2009. Additional songs will be released throughout the show's first season. 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.

The show incorporate, during the closing credits of each episode exclusively in Nickelodeon airings, "short previews" of music videos of each single from the series that have yet to air in their full versions, and occasionally features premieres of full versions of music videos of the singles.

The show also incorporate cartoon-like noises, music, and editing cuts designed to make it more humorous; 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.

Casting

A nationwide casting effort began in 2007. More than 1,500 teens and young adults auditioned for the four roles. Kendall Schmidt was the last actor cast, and the most difficult role to cast. Filming of the series began in August 2009. Actor Carlos Pena, Jr. previously worked with creator/producer Scott Fellows on Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. 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. Executive Producer Scott Fellows was inspired to write each character by the personality of the actor playing him.

Filming locations

The series is filmed in Los Angeles, California in Hollywood. Though the series will have an extension in location at times, it mostly takes place at the fictional "Palm Woods" and "Rocque Records" (where the Big Time Rush records at, and frequently get into conflicts as well). The series first one-hour special (in some aspects, a movie) is the first episode to take place in the suburbs of Los Angeles.

Theme song and opening sequence

Season 1

During the finishing of a pre-opening sequence in the series, The theme song starts to play the "Oh Oh Ohh Ohhhh!" part and it proceeds to start. The intro theme is the series theme song, "Big Time Rush ". It is presented in an animated CD booklet format. While the intro progresses, they sing the first verse of "Big Time Rush", and skips the "Hey! Oh!, Hey, Oh!, Better take a shot now" part, and continues to progress with the first verse. It contains shots of characters mixed in with animated booklet pictures, scenes from various episodes, and graphic effects. The whole main cast is introduced in this intro.

Season 2

It is not yet known what the intro will become of Season 2.

Reception

Audience reception

A one-hour special preview (which serves as the series pilot and first episode, but not part of the "regular series") debuted on Nickelodeon on November 28, 2009; drawing an audience of 3.5 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 viewers, in which as a result, made the series the highest-rated live-action series debut in Nickelodeon history. The show is viewed by mostly teens, noting the series' main popularity with "tween girl fans".

Ratings

The ratings rose up "Big Time" after the television debut with the episode, Big Time School of Rocque, on Monday January 18, 2010 at 8:30 p.m. ET drew a total of 6.8 million viewers, setting a new record for the highest rated live-action series premiere in Nickelodeon history. The ratings were so high that the series became one of Nickelodeon's top-rated sitcoms after only less than a month on the air, placing second behind iCarly by only 600,000 viewers. According to a review in the New York Post, each episode's debut routinely draws an average of more than three million viewers. Since its world debut, the show maintains a high loyal fan base and has recently experienced a resurgence of popularity after only less than a month on the air.

Ratings:

Year	Ratings
2010	13.1/2.8 million T9-14 (+105%) 2nd rating: 14.5/3.1 million K6-11 (+93%) 3rd rating: 10.7/3.8 million K2-11 (+60%) 4th rating: 9.1/3.10 million k3-13 (+75%)

Critical reception

The show has received mixed to positive reviews from critics. 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). 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". AP critic Frazier Moore also credited the show with "sharp writing and snappy pacing". Reporter Maxine Shen of the New York Post declared, "The guys look nice and cool and full of rock that tons of parents and kids will enjoy."

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." The Hartford Courant was openly critical, calling the series a "copycat" show "with their own thin pop and unfunny comedies. " 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."

Awards

In Australia's Kids Choice Awards, Big Time Rush was nominated for two awards, Favorite International Band and Favorite TV Star. Big Time Rush was also nominated for two additional awards, "Iconic TV Show" and "Iconic Triple Threat".

Year	Award	Category	Recipient(s)	Result
2010	Australia 2010 Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite International Band	Big Time Rush	Pending
2010	Australia 2010 Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite TV Star	Big Time Rush	Pending
2010	Teen Icon Awards	Iconic TV Show	Big Time Rush	Pending
2010	Teen Icon Awards	Iconic Triple Threat	Big Time Rush	Pending

Other media

Website

On September 14, 2010, An "official" website based on the band, Big Time Rush, was released. Thier new song not yet released, Til' I Forget About You, is streaming on the site as well. It features content such as Media, Events, and extras.

DVD release

A DVD was to be released on August 10, with six episodes, music videos, and more, but it was canceled, according to Amazon.com. The official full Season one DVD is scheduled to be released on March 1, 2011

Name	Release date	Contains
Big Time Rush: Season One	March 1, 2011	All Season one episodes

Broadcast

Broadcast history

Channel	Run	Episodes	Status
Nickelodeon	November 28, 2009 (Sneak Preview) January 18, 2010 - Fall 2010 (new episodes: season one)	Reruns\NEW episodes	Returning Series
TeenNick	November 29, 2009–present (in reruns); airs weekends only	Reruns (only)	Currently airing

International release

Countries/Regions	Network	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
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
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
Canada	Nickelodeon & YTV Canada	August 6, 2010 (Sneak Preview) September 6, 2010
New Zealand	Nickelodeon New Zealand	2010 (Sneak Preview) 2010
Australia	Nickelodeon Australia	2010 (Sneak Preview) October 8, 2010

External links

• Official Big Time Rush Band Website
• Big Time Rush at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com
• Big Time Rush on Nick.com
• Big Time Rush Facebook Page
• Big Time Rush MySpace Page
• Big Time Rush on MTV.com
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