Nickelodeon's New iCarly Comedy Series Breaks Ground as First Scripted Show to Entwine Kid-Created Content, Premiering Saturday, September 8 With Back-to-Back Episodes, 8-9 P.M. (ET/PT)

LOS ANGELES, July l3 /PRNewswire/ -- Nickelodeon takes the convergent entertainment experience for kids to a new level with the premiere of iCarly - - back-to-back episodes, Saturday, September 8 (8-9 p.m. ET/PT) -- a brand-new TEENick comedy for today's digital generation that makes TV history as the first scripted series to integrate kid-created content. The innovative show starring Miranda Cosgrove (Drake & Josh) as Carly Shay follows her cool character on and off webcam, as she clicks with kids everywhere by hosting her own home-grown web show -- and drives viewer participation on icarly.com.

The program comes courtesy of executive producer/creator Dan Schneider's (Zoey 101, Drake & Josh) Schneider's Bakery, reuniting breakout actress Cosgrove with Schneider and paving the way for her to follow in her TV brothers' footsteps as a Nick series headliner. Post-premiere, it will air regularly in TEENick, Sundays at 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

iCarly converges the television screen and the web for kids, and iCarly.com boasts a dual identity: It's the series' show within the show, and it exists as a real-life website featuring the series' stars in-character. Kids can go online to check out highlights of the latest webcasts from the series - plus additional footage not seen on-air -- as well as to read weekly character blogs, send e-mails, ask questions, post comments and submit videos showing their talents, weird skills, homemade animated shorts, participate in polls and more. Within the TV series when Carly and her sassy best bud/sidekick Sam Puckett (Jennette McCurdy) appear on their web show -- produced by techno-geek pal Freddie Benson (Nathan Kress) -- they ask for submissions and ideas. "If you wanna be on our show, e-mail us at iCarly.com and tell us why!"

"Hit-maker Dan Schneider has created a cutting edge TV show that integrates the web with the tube in a totally unique way," says Marjorie Cohn, Executive Vice President of Development and Original Programming, Nickelodeon. "We have a rich history of putting kids in control with convergent programming like the Kids' Choice Awards, SpongeBob's 'Best Day Ever' and ME:TV; iCarly takes that kid empowerment strategy one step further."

In iCarly, Carly Shay (Cosgrove) lives with her twenty-something brother/guardian Spencer (Jerry Trainor) and produces her webcasts from a makeshift loft studio. Grappling with adolescence, she never aimed to gain fame as a rising star/underground celebrity to kids. As events unfold in the opener at 8 p.m., it all happens by accident when a teacher (guest star Mindy Sterling, Austin Powers' Frau Farbissina) puts her in charge of the school talent show. She and her pal Sam (McCurdy) turn the audition process into a show, which Carly's tech-savvy, smitten friend Freddie (Kress) tapes -- including their hilarious banter and great chemistry -- and posts on the web unbeknownst to them. The online audience clamors for more, and a pop phenomenon blooms, with Carly and Sam's regular webcasts ultimately featuring everything from comedy sketches and talent contests to interviews, recipes and problem-solving. At 8:30 p.m., in "iWant More Viewers" Carly and Sam compete against Freddie and Spencer to hatch the best plan to draw more kids to the webcast. Things get crazy when all their plans go horribly wrong.

Underscoring the Nick kid-empowerment philosophy, Schneider adds, "iCarly aims to give kids an unfiltered voice with Carly's webcast and by showcasing kids' ideas, inventions and talents. It's a series that is intended to involve real kids across America and illustrate how they are currently experiencing entertainment."

iCarly joins the numerous convergent entertainment experiences launched by Nickelodeon over the past few months. Nickelodeon's ME:TV, currently on hiatus, is the first-ever live TV programming block (Monday through Friday from 5 to 7 p.m.), featuring original kid-generated content. Nicktropolis, Nickelodeon's kid-targeted virtual world, recently surpassed the 4 million unique, registered kids this February. And TurboNick 2.0, Nick's broadband video platform which gives kids the opportunity to control their individual entertainment, had its most successful month ever in May with almost 103 million streams, a +542% yearly gain.

In addition to iCarly.com, kids may log onto http://www.nick.com/icarly for show background info, bios, games, behind-the-scenes clips and more.

Cosgrove, 14, nabbed her first TV series and feature film at age 9: She was cast first as Drake & Josh's deceptively sweet, scamming sister and soon after as the over-achieving preppy manager of Jack Black's rock band on the big screen in School of Rock. She and Drake forged additional fictional family ties as two of Dennis Quaid and Rene Russo's blended brood in the '05 feature-film release Yours, Mine and Ours from Paramount Pictures/Nickelodeon Movies. Miranda turned up onscreen at a Bar Mitzvah co-starring in the comedy feature Keeping up with the Steins. She guest stars this season in episodes of Nick's Unfabulous, Zoey 101 and Just Jordan.

Schneider continues to carve a progressive niche in the world of kid and family entertainment and is the executive producer/creator of the Nickelodeon mega-hits Zoey 101 and Drake & Josh, which consistently rank among TV's top five live-action shows with kids and tweens. He also creatively ran Nickelodeon's All That for several years, serving as executive producer and show runner, and he created and executive produced The Amanda Show. His unique sense of kid-humor served as a natural launching pad for his feature-film endeavors including Good Burger a Paramount Pictures/Nickelodeon Movies film and Big Fat Liar from Universal Studios. His recent credits also include creating and executive producing the WB series What I Like About You. He received an Emmy(R) nomination for Nickelodeon's Zoey 101, starring Jamie Lynn Spears.

Nickelodeon, in its 28th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films.

Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in almost 92 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for almost 12 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. .

* Art available upon request