iCarly represents an important study in how a television revival can avoid falling into a classic Hollywood trap. The revival’s first 4 episodes of its 13-episode order, are currently streaming on Paramount+ with new episodes dropping every Thursday. iCarly initially aired for a total of six seasons and featured Carly, Sam, and Freddie navigating junior and senior high as they became the internet’s original teen influencers. Paramount+’s reboot of the classic Nickelodeon series picks up nearly ten years after the original series’ conclusion and features the iCarly gang all grown up.

Though things have certainly changed for the characters over the years, much has remained the same. The returning cast members include Miranda Cosgrove (Carly), Nathan Kress (Freddie), and Jerry Trainor (Spencer). Freddie still lives with his over-protective mother, albeit with a newly adopted daughter, iCarly is still filmed in the same loft studio, and Spencer is still a quirky artist in the same apartment. Amazingly, each character has matured in ways that dramatically increase the sort of stories able to be told. This is especially relevant to Freddie whose changes greatly benefit the revival.

Related: iCarly: Why Freddie's Changes Are Good In The Revival

Moreover, because the characters were allowed to grow up and act their own age, the revival is able to target its original audience, many of whom are now young adults. Changing the series’ age demographic from its original of ages 7-14 to young adults helps iCarly avoid the classic Hollywood revival trap of remaking the same show with characters who have remained unchanged. This trap can be detrimental to a series, as it often comes across as inauthentic because everyone changes over time and audiences pick up on it when characters don’t.

Miranda Cosgrove and the rest of the cast of the new iCarly revival celebrating the premiere date on set

The primary method which the iCarly revival uses to showcase the growth of its characters, and series, is by reminding audiences these characters are no longer children. One way this is done is through the characters' near-constant drinking. Whether it’s wine, beer, or cocktails, Carly and the gang have drinks in their hands consistently throughout each episode. The drinking may seem insignificant, but it allows the show to acknowledge how old the characters are and also provides material for jokes that would otherwise be impossible. Obviously, this isn’t something that could have been included in a Nickelodeon reboot.

Fortunately, creators of this revival television show understood their audience was no longer going to be kids because kids would be unable to relate to the sort of “early life crisis” the iCarly gang would experience in this modern series. Additionally, this grown-up version of iCarly made a point to flesh out what had been going on in each of these character’s lives, demonstrating these characters are not where they were when the series ended. Television revivals fail when they become trapped by replicating the same character journeys that were already explored in the initial series. Audiences want to observe characters growing and changing, not backsliding.

This growth is likely what prompted the switch from Nickelodeon to streaming on Paramount+. The streaming platform allows iCarly to become something new and not force it to fit in its original box. By appropriately aging up the series’ characters and choosing to target an older demographic that grew up watching the original iCarly, the series is better prepared to find success, which is supported by its current rating on Rotten Tomatoes of 100%. The adult experiences shown in iCarly are important to prove these characters have grown up and have lived actual lives, avoiding the Hollywood trap many revivals fall victim to.

Next: How iCarly's Revival Is Different From The Original Show