‘iCarly’: Video chat with Jennette McCurdy on the show’s farewell

By now, “iCarly� fans are aware of the looming reality: The Nickelodeon teen sitcom will be wrapping its run after five seasons.

The series, from Dan Schneider (“Drake & Josh,� “Victorious�), broke new ground with the way it entwined the Internet and technology into its story about three friends who start up a Web show, speaking to a generation glued to their cellphones and laptops. It was a scheme that would prove beneficial. Early in its run, “iCarly� would outpace fictional teen queen “Hannah Montana� in the race for young viewers.

Jennette McCurdy, who stars as Carly’s bestie Sam and co-host of the Web show, recalled a more telling moment of the show’s power.

“One time I was at California Pizza Kitchen, and they have this great honey BBQ chicken pizza. I really wanted it, but they wouldn’t let me because it’s on the children’s menu. Then manager came over and asked for an autograph for his daughter. I said I’d give it to him if I could get the pizza. It worked.�

A few spaghetti tacos and random dances later, the show will come to an end. Partly because the kids that grew up with “iCarly� have in some cases outgrown it. Its current season is averaging 3.2 million viewers, down nearly 32% from the previous season. Friday it will get a one-hour send-off.

And die-hard “iCarly� fans, Schneider hopes, will be treated to a special dotted with Easter eggs, with callbacks from the pilot and other first-season tidbits.

“I tried to think back to all those things I wanted to see from the shows I watched as a kid,� he added. “Whether I was 10 years old watching the last ‘MASH’ or watching the last ‘Family Ties’ — not to say we are on the same level. But I thought, ‘Well, what did I want to see in those?’ in trying to give the audience everything they would want in this finale.�

Join Show Tracker as we talk to “iCarly� star Jennette McCurdy at 11 a.m. Pacific time Friday as they discuss the show’s one-hour send-off.

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