jakeyh-72744
I want to start off by saying that although this show was aimed at pre-teen girls, I am a male who was 21 when I first saw this show. It quickly became a guilty pleasure of mine and I think it deserves to be held in higher regard. I even made this IMDb account to write this review in its defense.The shows main success comes from the boys on screen chemistry. Even though they hark back to the archetypal boy bands of the 90s, with each member taking on a caricature type personality: Kendall – the down to Earth leader; James – the narcissistic 'good looking/talented' one; Logan – the smart one; Carlos – the energetic, 'young' one. Despite this basic character development, the guys actually excel in their roles and add just enough depth to make them relatable and watchable without trying too hard.Another excellent thing about this show is the writing. It's funny. Laugh out loud funny on more than one occasion. The characters are written well and they slot perfectly into any situation the writers through at them. Big Time Rush understands its direction perfectly and is quite happy to be silly, right up to the border of being cartoonish but without actually crossing that border.To add to the brilliant writing and fantastic chemistry between the boys, is the wonderfully developed plethora of side characters. A flaw in shows like this is that there are already four main characters jostling for air time and character development and to start trying to cram in any number of extra characters each week can quickly become too much for a show. This show delights in splitting the time between the boys and the other characters such as Kendall's mother and sister, Gustavo Roque and Kelly, as well as Reginald Bitters and his other Palm Springs residents. Each character is written and acted precisely on point with the tone of the show and offers brilliant character development for each of the boys as well as many laughs and entertaining side plots.Finally, I would like to mention the balance of the show. It's a show about four boys trying to become a successful boy band. Straight away it can easily get lost in the music and become more of a 20-minute music video than a show each week. However, I am pleased to say that there is just enough music that if you like BTR's songs, it will keep you happy but if they are far removed from your own musical pallet, there is just enough music time in the show to be utterly tolerable.Overall this is a fantastically fun show that I would highly recommend to adults and children alike. If you can keep your head out of your back side for the full 20-minutes each week, then I can promise you an enjoyable televisual experience that will bring about plenty of laughs and a satisfying watch.
m_rod2013
This show has just always been my favorite. It's so enjoyable, endearing, and never fails to make me smile. Very amusing. My mother, my 10 year-old brother, and I (a college student) all adore it, and used to watch them together as they aired. No matter how many times an episode is seen it remains just as enjoyable (and let me tell you I've seen these episodes each more times than I can count!). I know it's not for everyone, and of course it includes some "kid-show" jokes, but overall I think it's wonderful. My favorite thing about this series is how it self-consciously makes fun of itself, and also the entertainment industry. There are countless references (I'm a sucker for references) and jabs at movies or singers or actors, and there's a sly break of the fourth wall in there once in awhile. Dialogue can be very sharp, episode plots usually tie in pretty great. Timing and purposefully exaggerated facial expressions are fantastic. Some good running gags. Some actual character development over the course of time. Plus, the guest appearances are amusing...or just crack me up (yes, I'm talking about Erik Estrada): Jon Stewart, Gavin DeGraw, Snoop Dogg, Fabio, Jordin Sparks, Chris Masters, etc. (I like to play a game during episodes, too, called "how many times will my mother point out a former soap opera star that appears on here"). Overall, though, this show just makes me happy. Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Logan Henderson, and Carlos Garcia are all really great dudes, and very truly talented. Their friendship shines through into the show, and makes the boys' "shenanigans" that much more great to watch. I mean, hockey players, by pure luck, turned pop stars. The idea is just great to me. No matter how famous they get, they always stay four hockey players from small town, Minnesota. And that's charming.I wanna mention the set-up of Kendall's family, too, just because. I like that it doesn't have that usual "happy happy whole traditional family" thing. Jennifer Knight is a single mother, taking care of her young daughter, Katie, and her teenage son, Kendall, by herself and the father is never mentioned. You can see at times how she gets overwhelmed, only wanting the best for Kendall, Katie, and the rest of the guys, but she's a strong, lovable character. And I like the "realness" of that. They don't need a "full" family because the support they all have for each other is amazing. I just wanted to add that! Because it's one of my favorite things. The characters being like one huge family. It makes it less one-dimensional feeling like many other "kid-shows" are. I feel immersed in it as I watch. So, again, maybe it's not for everyone, but it CAN be for everyone.(I'm told they're reminiscent of: "The Monkees!")
xperiments
OMG, I cannot even express how embarrassing this show is. Stupid, mortifying characters and scripting. I guess it is supposed to address teens around 10 to 14 (or 16 considering it is a boy band) -- but how can anyone that age enjoy this nonsense? Or anyone any age. A boy band of age what, 18, 21 in average (?) acting like five year olds !? made me to watch :-) ) Evey nanosecond spend on this makes me suffer from. I guess marketing, making money, promoting the band and all that is far more important nowadays than producing good shows. Why does Nicelodeon not try something deeper? Children CAN and DO enjoy that, there is no need for reducing shows to shallow ones. Josh and Drake had some really god stories. That should be the direction...
