Victorious is the fifth series created by Dan Schneider for Nickelodeon, after The Amanda Show, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, and iCarly.
Schneider first met Justice in 2005, when she was twelve and arrived to audition for the part of Lola Martinez on Zoey 101. Impressed by her energy and look, Schneider hired her and, after working with her on three episodes, called Nickelodeon to say, "I’ve got your next star."Justice continued her role on Zoey 101 until the series ended in 2008. In the meantime, Disney Channel, Nickelodeon's main competitor, had experienced immense success with franchises like Hannah Montana and High School Musical, which featured original songs and generated revenue through music as well as television. Seeking to "follow where the kids are", Nickelodeon executives asked Schneider to create a music-based show for the channel. Near the end of Zoey 101's run, Justice was summoned to meet with Schneider about a potential series starring her. Victorious is the first series on Nickelodeon to premiere in the decade of 2010. Big Time Rush's first episode premiered two months earlier, but its original pilot premiered in 2009.
While discussing possible concepts for the series during the meeting, Justice mentioned that she had attended a performing arts middle school. The idea intrigued Schneider, who recognized the appeal of a series concerning fame. "If there is anything I've learned about kids today—and I'm not saying this is good or bad—it's that they all want to be stars," said Schneider.
Marjorie Cohn, who was then Nickelodeon's executive vice president of original programming and development, agreed. "Every kid thinks they're five minutes away and one lucky circumstance from being famous," Cohn stated. She noted that Schneider's iCarly, a sitcom about a girl who hosts a popular web show, was spurred by the rise of YouTube celebrities and has become a successful series for Nickelodeon.
On August 13, 2008, Nickelodeon announced that Justice had signed "an overall talent and music deal" with the company, agreeing to star in a then-untitled musical-comedy series about a girl who attends a performing arts high school. While discussing the show's premise, Schneider stated that while it would be nice if more children "wanted to be teachers and social workers" instead of celebrities, "At least in Victorious, you see a world where they're all working on the talent part." Nickelodeon Productions and the Columbia/Epic Label Group of Sony Music Entertainment agreed to co-produce the series as part of a partnership to develop talent and release their music.
Jerry Trainor, Perez Hilton, Josh Peck, Ke$ha, and Nathan Kress have appeared on the series as cameos or guest stars.
The Season 1 of Victorious began filming on October 5, 2009 and ended on April 14, 2010 with 20 episodes produced. Season 2 finished filming on February 23, 2011. In August 2011, Victoria Justice confirmed on her Twitter profile that she was returning to the Victorious set, as Season 3 began filming in late September 2011.
"Make It Shine" is the series' theme song. The song also serves as the lead single from the soundtrack to the series. It peaked at number 16 on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart in the US.
Victorious features approximately one song every three episodes. The songs that have been featured in Victorious are listed below. Victoria Justice told "7 Secrets with Victoria Justice" that she is currently working on music for her solo album. Parts of songs have also been sung in a few episodes of Victorious.
The Victorious soundtrack, featuring 12 songs from the series (including "Leave It All to Shine") was released on August 2, 2011.
The first 1,000 pre-orders received a CD booklet autographed by Justice, the special pre-order package (ordered before July 19, 2011) also included an exclusive customized Victorious poster.
