The person that ordered it? None other than Steve Molaro, writer on D&J, iCarly, The Amanda Show, Zoey 101…& later Big Bang Theory. Fun fact: it was also Molaro who turned to the executive producer, while Drake & Josh were filming the scene where they fight over a shrimp on The Amanda Show…and said “You know these two are your next show, right?” The rest is history. One of the movies being named “Thank You Molaro!” in the last produced episode of Drake & Josh is a reference to that very moment.

Well, that would never happen. A lot of the former cast and crew need the paychecks, because it’s damn hard to make a living in 2026. And it’s super easy to capitalize on a show that was so beloved back in the day. Hence why it’s been done seven or eight times now with projects he created. But there’s also something to be said for the fact that none of them have apparently asked for his blessing to bring his shows back or made an effort to involve him. Obviously, there are some feelings there, and none of them seem particularly interested in revisiting that chapter of their careers with him involved.

Jake Farrow & Chris Nowak are the only Victorious writers to return to Hollywood Arts. Joe Sullivan also worked on Victorious as an assistant to an EP & was in/around the writers room. So far, no #Victorious directors are part of Hollywood Arts.

The sentiment will always be the same. Just about everyone I’ve ever spoken to has had a complicated relationship with him. He evoked a lot of pressure and fear in his employees—a tough boss with crazy expectations and an enormous amount of power. What’s crazy to me is watching people come away from the documentary using words like “pedophile” and calling for him to be in jail. There’s an important distinction between what is actually established and what has been fragmented, speculated on, or exaggerated online. A lot of what gets repeated about him online has gone far beyond what people who actually knew and worked with him have told me. He’s become a scapegoat for a lot of conversations he shouldn’t be the center of. And in my opinion, far too much energy is being spent on the wrong things. I’ve had some really interesting conversations over the years with people who loathe Dan and have spent 10,000+ hours around him. Their experiences are complicated, too. One person put it to me perfectly: “As strongly as I feel about Dan, all the internet rumors about him are way beyond the pale and, to my knowledge, totally untrue. No one deserves that stuff. It’s awful. Truly.” Someone can be an awful person to work for without being guilty of every accusation made against them. He may not have treated his employees fairly, and there are legitimate criticisms to make about the culture and pressure he created. But he also took many of his actors under his wing, cared about them beyond the workplace, and had genuine personal relationships with people who have complicated feelings about him. You can have serious, legitimate reasons to dislike someone and still recognize when the story being told about them has gone beyond what you actually know. Those distinctions matter

So that’s where I know her from! Her entrance to this scene always cracks me up. Quite iconic. RIP

Jessica had worked for Nickelodeon’s web content team in the mid-to late 90’s when they first launched. Some of the other employees that worked there with her was writer/TV show-runner Steve Molaro, & Lisa Lillien, who ended up marrying Dan Schneider.