Nickelodeon's Groundbreaking Hit Comedy iCarly Concludes Its Five-season Run With A Special Hour-long Series Finale Event, Friday, Nov. 23, At 8 P.M. (ET/PT)

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Nov. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Nickelodeon's groundbreaking and beloved hit comedy, iCarly, which has entertained millions of kids and made random dancing and spaghetti tacos pop culture phenomenons, will end its five-season run with an unforgettable hour-long series finale event on Nickelodeon Friday, Nov. 23, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT).

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In "iGoodbye," Spencer (Jerry Trainor) offers to take Carly (Miranda Cosgrove) to the Air Force father-daughter dance when their dad, Colonel Shay, isn't able to accompany her because of his overseas deployment.  When Spencer gets sick and can't take her, Freddie (Nathan Kress) and Gibby (Noah Munck) try to cheer Carly up by offering to go with her.  Colonel Shay surprises everyone when he arrives just in time to take Carly to the dance.  When they return from their wonderful evening together, Carly is disappointed to learn her dad must return to Italy that evening and she is faced with a very difficult decision. 

"iCarly has been a truly definitional show that was the first to connect the web and TV into the fabric of its story-telling, and we are so very proud of it and everyone who worked on it," said Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon Group. "Like all truly great TV series like Seinfeld or Everybody Loves Raymond, iCarly is a very special show with a cast that is beloved by a generation of fans. Everyone in this cast will always be considered part of our Nickelodeon family and we thank them for giving kids so many great and happy memories over the years."

"I'm insanely proud to have created a TV show that's loved by so many people around the world, and I'm thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with this remarkably talented cast for the past five years," said Dan Schneider, iCarly creator and executive producer.  "For the finale, I've always known that I wanted to bring Carly's dad home, so I could wrap up the series in a way that will be exciting for all iCarly fans."

Nickelodeon's multi-platform offerings for "iGoodbye" include highlights from the episode on Nick.com and will serve as a first-look location for fans to view exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, trailers, photo galleries, and more.  The special will be available for purchase in HD via iTunes at iTunes.com/iCarly, Amazon Instant Video, Xbox Video, PlayStation Store and Vudu, beginning Nov. 24. The series will continue in reruns on Nickelodeon platforms moving forward.

Nickelodeon's multi-platform offerings for "iGoodbye" include highlights from the episode on Nick.com and will serve as a first-look location for fans to view exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, trailers, photo galleries, and more.  The special will be available for purchase in HD via iTunes at iTunes.com/iCarly, Amazon Instant Video, Xbox Video, PlayStation Store and Vudu, beginning Nov. 24. The series will continue in reruns on Nickelodeon platforms moving forward.

iCarly.com will feature a brand-new game, "The  Epic iCarly Game," showcasing a level of play dedicated to each iCarly character beginning Nov. 19.  In "The Epic iCarly Game," players must navigate various challenges in each of the five character-themed levels to collect special objects that unlock a nostalgic video from the series.  Additionally, iCarly.com will showcase several never-before-seen webisodes. 

Following the premiere of "iGoodbye," fans of the series will have the opportunity to win iconic items from the set of the hit series including Spencer's "bottle bot" sculpture, Carly's gummi light chandelier and the ice cream bench featured in her room by logging into www.Nick.com/iCarly.  

Beginning Nov. 26, iCarly: The Complete Series, will be available for download exclusively on iTunes for the first time.  Marking Nickelodeon's largest offering on iTunes, the set will be available for a limited time at $74.99.

Additionally, as the series ends, Nickelodeon has green-lit two new live-action comedy pilots from iCarly & Victorious creator and executive producer, Dan Schneider, headlining Jennette McCurdy (Sam), Ariana Grande (Cat) and Noah Munck (Gibby).  In Sam & Cat (working title), feisty Sam Puckett (McCurdy) and daffy Cat Valentine (Ariana Grande, Victorious) become best buddies and unlikely roommates who quickly realize that fun and adventure do not come cheap.  In Gibby (working title), Gibby (Munck) takes a job at a recreational center and becomes a mentor to four quirky middle-schoolers, helping them break out of their shells and embrace life in true "Gibbehhh" style.  

In addition, Jerry Trainor is starring in the brand-new Nick at Nite comedy series, Wendell and Vinnie, as Vinnie, a lovable, goofball uncle who becomes the guardian to his buttoned-up 12-year-old nephew Wendell (Buddy Handleson, Shake It Up). The comedy series, greenlit for 20 episodes, also stars Nicole Sullivan (The King of Queens, The Penguins of Madagascar) as Vinnie's high-strung older sister Wilma.  Wendell and Vinnie iss written by Jay Kogen (Frasier, George Lopez) and will be executive produced by Aaron Kaplan (GCB, Terra Nova). 

Since its debut on Nickelodeon on September 8, 2007, iCarly introduced random dancing, spaghetti tacos and penny T's into mainstream popular culture and showcased celebrity guest stars including Emmy winner Jane Lynch, as Sam's mom.  The UK pop band One Direction made their world acting debut on the series earlier this year.  Golden Globe nominated Emma Stone cameos in the show as an iCarly super fan.  Additional celebrity guest stars include Golden Globe and Emmy winner Jim Parsons, The Plain White T's, David Archuletta, SNL's Kenan Wayans and Taram Killam, The Pawn Stars and Emmy Award-winner Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey.

The hit Nickelodeon live-action series currently ranks as the network's number-one show with kids 6-11 and tweens 9-14 and as one of the top series on all TV with kids and tweens.  (source: Nielsen Media Research).   The series is created and executive produced by hit maker Dan Schneider (Victorious, Zoey 101, Drake & Josh).

Nickelodeon, now in its 33^rd year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 17 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B).

SOURCE Nickelodeon