Thirteen years after making the final scene of Nickelodeon’s “Victorious,” Netflix is returning to the Los Angeles-based performing arts school with a brand new side project, “Hollywood Arts.” Created by Jake Farrow and Samantha Martin, the series follows Trina Vega (reprising Daniella Monet) as a struggling actress overshadowed by her superstar sister Tori (Victoria Justice). With zero acting jobs on the horizon and tired of getting help from Tori, Trina returns to Hollywood Arts for a substitute teaching position. Although Trina is by no means qualified for the job, she realizes that she can inspire a new class of artists using her eccentric lessons and ideas. Filled with hockey, over-the-top and garbled dialogue, “Hollywood Arts” is a near-carbon copy of its predecessor. Still, if Gen Alpha has similar tastes to Gen Z, the series will appeal to a new generation of kids while offering a Lisa Frank-like insight into what high school could be like.
The 12-episode first season opens with the sudden retirement of Mr. Sikowitz (Eric Lane reprising his role). Principal Helen (Yvette Nicole Brown), who is blind, arrives to tell her class that she has found a temporary instructor. Wearing impractical stilettos and holding a huge Stanley cup, Trina is introduced to her new students. Qwest (Peyton Jackson) is a musician who lies to her family about attending Hollywood Arts on a basketball scholarship. There’s Oscar (Martin Kamm), the school’s biggest star, and his sister Emmy (Alyssa Miles), nicknamed Techie, who only works behind the scenes as a stage manager and manages the school’s social media accounts. Finally, frenemies Jen (Erika Swayze) and Pepper (Emmy Liu-Wang) are constantly in competition with each other.
The teens are excited to learn about Trina’s sister Tori, but they quickly realize that Trina has no real knowledge of the entertainment industry in general. The rest of the season is full of fun, romance, and stuff typical of sitcoms aimed at two people. The series is light-hearted and frivolous, just like other series that were the crown jewels of Nickelodeon and Disney Channel in the early 2000s.
“Hollywood Arts” won’t attract many viewers with his frontal lobes fully formed. But Farrow, Martin, and Vega reveal the hallmark of being a millennial. Unlike previous child-centered shows, where the adults appear to be grumpy old people enjoying strictness or living on a different planet, Trina is stylish, cheerful, and constantly striving to achieve her dreams, despite being a thirty-something who doesn’t have her life together. “Hollywood Arts” isn’t realistic, but depicting the ups and downs of a young woman’s unpredictable life is a powerful trope rarely seen in children’s television shows. Like her students, especially Emmy, who realizes her talent could be better presented up front, Trina is just trying to figure it all out.
Despite their over-the-top performances, the “Hollywood Arts” cast is talented. Singing random songs while delivering top-notch physical comedy and acting requires skill. Liu-Wang in particular has an incredible singing voice and the ensemble works together like a well-oiled machine.
“Hollywood Arts” isn’t innovative, but it fills a void for teens who aren’t mature enough to watch YA series like Prime Video’s “Sterling Point” or Netflix’s “Crew Girl.” Recycling an old playbook, Farrow and Martin (this time without the involvement of infamous creator/producer Dan Schneider) present a silly, stylish, idealized version of high school to a new age of kids. But by centering Trina, they also present a version of adulthood that seems much more realistic than viewers might expect.
“Hollywood Arts” is now streaming on Netflix.