Big Time Rush (2009–2013) User Reviews

Exactly What One Would Expect

[ima_confusedditz · 7/10 · 28 November 2009]

I'm not in the business of awarding stars, so I'm really not sure what to give this show.

It was cute...for the audience it was directed at. Of course, you won't enjoy it as much if you're an older viewer, but you could still get a few chuckles out of it.

The storyline was easy to follow (four friends from a generic state with a generic common interest who get the chance to be famous), and the characters were interesting enough. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with Minnesota (one of my favorite states, in fact), nor is there anything wrong with hockey. I just don't see either of those facts playing a large part in the series. It was stated SEVERAL times that they are just four (in case, you didn't know how to count) hockey players from Minnesota, but the closest we got to seeing any hockey was a quick scrimmage with brooms during a short montage.

The actors were awesome, to say the least. Kendall, Carlos, Logan, and James did extremely well with their character development. Logan (he was my favorite) reminds me of Bret Harrison and Arnie Pantoja (circa Sydney White), so that was adorable. James definitely pulled off the fact that he's supposed to be full of himself, but his character didn't really show the fact that he cared about his "buds", too. Carlos was...interesting. I'm still trying to figure out which part he will be playing. The show kind of jumped back and forth with both he and Logan playing the cute, likable dork. And Kendall, Kendall was great. That's all there is to it. Kendall's sister (played by Ciara Bravo) was hilarious, and his mom (Challen Cates) did the whole somewhat-clueless thing quite well. Steve Glickman and Tanya Chisholm rounded off the ensemble, and did great in their respective parts.

So, check it out if you like that sort of thing. Hannah Montana meets the Naked Brothers Band and such. It's funny, and will surely do well with the preteen female audience. (Though, I'm sure all the boys are late teens to early twenties and are JUST A BIT too old for them...Sorry girls.) Anyways, yes. Watch the show and whatnot.

oh the nostalgia !!

[siennacolucci · 7/10 · 4 September 2021]

So i just finished the entirety of this show after seeing it get put on netflix and im so in love. I love the way they show the band being made and include their music and the hour long specials and the guys' friendship. It all just reminded me sm of my childhood and all the side characters, like gustavo kelly katie kendall's mom and camille are all so likeable its hard not to make this a comfort show. Boyfriend is the best song they ever made and james maslow can HAVE. IT. ALL. Nick honestly made such great shows and all ages can enjoy it tbh like i highkey unironically stan BTR and i'll take that to my grave!!

Entertaining

[lolaville · 5/10 · 2 June 2021]

Decent show / music was great! Actors was great also.

Big Time Rush acting like Monkees

[bwhately · 7/10 · 29 May 2011]

Big Time Rush is the best show on Nickolodeon! Sure, some may simply throw it aside as an overacted and over the top kind of show, but that's what it's meant to be. At least it's characters are exciting to watch, and for the audience the show is targeted at it's how it is meant to be.

The show is more or less modeled after 'The Monkees,' so no wonder it's done so well. So the characters are completely different from the Monkees and so is the music, but I think it's obvious that the gist of 4 guys that have been put together in a show and have created a 'boy' band because of that show is simply showing that history repeats itself. Not to mention the fact that the humor of the show is very similar to 'The Monkees.' For instance; the episode Big Time Ghost when they are continually running in and out of doors away from the ghost, while music is playing and it is sped up in a comical fashion. I've seen that someone... oh yes, I remember 'The Monkees'!

Although I don't think people should watch Big Time Rush thinking it's going to be like 'The Monkees,' because it is it's own show, and I think that the people who would have watched 'The Monkees' are not really the target audience for this show anyway but Big Time Rush is simple, and it's funny, and it's cute, and I loved it. And I think next time you are sitting around wanting to watch a Nickolodeon show I think Big Time Rush is the one to go.

Kendall the main character is like the glue of the group, he's lovable and friendly, and he's always the one to get the group out of a jam. He has a younger sister Katie who continually persists her efforts to make money from her brothers band. His mother, is somewhat clueless but very caring. He was the character who was originally chosen by their manager to be a singer, he was the only one who didn't want to be a singer, but the manager saw a quality in Kendall that he really liked. Kendall says he will only become a singer, if all 3 of his friends can come with him and become a singing group, hence he started Big Time Rush.

James is so egotistical, he loves what he sees in the mirror a bit to much for my liking. I especially did not like James when I begun to watch this show, I found him way to pretty, in a weird way, and his ego was annoying. However, as the show progressed we notice that even though James still has a massive ego, there is more to his character then that, and he is actually a very caring friend, and is character is developed more fully as the show progresses and we are able to put his ego aside and look past that.

Logan is the brain. I don't know what else to really say about Logan. He's cool. You got to love Logan. He comes up with ideas to help the rest of the Big Time Rush crew, often. Logan is a worry wart. He worries about everything, because he is smart, he knows what might happen from certain situations, that make him worry long before his has to.

Carlos is the energy. Live surges off of Carlos. He is a bit dopey, but he is lovable. He makes the most of what comes to him, but he is also scared easily, and he is gullible, he wears a helmet often, and when he was asked why he wore a helmet, a rock flung out of no where, and hit him on the head, (while he was wearing the helmet) and he said, 'That was a rock,' as his explanation. He attracts chaos, and is very clumsy.

The characters are lovable, and interesting to watch. It's a good show. It's just missing one thing 'The Monkees' had. A British guy.

The best teen nick show of all time

[jonathanrspalding · 10/10 · 18 August 2020]

Having recently made its way back to air on teen nick I wanted to comment on the greatness that was big time rush (the show, not the band). The show is a not so subtle parody of the music business with extreme though not unreal characters to make the show work. Obvioulsy the band has talent, the younger sister, and most importantly the work of Gustavo Rocque make the show consistently funny, silly, while not being too much so to work. The show reminds me most of the Monkees, except alot better. Overshadowed by what was on disney, ICarly and Victorious on Nick, it was the best show of the golden age of Nick and Disney tween television. I had not watched the show in several years until the last couple of weeks and I can say it has aged well and is as good as I remember it. So, if you are reading this in 2020, give it a try.

Good for kids and young pre-teens! Highschool girls too if they like hot guys ;)

[bamagirl91 · 7/10 · 15 June 2010]

So the show is for kids how old again? Last time I checked, a show on Nick was meant for pre-teens or younger, older if you're into that kind of stuff. Big Time Rush is a show for kids to understand. Would you ever tell your kid a "that's what she said" joke? If thats what makes you laugh, then this show is not for you. 30 to 50 year old won't think its funny, but unless it sends out the wrong message and teaches your kids what you rather them not learn, then don't watch it! In fact, the whole plot should inspire your kids to follow their dreams! Thats what they did and thats what it is meant to do. Funny- 6/10 Inspiring- off the charts! Big Time Rush, good in my book

Not Very Good...

[afddiary · 5/10 · 28 July 2013]

When I was a 13-year-old girl, I watched the pilot movie, "Big Time Audition". I was very impressed because the boys were cute and sounded like they could sing. They were confident and fun. I liked the show for the reasons you would expect -- not for its quality, but because the boys were cute singers.

They don't show reruns of the pilot movie very often, but even being 16, I'm still impressed by it. The actors sounded very natural in their line delivery. They all had great chemistry, and the script was fun for kids but real enough to draw in viewers my age. Even though it was extremely unrealistic, there was enough about the pilot, something charming, that would draw in people like me. They found creative and relevant ways to integrate the band's theme song into the plot.

The best part about the pilot movie was that there weren't a bunch of wacky sound effects and stupid stunts drawing attention away from the dialog and the plot. If the whole series was like that, it would be far better.

Starting with the first actual episode of the series, everything that was charming and real was discarded in favor of wacky sound effects and stupid stunts. Now, every time a character makes a wacky facial expression, horns blare in the background. The same irritating sounds play with similar effects, like a rapid pop rock song playing when a character is running or rushing, a soft rock song when a character has a revelation or a "down to earth" talk with someone, and a guitar lick when James is commenting about his good looks, among many others.

Those actors who sounded natural in the pilot now sound forced, extremely exaggerated, and unnatural. The characters scream almost all the time now -- not really at each other, but they just scream their lines spontaneously. Now, the writing is significantly weaker, and the band's latest songs are forced into the plot like puzzle pieces that don't fit. In the first season, it wasn't as bad, but now, it's almost like they want to integrate the EPISODES into the SONGS more than the other way around. It makes the show seem like an advertisement for the band, rather than a show. It gives the whole show a cheap, prosthetic feel.

All of these qualities join together to make the show seem like it's prosthetic and forced. These are qualities that plague every episode. They had a nice and decent pilot movie. I don't know why they didn't keep that formula and discarded it for an exaggerated, painfully unrealistic, cringe-worthy, mediocre, and unimpressive television show... but hey, the band is still selling. Why? Because other teenage girls, like me 3 years ago, are still in love with this attractive boy band. Needless to say, I don't watch the show anymore, much less remotely enjoy it.

Very entertaining

[tasneembrownms · 10/10 · 2 April 2018]

I was an avid BTR fan when the show first aired on Nickelodeon and I was fourteen. James was definitely my favourite in the beginning (this later changed to Kendall, lol) The show had catchy songs and the guys were always up to something.

I'm 22 now and recently found the show on a local streaming service and I've since introduced my little cousins (aged 10 and 6) to this show and they're completely obsessed and know the lyrics to every song word-for-word.

One of my favourite Nick shows by far!!!

Good and bad.

[SPZMaxinema · 7/10 · 8 June 2022]

I actually really like the music in this show! These guys make great songs and have lots of signing talent! I liked some of the acting in the show too but unfortunately it got bogged down with too many ridiculous and silly things. Other Nick shows were much better and more memorable.

Big time disaster

[Quarterhorse8 · 2/10 · 5 March 2012]

I used to like almost every show on nickelodeon, until they started doing this crap. To sum it up completely, the acting is the worst I have seen in my life, the plots are way too predictable, the jokes are old and not funny, and to top it all off, they use literally 30 sound effects every 3 minutes and it gets annoying. The show is garbage for anyone over the age of 5. My 6 year old brother hates the show. Nickelodeon seems to think they can get away with good looking guys who can sing and dance to songs that have already been sung just with different lyrics. I honestly like Dan Schneider's shows like iCarly and Victorious. They make me laugh. But this new "how to rock" show is garbage too. My recommendation, if you are looking for a good and fun show for your kids to watch that isn't painful for you to sit on in too, steer clear of big time rush and go for iCarly, Victorious, or even SpongeBob will do. Overall, BTR is a big time waste of time.

Ahhh!

[AnnaPagrati · 10/10 · 25 August 2021]

Big Time Rush is so beautiful & care-free, I adore it so much!

Fun And Great Musical Teenage Series

[RECB3 · 7/10 · 11 October 2023]

This is a great teenage show for everyone to watch and enjoy. The storyline is real fun and relatable in multiple ways. The storyline was also strong. It flowed nicely throughout the entire series. The cast selection was alright. They committed and connected to the storyline. The music and songs were terrific. It was fabulous how they choreographed it all. This series reveals to viewers the true nature and reality of what it is like to work in a creative industry. This series mainly displays the creative industries. There are multiple factors in an industry. I am a writer, which means that I am part of the creative industries. One thing about being part of the creative industry is that there is pressure that no one can get rid of. The pressure stays. This is a great teenage series for everyone.

Big Time FAIL is more like it!

[atakyle · 3/10 · 17 October 2010]

What the heck is this garbage? I'll tell you what it is. It's a disgrace to Nickelodeon. This is one of the shows that caused Nick to go downhill. Why? Read on.

First of all, the jokes are completely average. None of them make me smile. Secondly, the plots are too predictable. For example, one episode shows that the band may lose one of their members. Or that they might not go on tour. It's not that interesting! But what REALLY bothers me about this show, is that they get too carried away with the sound effects. In almost every 10 seconds, you hear like 12 sound effects. I actually counted how many times they used them, and in the FIRST 3 MINUTES they used the sound effects 38 times!!!

The bottom line is, this show is absolutely terrible. I wouldn't recommend it. I mean, Dora the Explorer is more entertaining than this! Just do yourself a favor, and don't watch this show, for everyone's sake.

Meh...

[pinkmuggle123 · 6/10 · 26 October 2010]

OK I admit I'm a teenager, and I was mainly lured in by the pretty boys (Schmidt, Henderson, Pena, and Maslow). However, it's really not as bad as everyone says (although I must agree that the surplus of sound effects is annoying). It's the type of show you'd watch to kill some time, but it's bearable. As for the jokes, they are pretty mediocre but what isn't these days? It's hard to find something genuinely funny these days. It really depends on what you're looking for; if you're just looking to waste some time and get some eye candy then this show is perfect, however if you're looking for something deep then don't watch this. It's more suited for the former!

Give it a chance!!!

[messij37 · 9/10 · 20 March 2012]

I did not want anything to do with this show at first. I'm 33. I like rock/punk music. But I accidentally watched this show once and was hooked. It may take longer than that for others, but it's so worth it.

Yes, there are a lot of sound effects. But I don't think people realize how important they actually are to the show. They help mindlessly guide the audience as to what feeling they are supposed to be having. (Much like canned laughter or sappy music on any other show. I mean, think about it, canned laughter is WEIRD, but we accept it as part of the show because we know where to laugh.) The show is genuinely funny, and the actors are pretty adept. I don't think enough people give James Maslow the appreciation he deserves for playing such a shallow character as well as he does. You may hate the character for his selfishness, but that's the point. Maslow's faces and timing are flawless. All the other boys are just as good. They are clearly overacting a la The Monkees, but that's what makes it great.

To top it off, they all have amazing voices. I was shocked at the sounds coming out of these boys. (Mostly because I was expecting them to be terrible.) Kendall's voice is way beyond his years. Yes, there are some auto-tunes here and there. But I dare you to find a song these days that doesn't have that crap in it. It's "cool" for some reason. But these boys do have chops. I would also like to say that their covers of Beatles songs are also shockingly good.

I have forced several of my friends to watch this show, all unwillingly, and they all admitted that it is pretty funny. The show doesn't take itself seriously. It reminds me also of the show 2gether from MTV that I thought was hilarious.

Do I think their music is amazing? No. But it's catchy and fun. And if Snoop likes them, how can you go wrong??

A Disaster Waiting To Happen!!!! Cancel This Show.

[kobebusia · 26 August 2011]

When this show was at early promotion, I instantly knew that it was gonna be stupid and let's just say it took me a year to actually check it out ; On top of that, I never heard any of the songs they sang for the show until earlier this year, with "Boyfriend" featuring Snoop Dogg being the 1st song I heard, and I eventually liked it. Now let me just give an honest review and analysis of the show; I may not have sat through a full episode before, but I don't have to do that because this show is really stupid, the situations/story lines are just lame and pathetic(you'd think that some amateur, inexperienced teens were hired to write the scripts), the 4 guys(James, Kendall, Logan, and Carlos) acting is so terrible and unbelievable that it's just painfully annoying to watch. The show is much worse than Disney Channel's JONAS, which is saying something because JONAS was pretty stupid itself, especially during the 2nd season, which is why it got canceled. The only positive thing I can say about this show is that while they're just terrible actors, Big Time Rush happen to be great singers, and I think they should just stick to their music, because they will never go far as actors. Nickelodeon, you need to realize what you're doing and just cancel this show because it's so retarded, and that's no surprise considering that it's from the creator of Ned's Declassified. Just get rid of it now!!!!!!!!!!!!! For that, i give this show a 1/10.

A pleasant surprise

[kevinvimdb · 6/10 · 6 August 2012]

My first exposure to this show was my young nephew watching it while I was visiting him in the hospital. When it came on, I immediately thought it was going to be lame and terrible. Surprisingly, it wasn't.

I made a point to DVR an episode at home to check it out some more, and I've got to say I actually laughed out loud a couple times. The people behind this show are obviously real pros with a pretty deft touch for making good choices, from the production to the supporting cast to the savvy selection of the leads. I also appreciate that it seems to be a show that's safe for kids.

Picking on boy bands is easy to do, especially if you're trying to show other people how cool you are. It's the kind of thing you don't need to do if you're secure in your own skin and not trying to prove anything to anyone. I'm perfectly willing to give credit where it's due, and BTR is alright in my book.

Edited on 8/23/12 to add: If you're writing a review and you're going to call someone or something "stupid," you might want to make sure your writing is higher than a kindergarten level. I'm disappointed to learn that English is no longer taught in the UK.

Big Time Has Already Been Done...

[DiamondGirl427 · 5/10 · 13 July 2010]

Obviously, anyone who was a kid or teen in the 70s will recognize this show...it is basically "The Monkees" redone for this generation. The guys...cute as they are...are trying to become famous..want to be serious performers and not screw up...but of course they do...ALL THE TIME! I have only seen and heard them a few times...thanks to the kids in my household....but I honestly think if you see one episode, you can figure out the plots for the next ones...they are all going to be basically the same...with a few extra things and or characters thrown in to mix it up a little. I know...it is NICK...and NICK like Disney in in the business of cranking out junk and then over promoting it ad nauseum. I know NICK was developed just for this reason...draw the kids in and keep them coming back...over and over...but Disney no longer is what Walt Disney entended it to be when he first opened Disneyland and Disneyworld. There is little original stuff coming out of that gate...including the actors and actresses they find and promote. All are fresh young faces, of course..but the seem to lack the real magic others from the past did. I doubt the memories of todays' kids will be as special as the ones kids have from watching the Disney of yesterday. That is kind of sad in a way. As for if any of these young stars remain stars after Disney and Nick days pass by...time will tell.

Featuring the funniest fictional band!!!

[stephenchase-63504 · 10/10 · 30 March 2021]

Funny and original and featuring music!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Uggh. Not good.

[Returninguserlong · 2/10 · 2 March 2011]

I've seen a few episodes of this show and I can say that this show is not good. It's pretty much a piece of crap. The episodes are not that good & well the characters are not good either. They do a lot of weird things and well. They're not thought out well. I really don't know what else to say. This show is not that good in my opinion. The only episodes I liked were the episodes that Tara Strong was in because I really like her. She's an awesome actress. The only other episode I liked was the Big Time Beach Party episode because Tom Kenny as Patchy The Pirate was in it from Spongebob & Spongebob is awesome. That's all so far. The only other good thing is Erin Sanders. Who was Quinn Pensky on Zoey 101.

Very funny

[elizabeth-12994 · 9/10 · 1 July 2018]

This is such a funny show and there isn't a single episode that doesn't make me laugh. The cast is brilliant and I love the show so much. It seems rather realistic and is for everyone, even if it is typically aimed at a younger audience. If you get the chance, sit down and watch it as it is funny.

Big Time Rush is weak

[sierh76 · 2/10 · 15 February 2010]

I don't know how the 'hollywood' critic can claim to be a professional and give this show a good review. The jokes are lame and all of the plots can be traced to the Monkees.

The music is typical pop, record industry, generic junk.

The only reason I've endured more than one episode is the promotion machine of Nick, that my son has been exposed to.

I can't wait until it's canceled. If your kids are ready to watch it, rent a Monkees DVD instead. At the very least, they're learn something historical.

I've seen all of the Nick generated shows for several years and this is, by far, the worst one.

It's not worth your time.

Amazing Show!

[eviloccultangel · 10/10 · 1 March 2018]

The show revolved around depth, passion, comedy and the dedication of four best friends. It was written well, and was fun to watch!

Too Loud, too obnoxious

[laughongirl2000 · 2/10 · 9 February 2015]

BTR tried to use the same formula as Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, but it did not work out very well. I can't help but notice that the silly sound effects, and the characters' overall goofiness (and screaming) tries to make up for the pointless stories---which is normally about the boys fighting over girls, being disrespectful and just being plain stupid most of the time. The acting and comedy on BTR is forced to the point that I don't even laugh at it. Also, the show to me was just a gimmick to advertise their music, which I wasn't a fan of.

Forced acting, boring stories, over kill on silly sound effects and slap-stick comedy...does not work.

If you want to watch a show that was successful with the silly teen comedy formula, Watch Ned's Declassified instead. Unlike BTR, most of its viewers can relate to the tips that Ned gives (although most of the tips are exaggerated).

A Big Time Success

[POIguy · 9/10 · 6 January 2020]

I watched Big Time Rush growing up and re watched it as an adult and it's actually a pretty good Nickelodeon show. I really enjoy watching the guys and seeing what kind of shenanigans they were up to. I like how the show had an overarching plot of the guys getting famous and going on tour. The stories between Katie and Bitters were always great subplots for each episode. The music was pretty great although a little cheesy at times. I liked how they integrated the music and music videos into the stories of various episodes. This is a really great show although not as great as other Nickelodeon shows. What keeps this show from being a 10 is some of the cheesiness on the show. This show relies on some cheesy sound effects like boings and trombone playing. This works for a while, but by the 3rd season it gets kind of old. The background music is also recycled and used too often. I also thought the BTR movie and finale weren't very good. I thought the spy aspect of those episodes was a little ridiculous and not very entertaining compared to more realistic episodes.