Shows mentioned:

- House of Anubis

- Victorious

- Big Time Rush

One of the best parts about watching a TV show is that viewers get to watch a group of friends discover themselves and grow while becoming a family over the course of the show. Sometimes it takes a while for characters to figure out who they are in the friend group and what makes them unique. That's why there's always time for self-discovery when you become a part of a friend group.

We can see this occur in many shows on streaming platforms and networks, but one network that shows the most iconic friend groups is Nickelodeon. They are famous for creating iconic friend groups that viewers wish they had when they were growing up, like the House of Anubis, Victorious, Big Time Rush friend groups and many others on Nickelodeon.

In each friend group, each individual portrays a different role that helps them grow as an individual and a friend in the group.

According to the New York Times Best Selling author, Tom Rath, there are 8 roles that describe what quality friend contributes to the friend group:

1. The Builder - the friend who motivates you to be your best, sees your strengths, wants you to succeed, and will go out of the way for you to see how important you are to the group

2. The Champion - the friend who has your back, will stand up for you when you are not there, and stands up for your beliefs

3. The Collaborator - the friend who you share interests with, spend the most time with, and call your life-long friend

4. The Companion - the friend who is always there for you no matter what the circumstance is, also known as the friend who will put their life on the line for you

5. The Connector - the friend who will connect you to a resource you need (ex: a doctor, another friend, a family member, a date, or a teacher), also the person who will help you get what you need help with

6. The Energizer- the fun friend who makes you laugh in awkward situations and is basically your source of serotonin

7. The Mind Opener - The friend who asks knowledgeable questions and always has an idea to make things better or more creative

8. The Navigator - the advice giver, and the person who believes in your dreams and goals

These roles are important for self discovery because they help us discover our strengths and weaknesses. They make us who we are without even realizing it because we have our friends to help us realize which roles we play in the group. Although, individuals can take on more than one role in our friend group and it helps us discover more about us but most of the time an individual only takes on one role in the friend group to help keep the group together.

In House of Anubis, there are more than 6 main characters in each season that join the friend group. These large groups of people make it easy for viewers to recognize which roles each friend plays in the group. However, taking on more than one role can show a character's flaws and weaknesses within their roles. In season one, Alfie, the prankster and energizer of the group, leaves his zombie mask in the creepy school cellar that is off limits and gets stuck there overnight because his friends cannot save him before curfew. Overnight, he sees something he shouldn't have seen and gets stuck in a cabinet and observes something mysterious that he really shouldn't be seeing. When his friend's group tries to rescue him in the morning, one of them gives him something mysterious to drink to wake him up from his panic attack. This drink makes him really sick and makes the person who gave him the drink feel guilty. However, it shows that the energizer and prankster of the group has flaws and insecurities too. Alfie, may seem like the strong, comical, fun friend on the show but he also has his weaknesses that show how he grows as a character that truly isn't just the funny guy.

No matter what role you play in your friend group, and how that role impacts the group. You have to remember that you still matter and impact the people around you. They wouldn't be the people that they are without you.

Viewers can also watch friends take on multiple roles in a friend group in Victorious and have downfalls too. This is another show with a fairly large friend group that contains more than 6 people. The dozens of students that attend Hollywood Arts High School all take on a role because, well, it's a performing arts school. Regardless of the fact that everyone attends a performing arts school, the main character, Tori Vega, discovers her self-identity through her sister's friend group.

In the first episode, Tori takes over her sister's musical showcase performance last-minute, since her sister, Trina, is in an unexpected incident. After Tori agrees, to perform in place of her sister, because she knows the song and dance from watching her sister, Trina's mutual friend, Andre starts to show off his pianist talent to accompany Tori. Andre is the collaborator and builder in this situation since he see Tori's strengths and her talents. Once Tori has wow'ed away several musical industry professionals and students with her performance, she gets an offer to attend Hollywood Arts High school. Although, her first day of school does not go as planned because she tries too hard to become part of the friend group. So, yes Tori is the mega-talented teenager, who got into Hollywood Arts, which is like a dream school to everyone pursuing singing and acting. But, she also has has her downfalls because she tries to use a friend group role in the beginning that we often call 'the outsider' because she is a new student. However, if viewers have seen the entire show, they slowly get to watch Tori use all 8 roles in her friend group that she becomes the leader of.

We often forget that we are our truest selves when we are around our friend groups. They make us smile, laugh, and embrace our flaws, and talents. That's why we need them to discover ourselves as young-adults.

This idea of self-discovery in a friend group can also be seen in smaller groups that contain 4 individuals or less. If you've been an avid Nickelodeon fan, you have seen this occur in shows like, iCarly and Side Hustle. These are shows in which 'fame' has impacted the group and the roles that each individual has. We, as viewers, see this 'fame' as positive and negative for the friend group.

One of the most iconic and famous friend groups on Nickelodeon is the boys of Big Time Rush. Not only are they funny, attractive, and boyband members, but they also take on all 8 of the friend group roles since they started out as friends before they signed to Rock Records. Before, Kendall, James, Carlos, and Logan became boyband members, they were just 4 random hockey players living in Minnesota. In Minnesota Kendall was the builder and navigator of the group. He's the one that tells everyone else that. 'We have to go big time' meaning that they have to take their goals seriously and go above and beyond to reach them. James is the companion friend who is always there for the group when they need him, especially when it comes to Kendall's needs. Then there's Carlos and Logan, who are like Dr. Jekel and Mr. Hyde, two polar opposites who benefit each other but don't see it occur. Carlos is the energizer, companion, and champion friend or at least he tries to be them. And lastly, there's Logan who is the brains and logic of the group. He takes on the navigator, mind-opener, and connector roles. He gives the most logical advice to everyone, asks knowledgeable questions about everything from the music industry to even 'why are we doing this?', and always the guy to go to if you need help with something, like getting a phone number or a doctor if you are too stubborn and sick to call one.

Once, Kendall, James, Carlos, and Logan have auditioned and signed to Rock Records, they forget who they were as a friend group from a middle of nowhere city in Minnesota because they move to hollywood. This is where they each have their own personal downfall. In several of the episodes in season one, we see the boys struggle to use their roles in the Hollywood music entertainment industry because of the rules they have to follow and ideas that they have to proceed with even though they don't like them. In s1 ep 9, the guys decide to spend time apart. Something that they never do. Logan joins an all-female college for a day and tries to impress some girls with his knowledge while trying to fit in; and Carlos takes on a serious mission with his father. These may seem like two funny and different situations for their roles outside of the friend group.

However, these situations of having the friend group separate show that the 4 boys depend on each other, and not on other people outside of the group. In a way this shows that you can discover your true self within your friend group and when you lose yourself outside of the friend group role that you portray. Big Time Rush, lost themselves because of the fame they gained through Rock Records, however they found themselves again through the roles that they play after realizing that they are much more than a boyband.

Each show portrays a different type of friend group but at the end of the day, the most important thing is that the people you are friends with are loyal, honest, and dependable.

So, maybe it isn't quite positive self-discovery that you gain when you have a friend group. But with the right group of friends, you can find yourself again, and the reason why you are friends in the first place. The theme throughout shows like House of Anubis, Victorious, and Big Time Rush is self-discovery and growth. Growth from becoming part of a group and learning more about yourself from the people in that group. We become who we are as individuals through the people that we meet, especially the strong friendships that we hold onto.

Fun Facts:

-Victorious won 4 Primetime TV Emmy awards and dozens of Kid's Choice Awards

-House of Anubis is not based on a true story, however the Egyptian gods, Anubis and Osiris play big roles in the historical fiction factor of the show.

-Big Time Rush is one of the longest-running live-action series that Nickelodeon has ever produced with 74 episodes produced over 4 years

Questions:

-What role do you play in your friend group? And how has it influenced your self-discovery?

-What fandom related friend group would you like to be a part of?

- Do you think that big friend groups are better or smaller ones?

- What is your favorite moment in these Nickelodeon shows?