''The Fresh Beat Band'' (originally known as ''The JumpArounds'') is an American
live action
Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ga ...
music
Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...
al
children's television series
Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run during the early evenin ...
created by
Scott Kraft
Scott Kraft is an American television writer and executive producer.
Early life and career
Kraft obtained his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania and an MFA from Antioch University. Kraft co-wrote the 1992 action-drama ''The Si ...
and
Nadine van der Velde for
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
. The show stars the "Fresh Beats" (Kiki, Shout, Marina, and Twist), described as four best friends in a silly and jolly band who graduate together from music school and are determined to follow their dreams. The series premiered on
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
in the United States on August 24, 2009. In December 2013, it was announced that the series would not be renewed for a fourth season.
In 2015, an animated television series, ''
Fresh Beat Band of Spies
''Fresh Beat Band of Spies'' is an animated children's television series originally airing on Nickelodeon and the Nick Jr. Channel. It is a spin-off of Nickelodeon's live-action series ''The Fresh Beat Band''. The show was created by Nadine van ...
'', premiered on
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
. All four members of the band lend their voices to their respective characters in the spin-off.
The series returned on Nick Jr. on
Pluto TV
Pluto TV is a free, ad-supported video streaming service owned and operated by the Paramount Streaming division of Paramount Global. Co-founded by Tom Ryan, Ilya Pozin and Nick Grouf in 2013 and based in Los Angeles, California, in the United Sta ...
on May 1, 2019.
Premise
All episodes follow the same basic structure:
* Each episode begins with a song that foreshadows a problem that the band will solve.
* The band works together to solve the problem.
* When the problem is solved they perform a song with the problem and solution incorporated into the lyrics.
* Each episode concludes with a version of The Fresh Beat Band's closing song, "Great Day".
* The main characters dance to choreography by
Mandy Moore
Amanda Leigh Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to fame with her debut single, "Candy", which peaked at number 41 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Her debut studio album, '' So Real'' (1999), recei ...
;
Sean Cheesman
Sean Cheesman is a Canadians, Canadian dancer and choreographer, best known as a judge and choreographer for television dance competitions such as ''So You Think You Can Dance (U.S. TV series), So You Think You Can Dance'', ''So You Think You Can D ...
; Chuck Maldonado;
Scotty Nguyen
Thuận B. "Scotty" Nguyễn (born October 28, 1962) is a Vietnamese-American professional poker player who is a five-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, most notably as the winner of the 1998 World Series of Poker Main Event and ...
;
Dreya Weber
Dreya Weber is an American actress, producer, director, and aerialist.
Career
Weber toured with Cher during her '' Living Proof'' farewell tour and choreographed the performances by aerialists.
She produced and starred in '' The Gymnast'' ...
; Mary Ann Kellogg; Nakul Mahajan; Mihran Kirakosian;
Susan Austin
Susan M. Austin is an American politician from Maine.
Austin earned an A.A. from Bliss College in Lewiston, Maine. She and her husband have four children.
A Republican, Austin has represented the town of Gray, in the Maine House of Representa ...
, and Fred Tallaksen.
Also, they appeared in the Nickelodeon Mega Music Fest.
Characters
Main
Recurring
* Harper the Pizza Maker – owner of the Pizza Café, played by Shane Blades
* Melody the Smoothie Maker – owner of the Groovy Smoothie Shop, played by Dioni Michelle Collins
* Ms. Piccolo the Teacher – music school teacher, played by
Monica Lee Gradischek
Monica Lee Gradischek, a 1994 graduate of New York University (NYU) is an American voice actress in animation, commercials, and video games as well as performing arts. Monica starred in the Lifetime Television reality series "Off the Leash" in ...
* Reed the Guitar Player – occasional guitar player and supplier of the Fresh Beats' instruments, played by
Hadley Fraser
Robert Hugh "Hadley" Fraser (born 21 April 1980) is an English actor and singer. He made his West End debut as Marius in ''Les Misérables (musical), Les Misérables''. He also originated the role of Tiernan in the Broadway theatre, Broadway s ...
(season 1) and
Patrick Levis
Patrick Cannon Levis (born January 23, 1982) is an American actor, best known for playing Peter in the Disney Channel Original Movie ''Brink!'', Jack Phillips on the Disney Channel series ''So Weird'', and Reed on ''The Fresh Beat Band''.
Bi ...
(season 2–3)
There are also four children known as "The Junior Beats" who are essentially the child equivalent of their grown-up counterparts. They sing, dance, and dress as a corresponding character.
Episodes
During the buildup to the show's debut, the band was initially advertised as The JumpArounds. Commercials promoting the band under that name were in heavy rotation on Nickelodeon prior to the series debut. The change occurred approximately in mid July 2009. The name was revealed on the Nick Jr. website, then made its debut on television.
Nominations and awards
* 26th Annual Imagen Awards Nomination for Best Young Actress/Television : Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer in The Fresh Beat Band
* Parents Choice 2011 Award: The Fresh Beat Band – Fun Stuff (Ages: 2 – 5 years)
Music
''The Fresh Beat Band: Music From the Hit TV Show'' was released on January 31, 2012.
The album sold 189,000 copies in the US in 2012.
A second collection, ''Vol 2.0: More Music From The Hit TV Show'' was released on October 9, 2012.
Singles
Four singles were released to iTunes; "Great Day" was released on February 2, 2010, "Here We Go" was released on June 28, 2011, "A Friend Like You" was released on September 13, 2011, and "Just Like a Rockstar" was released on November 29, 2011.
Track list
Channel
On November 8, 2012, it announced that the all new Fresh Beat Band channel has launched and its now available on
Dish Network
DISH Network Corporation (DISH, an acronym for DIgital Sky Highway) is an American television provider and the owner of the direct-broadcast satellite provider Dish, commonly known as Dish Network, and the over-the-top IPTV service, Sling TV. A ...
channel 601 and VOD on demand. The channel has UPSR, PT3 and SPM subjects plus The Fresh Beat Band music videos and episodes, broadcast 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Home releases
Retail releases
Manufacture on-demand releases
Episodes on Nick Jr. compilation DVDs
Episodes on Nick Jr. iTunes compilations
Critical reception
Drew Magary
Andrew Schuyler Magary (born 7 October 1976) is an American[Deadspin
''Deadspin'' is a sports blog founded by Will Leitch in 2005 and based in Chicago. Previously owned by Gawker Media and Univision Communications, it is currently owned by G/O Media.
''Deadspin'' posted daily previews, recaps, and commentaries of ...]
describes the show as "pure evil, as much as an innocent and friendly show about good friends can be pure evil".
Mobile streaming
On November 7, 2018, the first season of the series was added to the Noggin SVOD service, making it the first time in two years that the show has been broadcast on the Viacom cable and mobile networks. In January 2021, the third season was added to
Paramount+
Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to:
Entertainment and music companies
* Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...
(at the time CBS All Access).
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fresh Beat Band
2000s American children's comedy television series
2000s American musical comedy television series
2000s Nickelodeon original programming
2000s preschool education television series
2009 American television series debuts
2010s American children's comedy television series
2010s American musical comedy television series
2010s Nickelodeon original programming
2010s preschool education television series
2013 American television series endings
American children's musical television series
American preschool education television series
Nick Jr. original programming
Treehouse TV original programming
English-language television shows