Rating (Anticipated): 3.5/5 Stars (Witty, High-Energy Nostalgia with a Mature Twist)
Genre: Comedy / Musical Reunion / Young Adult Setting: Los Angeles, Ten Years Later
VICTORIOUS (2025), potentially titled Adulting Arts, is a much-needed continuation that revisits the core ensemble a decade after graduation, finding that the real world demands more than just vocal range and theatrical flair. The series successfully retains the show’s signature sharp wit while grounding the characters in the relatable, messy anxieties of their late twenties.
1. The Core Premise: The Hollywood Plateau
The series is driven by the central reality that stardom didn’t pan out for most of the Hollywood Arts alumni. They are forced to gather back in Los Angeles when a local, failing dinner theater (owned by a former rival) is set to host a major, high-stakes talent competition.
- Tori Vega (The Struggling Star): Tori is still chasing fame, taking embarrassing commercial roles and fighting to get her name on a marquee, realizing that talent alone isn’t enough in the streaming age. Her arc focuses on redefining success away from the spotlight.
- Jade West and Beck Oliver (The Creative Crossroads): Jade is a successful but creatively stifled TV writer for a children’s cartoon. Beck is a handsome but emotionally stunted acting coach. They are together but constantly navigating the emotional complexities of a long-term relationship where one partner has sacrificed their raw ambition (Beck) while the other (Jade) feels trapped by commercial success.
- Cat Valentine (The Mega-Success): Cat is the exception. Due to her accidental internet virality, she is an enormously famous, if slightly overwhelmed, podcaster and makeup mogul. Her challenge is grappling with the guilt of her massive success compared to her friends’ struggles.
2. The Conflicts: Maturity Meets Mayhem
The central tension arises from the characters’ attempts to hide their adult failures from each other, which inevitably unravels in spectacular musical fashion.
- The Trina Factor: Trina Vega (Daniella Monet) is the catalyst for much of the comedy. She attempts to manage the talent competition, failing spectacularly due to her inflated ego and lack of organizational skills. Her delusional confidence, however, becomes the surprising emotional engine for the others, reminding them to embrace their flaws.
- The Robbie/Rex Dynamic: Robbie Shapiro has finally put Rex away, but he now faces severe social anxiety without his puppet alter-ego. The return of his friends and the pressure of the competition force Robbie to choose between hiding behind his phone screen or facing the real world without a script.
- The Final Performance: The climax involves the entire group being forced onto the dinner theater stage for an impromptu, high-energy musical number. The song is not about winning; it’s about acknowledging their shared disappointments and realizing that their friendship is the true, lasting success they achieved at Hollywood Arts.
3. Conclusion
VICTORIOUS (2025) is a smart revival that understands its audience has grown up. It trades high school melodrama for the bittersweet realities of young adult life—the financial struggles, the romantic compromises, and the realization that the people you start with are often the people who matter most. It delivers the fast-paced wit, catchy music, and genuine heart that made the original show a hit.
Would you like a detailed review for another film, or would you like to explore what the sequel could look like if it focused entirely on a single character, like Jade West or Cat Valentine?
