''The Fresh Beat Band'' (originally known as ''The JumpArounds'') is an American

live-action 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 feature film. Live action is used to define film, video games or ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

children's television series Children's television series (or children's television shows) are Television show, television programs designed specifically for Child, children. They are typically characterised by easy-going content devoid of sensitive or adult themes and are ...

created by

Scott Kraft Scott Kraft is an American actor, writer, and 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 Silencer'' wit ...

and

Nadine van der Velde Nadine van der Velde (born May 14, 1962) is a Canadian actress, writer, and producer. She is a three-time Emmy award winner, two-time Annie Award winner and a recipient of a Humanitas Award. Early life and career Nadine was born in Toronto. She ...

for

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

. The series stars

Yvette González-Nacer Yvette González-Nacer is an American actress and producer. She is best known for originating the role of Fate in the original Broadway production of the Grammy and Tony Award-winning musical ''Hadestown'', starring in the first Broadway Nationa ...

, Thomas Hobson,

Shayna Rose Shayna Rose (born Shayna Rose Mordue; November 3, 1983) is an American actress and singer. Early life Rose moved to Los Angeles in 2002 after declining a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in Boston. She went between acting, singing, ...

(later Tara Perry), and

Jon Beavers Jon Beavers (born May 21, 1984) is an American actor and playwright known for starring in ''The Fresh Beat Band'', '' The Long Road Home'', '' Horizon: An American Saga'', and ''Paradise''. His musical, ''The Unfortunates'', co-created by Beavers ...

as the "Fresh Beats" (Kiki, Shout, Marina, and Twist), described as four best friends in a band who are determined to follow their dreams. The series aired from August 24, 2009, to January 4, 2014. 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. Produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio and 6 Point Harness in California, and Nelvana Limited in Canada, it i ...

'', premiered on

. All four members of the band lend their voices to their respective characters in the spin-off.

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 Blush,

Mandy Moore Amanda Leigh "Mandy" Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She rose to fame with her 1999 debut single "Candy (Mandy Moore song), Candy", which peaked at number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot ...

;

Sean Cheesman Sean Cheesman is a Canadian dancer and choreographer, best known as a judge and choreographer for television dance competitions such as ''So You Think You Can Dance'', ''So You Think You Can Dance Canada'' and '' Dirty Dancing: The Time of Your Lif ...

; Jesus "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 an ...

;

Dreya Weber Dreya Weber born May 8 1961 in Bloomington, Indiana, USA, 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. ...

; Beth Bogush; Mary Ann Kellogg; Nakul Mahajan; Mihran Kirakosian;

Susan Austin Susan M. Austin is an American politician from Maine. Education Austin earned an A.A. from Bliss College in Lewiston, Maine. Political career A Republican, Austin has represented the town of Gray, in the Maine House of Representatives si ...

; and Fred Tallaksen. Also, they appeared in the Nickelodeon Mega Music Fest.

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. Nick Jr. (sometimes disambiguated as Nick Jr. on Nickelodeon or Nick Jr. on Nick, and sometimes referred to as Nick, Jr.) is an American morning programming block that airs on Nickelodeon every weekday. It was launched on January 4, 1988. Nick ...

website, then made its debut on television.

Characters

Main

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 later that year on October 9, 2012. The soundtracks contain songs from multiple episodes of the series, as well as songs that did not get performed in the episodes. Most of these songs, including the opening and closing themes, were written by the series' creators and executive producers Scott Kraft and Nadine van der Velde, as well as the trio of Ric Markmann, Dan Pinnella, and Christopher Wagner (collectively known as Matter Music). Other composers and producers included

Matthew Gerrard Matthew Gerrard is a Canadian record producer and songwriter. Biography Gerrard grew up in Don Mills, a suburb of Toronto's north-east end. He attended George S. Henry Secondary School where he played trombone in band, later playing bass in a sc ...

, Elizabeth Ashley Saunig-Gerrard, Chip Whitewood, Peter Zizzo,

Adam Schlesinger Adam Lyons Schlesinger (October 31, 1967 – April 1, 2020) was an American musician, songwriter, composer, and record producer. He was a founding member of the bands Fountains of Wayne, Ivy, and Tinted Windows, and was also a member of the ban ...

, Shelley Rosenberg, Michael Smith, Matthew Tishler, and Phil Galdston.

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 listing

Home media

Retail releases

Manufacture on-demand releases

Episodes on Nick Jr. compilation DVDs

Episodes on Nick Jr. iTunes compilations

Reception

Reviews

Drew Magary of

Deadspin ''Deadspin'' is a sports blog owned by Lineup Publishing. Founded by Will Leitch in 2005 and originally based in Chicago, it was then sold to Gawker Media, Univision Communications and G/O Media. Lineup Publishing acquired it in March 2024, t ...

describes the show as "pure evil, as much as an innocent and friendly show about good friends can be pure evil."
Emily Ashby
of

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an American nonprofit organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

states that "''The Fresh Beat Band'' treats preschoolers to a music-filled good time while promoting kid-friendly messages about friendship, imagination, self-expression, and cooperation."

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)

References

External links

* {{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 groups American children's musical television series American preschool education television series Nick Jr. original programming Treehouse TV original programming American English-language television shows Personal development television series