If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

I accidentally came across DRAKE AND JOSH during it's initial run. The first ep I actually saw was Smart Girl, the one where Drake tried to impress a super-smart girl. And from that ep, I was hooked! This was one of the early eps of the show, around the 10th or 11th, as Season 1 only had a handful of eps, probably due to not knowing if the show would make it another season. But last it did! For 4 seasons and this show had re-defined Nickelodeon.As I was watching the first-run episodes, I didn't even realize how GOOD this show really was! Stepbrothers Drake Parker (played by Drake Bell) and Josh Nichols (played by Josh Peck)are like a very young modern-day Laurel and Hardy, with Drake the straight (and dumb!) man and Josh the smart, big lovable oaf. The chemistry between Bell and Peck was infectious. These young men were real teenagers playing real (and funny) teens and that couldn't have been easy to do. Their interactions are still very enjoyable upon re-watch. Peck, in particular, stood out by giving his character affectations from his stand-up routine, but both excelled at physical comedy. I kind of think Bell is a bit under-appreciated because he was the straight man to Peck's boisterous personality, but Bell's subtle comedy is a big reason it all comes together. The two excelled at playing off of each other. Also, Bell is a guitarist and singer irl and they used this on the show as Drake was an aspiring musician with his own teen band. He actually sings the theme song.As great as Drake and Josh were, they might not even be my 2 favorite characters! Because there were 2 other scene-stealing girls on the show. First, there was the young, incredibly talented Miranda Cosgrove, who played the boys' younger sister Megan Parker. And Megan was pure evil! Megan delighted in torturing her older brothers and was wise beyond her years. Cosgrove imbibed Megan with real wit and personality, very rare for such a young girl, as Megan wasn't much older than a tot when the show started! Cosgrove has her own show now, the absurdly popular iCarly, but I think she was a more fun character as Megan on this show. The other great female was Mindy Crenshaw, played by talented Alison Scagliotti, who was both the thorn in Josh's side AND ended up his girlfriend! It's weird that Mindy was only in about 15% of the show's episodes, yet left such a lasting impression on the viewers! Jonathan Goldstein and Nancy Sullivan commendably and ably played Drake, Josh, and Megan's parents, but were not much more than bit players. Other awesome minor characters included Helen and Crazy Steve (who worked at the local movie theater where Josh worked and the boys hung out at), and the other comedy duo on the show, lovable nerds Eric and Craig. The wonderful Julia Duffy (from Newhart) was a standout as the boys' teacher Miss Hayfer in a handful of eps, too! The best episode to me was the Season 2 finale Honor Council, where Drake was accused of pulling a prank on Miss Hayfer and Josh defended Drake, while Mindy represented Miss Hayfer. It was a hoot start to finish! Other great eps are the aforementioned Smart Girl, Drew and Jerry, Helen's Surgery, The Peruvian Puff Pepper, Mindy's Back, Foam Finger, The Wedding, and The Storm.Wonderful teen comedy that helped re-define Nick!

Now that is not to say this is a bad show, it isn't, in fact it is one of the better live Nick shows now. Certainly better than iCarly and Zoey 101.When Drake and Josh started, it was very funny, with two great lead characters, funny writing and above average story lines. And I have always liked the sets and the music. Recently though, it is not so great. It isn't dreadful, really it is actually watchable still, but the stories are more predictable than they were and Josh has become annoying. The writing is still amusing, just not as funny or as clever. That said, the acting is still great with believable chemistry.In conclusion, a good show, perhaps lacking in quality recently but it is still watchable. 7/10 Bethany Cox

It's not the worst show on Nickelodeon. That dubious honor goes to "Zoey 101" and "Naked Brothers Band". But this sitcom is still lacking quality in almost every aspect. The two stars (Parker and Nichols) are both graduates of the obnoxious sketch series "The Amanda Show" where they were lead to believe that in order to be funny all you have to do is over-act rather than master real comedic timing (something both boys are seriously lacking). The two leads are constantly out-shined by their supporting cast including Miranda Cosgrove, as their little sister, and Jerry Trainor, as a recurring character who works with Josh. Not surprisingly, both Miranda and Jerry would later star together in "iCarly" which is only slightly better than this show. In terms of writing, this show is completely unoriginal. A common trait amongst all of Dan Schneider's Nickelodeon shows. This man is a true hack. Literally all of his shows are nothing more than stolen "I Love Lucy" scripts reworked for kids. I'm not even trying to be mean. All of these shows regularly feature thinly disguised "Lucy" plots only without the expert staging and set-ups. And very rarely do the writers ever add their own unique spin. It's all dreadfully predictable. Sure, a lot of sitcoms recycle old stories but at least most of them can be forgiven thanks to witty dialogue and good casting. "Drake & Josh" is instead hampered down by crummy dialogue that thinks it's funnier than it actually is. Combine that with smug actors who think they're funnier than they actually are and you've got a bad show. Just to give you an idea of how bad the writing is on this show, I'll describe one episode I watched recently while babysitting (which is the only reason I'm even familiar with this series). The boys get in trouble because Josh is addicted to video games while Drake is addicted to junk food. In one scene Josh nags Drake for being so unhealthy. For those not familiar with the show, Josh is the morbidly obese one (at least when this episode was made) and Drake is the skinny, lanky one. So, yeah, they actually wrote an episode where the big fat kid scolds the skinny guy for eating too much junk. Seriously, they did that. Eventually the boys make a bet on which one of them can go longer without giving into their addiction. Sound familiar? Remember when Lucy bet Ricky that she can go longer without buying a new hat than he can without losing his temper? Same...exact...plot. So if you've never watched television before in your life, you might be amused by this pale imitation of a sitcom. Which is why it's so popular with children. They've haven't seen anything better yet. Others will most likely find the show aggravating.

Drake and Josh has enough entertainment and laughs to keep kids from the ages of 9-12 (like me!) happy but though, in my point of view, I can easily see that it does not deliver the same level and energy of fun as it does to please the adults. Not in any satisfaction that I am surprised (seeming like every other show on Nickelodeon seemed to be more or less targeted at the younger group) I just believe bonus points would be scored if shows like this relate to the same sort of genre to keep both children AND adults occupied. But other than that, what can I say? I myself have seen nearly all the episodes featured on the show, but the biggest episode was the starting episode due to the fact that it simply the opens the show, introducing the simple style and genre of the show - whether you want to carry on watching the show or not. In my opinion, I was pretty impressed by the delivery of humour this show's got and also, I decided to keep on watching it. Well, I actually found OK to watch.A solid plot - Drake Parker, a guy who gets all the girls and Josh Nichols, a guy who is the complete opposite of Drake, find out their parents are seeing each other! Knowing they actually exist now, the two go through teenage breakdowns and laughs and Drake and Josh find out they are just more than friends... they're parents got married - and they're brothers! Overall a good fragile start to one of Nickelodeon hit shows (though only can be enjoyable be for targeted audience) On the other hand, I might be wrong! Go ahead adults... give it a try!********/**********(8/10 stars)~Kalendra