Drake & Josh

Drake & Josh
File:Drake&joshs4.jpg Drake Bell and Josh Peck
Created by	Dan Schneider
Starring	Drake Bell Josh Peck Miranda Cosgrove Jonathan Goldstein Nancy Sullivan
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	60 (including two TV movies) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer	Dan Schneider
Running time	30 minutes
Original release
Network	Nickelodeon
Release	January 11, 2004 – September 16, 2007

Drake & Josh is an American sitcom shown on the Nickelodeon network, which starred Drake Bell and Josh Peck. Both stars had already played roles in The Amanda Show, as had Nancy Sullivan, who played their mother in the show. Jonathan Goldstein played their father, and Miranda Cosgrove played their little sister.

The show debuted January 11, 2004. The series ceased production in 2007 so Miranda Cosgrove would have time to play in TEENick's iCarly.

Characters

Drake Parker (Drake Bell)

Drake is portrayed as a somewhat simple person, putting little thought into his decisions. He plays guitar in a band which throughout the series has had many different members, with Josh now acting as manager. Throughout the series, Drake has had over 75 girlfriends. Drake is also the older brother of Megan and occasionally tends to get a little over-protective of her. He is also a very poor student, having little common knowledge on subjects such as geography (for example, he does not know where Vietnam or Switzerland are, that there is a New Jersey, and he believed Rome to be in Romania. He also mispronounced South America as South Amereeca). Drake has a poor relationship with his English teacher, Ms. Hayfer, who hates him and tells him this frequently. He also has a reputation as something of a prankster: it was mentioned in the episode "The Wedding" that he had put squirrels in Mrs. Hayfer's car after breaking into it with a wire hanger, but this incident was never seen. It is because of this, prehaps, that Ms. Hayfer despises Drake, for she is the first person to point the finger at him whenever trouble arises in the classroom.

Josh Nichols (Josh Peck)

Josh generally serves as the comedic foil to Drake, usually in the form of actor Josh Peck imitating George Costanza or Marlon Brando's Don Corleone, sometimes even Jim Carrey. He is usually the sensible one, and was portrayed as a nerd with little luck with girls and an interest in science during the first and second seasons. Josh has a habit of questioning or arguing against someone's (usually an adult's) order and then after a stricter call, he immediately obeys. The only real girlfriend he had was Mindy Crenshaw, who also shared his interests, while she is usually sarcastic toward Drake. Apparently, he has a large head, which is why some people (including Megan) began mentioning, either by regularly identifying him or making fun of him. Josh is known to be a dork which Drake pointed out in Dr. Phyllis Show. Examples are him making weird noises, him putting on his underwear after his pants, and squealing. Josh has been incredibly sarcastic as seen in "Vicious Tiberious" saying that they "just opened" New Jersey. Josh is also known to like churros (a Mexican pastry) and will go to great lengths to get one. In the episode "Steered Straight", Josh was tempted by Drake to use a fake I.D. to get one. Josh's first kiss was with a girl named Susan, seen in Believe Me, Brother who was also Drake's girlfriend at the time. Josh is very paranoid about Megan pulling pranks on him. He also is a big fan of Oprah Winfrey(whom he accidentally hits with his car in a Season 4 episode). Video games and magic tricks are also some of his interests. He can play the harmonica as seen in Blues Brothers, The Gary Grill and Alien Invasion. Josh also loses an impressive amount of weight after Season 2. Josh Peck has a bad boy in him, one that even Drake doesn't know about. He had an affair with Courtney, Drake's ex-girlfriend, in 7th grade after discovering sex in "Drake's Girlfriend Stripped in Front of Me Last Night," an episode in which Drake's 7th grade sweetheart accidentally gets locked in the boy's bedroom. Having nothing better to do, she strips and does an exotic dance around their room. The next morning the camera shows them both naked in bed. Credits show {When the boys are older} the girl, Courtney, give them her business card. It reads PROSTITUTE, COURTNEY. THE BEST IN BED. CALL ME TO EXPERIENCE WHY I AM #1 IN THE U.S. (***) ***-****

Megan Parker (Miranda Cosgrove)

Megan is Drake's sister and Josh's step sister. She continually pulls pranks on Drake and Josh, and enjoys seeing them suffer. She usually calls her two brothers boobs, (for example, in the movie "Drake & Josh Go Hollywood"), as a way of saying they're stupid. She loves her brothers but as soon as she shows it, she can change affections. Initially her plans were simple and childish but got much more clever and sophisticated because she is seen with high-tech gadgets. She plays the oboe, but has only been seen playing it at Helen's wedding in "Really Big Shrimp". Although Megan can get Drake and Josh into some pretty messy situations, their parents see that Megan can do no wrong, and usually take her side over her brothers. During season four, she seems to have grown up and started to wear make-up. She can probably be the antagonist of the series.

Walter Nichols (Jonathan Goldstein)

Walter is Josh's father, and Megan and Drake's stepfather, a meteorologist who is often wrong about the weather. Walter is often clumsy, out of date, even seemingly empty-headed (for example, he believed Titanic to be "just a movie", thought the word touchè to be pronounced 'toosh', and thought the word capise to be pronounced capeese), and as a result lacks a strict handle on Drake and Josh. Many people forget who he is, even if they've seen him many times, like Helen. Like Josh, he is the victim of many unfortunate things, such as being slapped, yelled at, laughed at, etc. Walter is so empty headed he gets laughed at when admitting he's the weatherman on Channel 7. Everybody in the family (except Josh) calls him by his first name, Walter. Megan and Audrey both watch channel 11 which is Bruce Windchill because of his hair, to Walter's disgust. He seems a lot smarter in the episode where he is considered for a bigger job as a meteorologist on a national morning show much like The Today Show.

Audrey Parker-Nichols (Nancy Sullivan)

Audrey is the mother of Drake and Megan and the stepmother of Josh. She is usually telling the boys to try not to be so stupid. Because Walter lacks a strict handle on Drake and Josh, she is usually the one to punish the boys. Her name has never been mentioned on the show; only on the Nick.com webpage. She, along Walter, are known to always believe Megan instead of Drake and Josh even when they're saying the truth. It is unknown what her profession is or even if she works, as her job is never mentioned throughout the series. Megan acts perfect around her getting the boys into trouble.

Recurring characters

• Craig Ramirez (played by Alec Medlock) and Eric Blonowitz (played by Scott Halberstadt)

Craig and Eric are two stereotypical "nerdy" honor students that are always being exploited by Drake and Josh, mostly due to Drake's hare-brained schemes and how he mixes their names up. The character of Eric was introduced (shown at the pilot episode before Josh fought) before the character of Craig and has made more appearances in the show than Craig. Eric looks more "nerdy" than Craig, wearing a tucked-in button-up shirt, thick glasses, and pens in his pocket. Even though introduced later in the show, Eric is seen in the background in the first episode when Josh fights Buck. The first episode they are seen together is in "Pool Shark". It was learned in Eric Punches Drake, that Eric is a pacifist and is Jewish, and also that Craig loves to sing. In The Dance Contest, Eric moves to Puerto Rico. They were first seen in Smart Girl.

• Helen Ophelia Dubois-Baxter (played by Yvette Nicole Brown, Frances Callier in "Little Diva")

Helen is the manager at The Premiere Galleria, a movie theater where Josh (and formerly Drake) has a job. She is known for her intimidation factor, due to her loud voice and orders for her employees. She adores Drake but has a dislike for Josh, despite his hard work. She gets married in Really Big Shrimp. Helen usually tells Gavin to tell Josh to do something gross, but Gavin always ends up doing it himself (See Gavin). She dislikes Josh but shows a lot of affection for him in hard times. Despite the fact they met in Blues Brothers, Walter and Audrey recall seeing her for the first time in The Drake and Josh Inn. She was first seen in Movie Job

• Mindy Crenshaw (played by Allison Scagliotti-Smith)

Josh's rival in school in Season 2 and eventually his girlfriend in Season 3. Though they broke up in the beginning of Season 4, they get back together in Drake & Josh: Really Big Shrimp. She had a job at The Premiere Theater, and notably blamed Drake for the stunt of parking Mrs. Hayfer's car in the classroom (which she actually pulled as revenge for recieving a B grade from Mrs. Hayfer). She was first seen in Honor Council.

• Crazy Steve (played by Jerry Trainor)

Crazy Steve is an employee at The Premiere movie theater. He is hard working and pretty calm at times, until someone (usually Josh) critiques his work or does something he dislikes, and that is when he goes crazy. On Mondays, he goes particularly crazy, but calms down when She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain is sung and he gets a drink of milk (usually served warm). No one knows why the song calms him down. His father sent him to "Fat Camp" as a child, which means Steve was overweight. He was first seen in Movie Job and made an appearance in We're Married, but became a regular recurring character in Season 4.

• Gavin (played by Jake Farrow)

Gavin has a mullet-like haircut and is always telling Josh to clean something unusual in the theater bathrooms. He then eventually cleans up the mess himself - his response (and catchphrase) being "I got it". He also has a crush on Drake and Josh's mom. He was first seen in Helen's Surgery and last seen in The Storm. It is possible that he was fired from The Premiere.

• Leah (played by Cathy Shim)

Leah is the female Asian employee at The Premiere movie theater who appears only in Seasons 3 and 4. She seems to get along well with Josh and is also very afraid of Crazy Steve (played by Jerry Trainor).

• Mrs. Hayfer (played by Julia Duffy)

Mrs. Alice/Linda Hayfer is Drake and Josh's English teacher. She adores Josh, due to his hard-working personality in class, but dislikes Drake very much, because of his constant poor efforts in class, laziness, and lack of attitude in class; her catch phrase being "Drake, I hate you", with Drake responding, "I know."She temporarily suspended Drake because his jacket was in the trunk of her car so she assumes Drake pulled the stunt.(As seen in Honor Council). She was first seen in Mean Teacher

• Dr. Glazer (Played by Roark Critchlow)

Dr. Jeff Glazer lives across the street from Drake and Josh. He is always called on whenever a serious emergency happens at their house. Although he seems kind during the medical procedure, he is always charging a high bill for his services.

• Trevor (Played by Taran Killam)

Trevor Wilson is one of Drake's friends, who appears to be even more unintelligent than Drake. He only appears in the episode "Dune Buggy" but is mentioned a lot throughout the rest of the series. Even though he and Drake both seem unintelligent, Drake seems smarter.

• Bruce Winchil

Bruce Winchil is a weather-man who works for Walter's competition's weather station. He is never seen on-screen, but is mentioned from time to time. He is described by Megan and Audrey as having good-looking hair and is disliked by Walter so much that at times he demands his family not to mention his name in the house ("I TOLD you not to mention his name in this house!").

• ' Who Are You? Girl

The Who are you girl is a recurring girl saying she loves Drake and occasionally Josh, to which they reply "Who are you?" or "Who is she?"

Guest stars

• Gabrielle Christian
• Erik Estrada
• Gary Coleman
• Richard Biggs¹
• Ted Lange
• Wesley Mann
• Paul Gleason
• Gabrielle Carteris
• Skyler Samuels
• John O'Hurley
• Larry Thomas
• Maggie Wheeler
• Josh Server
• Chelsea Brummet
• Torrey DeVitto
• Samantha Cope

• Emma Roberts
• Alyson Stoner
• Sammi Hanratty
• Randee Heller
• AnnaSophia Robb
• Ashley Drane
• Julie Gonzalo
• Kimmy Robertson
• Lucy Hale
• Kaylee DeFer
• Tara Lynne Barr
• Brittany Curran
• Vanessa Hudgens
• Tony Hawk²

• ¹Biggs guest starred in the episode "The Gary Grill", but died in May 2004 before it premiered. The episode was dedicated in his memory.

• ²Made brief cameo appearance in Drake & Josh Go Hollywood.

Crew

• Dan Schneider — creator, executive producer, and writer
• Joe Catania — producer
• Robin Weiner — producer

Occasional workers

• Virgil Fabian — occasional director
• Drake Bell — director of first half of "Really Big Shrimp"
• Josh Peck — director of episode "Battle of Panthatar"

Settings

Drake & Josh has taken place in many areas of San Diego, but here are a few of the most common ones:

• Drake & Josh's House

This is the house where Drake, Josh, Megan, and their parents live. From the information given by the show, it is a two story house, has a kitchen, a large living room, more than one bathroom, four bedrooms (Drake & Josh's room, Megan's room, their parents' room, and a guest room), a garage and more. It is used in nearly every episode.

• The Premiere

The Premiere is the fictional movie theater/cafe, and local teen hangout where Josh works. The manager is Helen Ophelia Dubois-Baxter, and the assistant manager is Josh Nichols. There are a few other noted employees including: Gavin, Leah, and Crazy Steve. The Premiere is featured in many episodes, and is first seen in the episode 'Movie Job'. Next to The Premiere, in the same complex is Schneiders Bakery, Dan Schneider's production company. The building gets burned down at the end of "Really Big Shrimp".

• Belleview High

This is the fictional school Drake & Josh attend and is used in many episodes. One noted teacher there is Mrs. Hayfer, Drake & Josh's English teacher, who at one point accused Drake of stealing and putting her car in her classroom. Another teacher was the tenth grade History teacher (as seen in Guitar). His name was never mentioned . Belleview Middle (Megan's school) is also in this school, as learned in "Megan's First Kiss". Drake Bell and Josh Peck were not actually attending High School when this was filmed, as they are now both 21 years old.

Episodes

Main article: List of Drake & Josh episodes

Season	Ep #	First Airdate	Last Airdate
Season 1	6	January 11, 2004	February 22, 2004
Season 2	14	March 14, 2004	November 28, 2004
Season 3	20	April 2, 2005	April 8, 2006
Season 4	20	September 24, 2006	September 16, 2007

Films

Drake & Josh Go Hollywood
Drake and Josh are left at home after their parents go on a cruise. They are told to bring Megan to the airport to visit her friend in Denver, but accidentally send her on a flight to Los Angeles. They go to Hollywood to get her back, and end up stopping a multi-billion dollar heist. The movie aired on January 6, 2006.

Drake & Josh: Really Big Shrimp
Spin City Records is wanting to sign Drake for their label. He is on the road to fame and fortune, but Josh's inexperience as a manager (and his titular fondness) leads him to sign the contract without reading it, accidentally signing over creative rights for Drake's new song. The movie aired on August 3, 2007.

Books

A book series based on Drake & Josh has been published by children's publisher Scholastic since 2006. The books are generally based upon content from the show and essentially novelize two episodes of material, with one being a novelization of a feature length film.

The books are written by author Laurie Calkhoven.

• Blues Brothers, based on the episodes titled Blues Brothers and Number One Fan
• Sibling Rivalry, based on the episodes titled The Bet and Peruvian Puff Pepper
• Drake & Josh Go Hollywood, based on the movie Drake & Josh Go Hollywood
• Kid Trouble, based on the episodes Megan's New Teacher and Little Sibling
• Alien Invasion, based on the episodes Alien Invasion and The Demonator
• Surprise!, based on the episodes Josh Runs Into Oprah and Vicious Tiberius
• Josh is Done, based on the episodes Josh is Done and I Love Sushi

Recurring jokes

Opening

Drake & Josh typically opens with Drake and Josh in split-screen, both talking about a similar topic and recalling a related event in their lives—usually with completely different ideas about their respective topics, and having completely different views on whether or not the event was humorous.

At first, the screens both took up exactly half of the screen, and was shot in fixed prespective regardless of whether or not the character was still in shot. In later episodes, the boxes would shrink, grow and overlap each other depending on what needed to be seen most, and eventually the boxes themselves would be used to craft the punchline—at one point, Megan designs a device which makes the boxes change shape rapidly; at another, the border between the two boxes disappears to reviel that Drake and Josh are actually standing right next to each other.

Grape

Often, whenever Drake and Josh are alone in the same room but not really interacting, Drake will call out the word "grape." Josh will then toss a grape towards Drake (even if he is behind him) which Drake will catch prefectly in his mouth.

Awards & nominations

• At Nickelodeon's 2006 Kids' Choice Awards, Drake & Josh won over American Idol to win the orange blimp-award for Favorite TV Show.
• Also at the 2006 Kids' Choice Awards, Drake Bell won the award for best actor.
• At the 2007 Kids' Choice Awards, Drake Bell won the award for best actor again.
• Also at the 2007 Kids' Choice Awards, Drake & Josh was nominated again for favorite TV show, but lost to American Idol.
• At the 2007 UK Kids' Choice Awards Drake and Josh won the best TV Show.
• At the Australian 2007 Kids Choice Awards, the show also won best TV show.
• Also at the 2007 UK Kids' choice awards Drake Bell won the favorite male singer.

External links

• The official Drake & Josh page on Nick.com
• Nick UK - Drake and Josh