The trick of reviewing a new TV show is to predict if that show’s intended audience will buy into its premise — without feeling like they’re being insulted (or, worse yet, lectured to).
“How To Rock,” Nickelodeon’s newest ’tween series, is targeted at that fickle group of kids between the ages of 9 and 12. And, if past history is any indication, “How To Rock” — which premieres next Saturday — is destined for a long shelf life. There’s really no reason to think otherwise, since the series has all the requisite kid-friendly ingredients and seems cut from the standard Nickelodeon ’tween-centric cloth: a charming, 16-year-old star (Cymphonique Miller) who, natch, sings and plays in a band; stereotypically “quirky” supporting characters, including the belching-and-farting fat kid; a too-loud, hyperactive laugh track; and, of course, a thematic “message” (everyone is special in their own way).
Nickelodeon has mixed these ingredients before, with much success, in shows like “Zoey 101, “iCarly” and “Victorious,”which turned their stars (Jamie Lynn Spears, Amanda Cosgrove and Victoria Justice) into young-teen idols.
I’m guessing the same fate awaits Miller, who’s spunky and engaging as Kacey Simon, the snotty leader of “The Perfs,” a “mean girls” high school musical trio who look down their too-perfect noses at their “geeky” classmates, particularly at their main rivals, the rock band “Gravity 4” — led by pretty-boy guitarist Zander (Max Schneider); tough-girl bassist Stevie (Lulu Antariksa); and Kevin (Christopher Richard O’Neal) and Nelson (Noah Crawford), the band’s drummer and keyboardist obsessed with an “Angry Birds”-type video game, “Furious Pigeons.”
In next Saturday’s premiere, Kacey gets her comeuppance when her dodgy eyesight causes a pratfall that forces her to wear huge, Coke-bottle glasses and braces on her teeth — which, naturally, just won’t do for the too-cool Perfs, who exile her from the band, forcing Kacey into the welcoming arms of her new, kind-hearted best pals, the Gravity 4. Will the (now-rechristened) Gravity 5 beat The Perfs in the school talent show? Do I really need to ask?
The second episode of “How To Rock” settles into more routine ’tween sitcom territory, including the aforementioned belcher/gas-passer, a kid named Andy (Jacob Houston), who bears a strong resemblance (both physically and habitually) to “Booger,” the gross-out character played by Curtis Armstrong in the ’80s cult hit, “The Revenge of the Nerds.” Coincidence?
The “How To Rock” cast is likable and unthreatening and Miller — the daughter of rapper Master P and sister of rapper Lil’ Romeo — seems ready-made for her closeup.
Rock on.