ICarly (season 5)

The fifth season of iCarly began airing on Nickelodeon on August 13, 2011 and finished its run on January 21, 2012. This season features Carly Shay (Miranda Cosgrove), Sam Puckett (Jennette McCurdy), Freddie Benson (Nathan Kress) and Gibby Gibson (Noah Munck) as their web show, iCarly, is becoming more popular worldwide, with Sam and Freddie now as a confirmed couple, until the episode, "iLove You". Jerry Trainor co-stars as Carly's older brother Spencer, and Noah Munck co-stars as Gibby. This season had the specials "iLost My Mind", "iDate Sam & Freddie", "iBloop 2: Electric Bloopaloo", "iStill Psycho, and "iMeet the First Lady".

Season synopsis
Following the events of "iOMG", where Sam kisses Freddie, she disappears for three days. Carly's knowledge of Sam's cell-phone password and the use of cell-phone-tracking software reveal that Sam has checked herself into a mental hospital. Freddie visits her to find out that she can't handle her mixed feelings of love and hate for him. Freddie, on an iCarly webcast live from the mental institution, reveals that even though Sam likes him and is in denial about it, his feelings are important, too. He walks up to her and kisses her, symbolizing the start of a new relationship.

In the next few episodes ("iLost My Mind", "iDate Sam & Freddie", "iCan't Take It", and "iLove You"), the Sam and Freddie relationship is growing. Sam and Freddie are a couple but they keep fighting and after solving 1 problem, Carly ends up being their involuntary 'couple's counselor'. This starts driving Carly mad when Sam and Freddie end up going to Carly at 3 in the morning for a stupid fight. Carly then ends up being dragged into a dinner date with Sam and Freddie but gets really upset when she has to sit at a table by herself. After a second fight between the two, Carly loses it and goes home leaving Sam and Freddie confused.

In the next episode, Spencer is forced to lie to Mrs. Benson about the whereabouts of Freddie because she doesn't know about his and Sam's relationship. Because Sam is in a relationship with Freddie, her previous torture monkey, her new torture monkey is Gibby. Gibby doesn't like how Sam treats him so he decides to consult with Mrs. Benson about Sam and Freddie's relationship. She doesn't approve, so she and Gibby devise a plan to break them up. The plan backfires when Carly accidentally reveals to Sam and Freddie that Gibby told Mrs. Benson about them, causing her to attack Gibby in retaliation. Because of this, he and Mrs. Benson force Carly to reveal to them that Sam sabotaged Freddie's application to a prestigious camp; which they use to make him angry at her. However, Carly stops the fight and helps Sam and Freddie make up, with the help of Gibby, who sends Mrs. Benson away having had a change of heart.

In the next episode, Carly suggests that Sam and Freddie try each other's hobbies, but when Sam visits Freddie's model train club she blows up the trains, Freddie gets kicked out. Then Sam takes Freddie to visit her Uncle Carmine and Cousin Chaz in prison, but she also makes him put ham in his pants which eventually gets him caught by security, angering Carmine and Chaz. Sam and Freddie end up deciding to break up at the end because of something Carly said that they overheard about their relationship being forced by a connection they have but their personalities are too different. The relationship ends on a relatively friendly note, with hints of rekindling should one of them work on their personality. Almost immediately after breaking up, Freddie admits to Sam for the very first time that he loves her, and she says she loves him, too; causing them to prolong their break-up for one more night together.

After the first few episodes of this season, T-Bo moves into Freddie and Mrs. Benson's apartment in "Bushwell Plaza", after being evicted from "The Groovy Smoothie", making him Carly and Spencer's neighbor as well. Sam and Freddie help him do this by disguising him as a respectful gentleman, which initially works. However, Mrs. Benson finds out his true personality later and decides to kick him out. But after he assists her with rescuing the gang from a psycho-obsessed fan and her family, she decides to let him stay.

Development
In late January 2011, while doing press for her North American Dancing Crazyconcert tour, Miranda Cosgrove began telling news sources that she was looking forward to returning to Hollywood to begin filming a 5th season of iCarly.[1][2][3] On January 27, 2011, Cosgrove told Cleveland Live News "We're getting ready to start the next season, right after the tour. I would be willing to do the show as long as people like it and as long as it works."[1] On January 28, 2011, Reuters news agency also reported that Cosgrove was preparing to begin filming a 5th season of iCarly,[2] and on February 3, 2011 Cosgrove told The Middletown Press, when speaking of the show and her co-stars Jennette McCurdy and Nathan Kress, "I've known them since I was little. I can't wait to get back. I'm really comfortable doing iCarly. It's like my home away from home."[3]Cosgrove concluded her Dancing Crazy concert tour on February 24, 2011, and Jennette McCurdy finished her Generation Love mall tour on April 14, 2011.[4]The entire cast did not even get together until the 2011 Kids' Choice Awards. Miranda Cosgrove recently confirmed that filming would resume shortly.[5] At the 2011 Kids' Choice Awards, Jerry Trainor stated that filming would resume in May.[6]

Main cast

 * Miranda Cosgrove as Carly Shay
 * Jennette McCurdy as Sam Puckett
 * Nathan Kress as Freddie Benson
 * Jerry Trainor as Spencer Shay
 * Noah Munck as Gibby Gibson

Recurring cast

 * BooG!e as T-Bo
 * Mary Scheer as Marissa Benson
 * Nathan Pearson as Jeremy Rowley
 * Danielle Morrow as Nora Dershlit
 * Drew Roy as Griffin

Guest stars

 * Jim Parsons as Caleb ("iLost My Mind")
 * Taran Killam as Secret Service Agent ("iMeet The First Lady")
 * Michelle Obama as herself ("iMeet The First Lady")

Episodes
Main article: List of iCarly episodes