Nathan Kress surprised iCarly viewers on Valentine’s Day with what can only be described as literal Creddie fan fiction.
Kress, 31, took to social media on Wednesday, February 14, to share several songs from his playlist, which he had dedicated to the relationship between his character, Freddie, and Miranda Cosgrove’s Carly.
“I bring you a few selections from the Carly Playlist, which I used to fill in the backstory and inform Freddie’s emotional framework during our final season,” he wrote via X after thanking viewers for their efforts to save the show. “#SaveiCarly still trends on my feed all the time– you guys are the best.”
Kress added: “I had also hoped that if I waited long enough, we’d have some definitive news for you, but so far, we’re still waiting. But your voices are not going unheard, and we’re not giving up on trying to finish the story!”
For each song on the playlist, Kress detailed the scene he imagined would be soundtracked by the track. The list began with the song “Collarbones” from Thomston.
“Carly and Freddie in their high school years, on a rare sweltering night in Seattle. Somehow they managed to find themselves alone, which is dangerous for Freddie. That’s when the ~feelings~ tend to creep in. But nevertheless, here they are,” he wrote. “Two awkward children, laying on the still-warm reddish tiles at Kerry Park, overlooking the Skyline as they stare up at the stars. Wondering out loud about what magical memories senior year will hold, and where their lives will take them as they move into adulthood … not knowing that everything was going to completely change in a few short months, and Carly was going to be suddenly ripped from Freddie’s orbit. But for now, they are together, and it’s perfect.”
Kress envisioned a “lingering” moment between Carly and Freddie, adding, “For a split second, Freddie fights the terrifying urge to grab her face and kiss her like he’s wanted to for years. Thankfully, reflexes kick in. ‘She doesn’t feel that way about you, stop doing this to yourself. She’s not going anywhere, if it’s meant to be. We have plenty of time.’ There was supposed to be plenty of time.”
Kress imagined the second song — Billie Eilish‘s “I Love You” — soundtracking a scene from Carly’s perspective.
“I always envisioned this mentality of uncomfortable dismissal, denial, and internal conflict as they got older, and Freddie’s admissions of love went from juvenile puppy-love to genuine overtures. Sure she loves him as a friend, but she doesn’t want things to change. And as much as Freddie plays it off, it breaks him,” he wrote. “I always go to a scenario with a little-bit-too-long hug leading to yet another awkward conversation when Freddie makes a fool of himself and causes Carly to feel all this stuff.”
Kress’ playlist also featured Switchfoot’s “Vice Verses” track. According to Kress, the song offered a glimpse into Freddy’s state of mind after his offscreen split from Carly.
iCarly originally aired on Nickelodeon from 2007 to 2012 and focused on a teenager named Carly who created and hosted her own web show with help from her best friends. The show was such a success that two spinoffs were later created: Sam & Cat and Gibby.
iCarly was revived by Paramount+ in 2021. Set nearly a decade after the events of the OG series, the new show followed Carly as she restarted her web show alongside roommate Harper (Laci Mosley) and Freddie. Fans of the original show got a pleasant surprise when the new installment of iCarly committed to Freddie and Carly’s romance.
After two seasons of buildup, the fan-favorite couple started dating and almost got married in the series finale, which aired in October 2023. Paramount+ canceled the reboot that same month.
Before getting together, Carly and Freddie ended the original series with an ambivalent future. The revival later clarified that despite attempting a romance when Carly moved overseas, the pair weren’t able to make it work.
The final song on Kress’ playlist was “Ava” by Famy, which set the backdrop for Freddie’s attempts to find love before reconnecting with Carly.
“This is where his headlong leaps into rushed relationships brought him to an exponentially worse place — emotionally, physically, and financially — than he started after Carly left,” Kress wrote. “This marked the descent into where you find him at the start of the revival. He’s nearly unrecognizable. A shell of what he was, stemming from the mistakes he made in an attempt to staunch the bleeding.”
Kress concluded: “So there you have it! A little glimpse into what was on my mind while we were making [the iCarly episode] ‘iMake New Memories.’ I totally recognize that none of this may resonate with you… but these made me cry, so I used em 😂.”
