The Fresh Beat Band

The Fresh Beat Band (originally known as The JumpArounds) is an American live action musical children's television series created by Scott Kraft and Nadine van der Velde for Nickelodeon. The show stars the "Fresh Beats" (Kiki, Shout, Marina, and Twist), described as four best friends in a silly and jolly band who graduate together from music school and are determined to follow their dreams. The series premiered on Nickelodeon in the United States on August 24, 2009. In December 2013, it was announced that the series would not be renewed for a fourth season.

The Fresh Beat Band
The Fresh Beats' logo
Also known as	The JumpArounds
Genre	Musical fiction Children's television series Comedy
Created by	Scott Kraft Nadine van der Velde
Developed by	Alice Prodanou Scott Kraft Nadine van der Velde
Written by	Scott Kraft Nadine van der Velde Heather MacGillvray Kim Duran Linda Mathious Carla Waddles Banks Calvin Leung Tom Saunders Alice Prodanou Dan Danko Tom Mason Kerri Grant
Directed by	Scott Kraft Neal Israel Henry Chan Jonathan Judge James Wahlberg Linda Mendoza Savage Steve Holland Jody Margolin Hahn
Starring	Jon Beavers Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer Thomas Hobson Shayna Rose (2009–2011) Tara Perry (2011–2013)
Opening theme	"The Fresh Beat Band!"
Ending theme	"The Fresh Beat Band!" (instrumental)
Composer	Matter Music
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	60 + 1 stand-alone special^[1] (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Scott Kraft Nadine van der Velde
Producers	Jim Kukucka Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg Chris Robinson
Production locations	Paramount Studios, Hollywood
Cinematography	Tim Gonuos Carlos Gonzalez
Editors	Mitch Sinoway Cindy Parisotto
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	23 minutes
Production company	Nickelodeon Productions
Distributor	Viacom Media Networks
Release
Original network	Nickelodeon (2009-2012) Nick Jr. (2009-2016)
Original release	August 24, 2009 (2009-08-24) – December 7, 2013 (2013-12-07)
Chronology
Followed by	Fresh Beat Band of Spies

In 2015, an animated television series, Fresh Beat Band of Spies, premiered on Nickelodeon. All four members of the band lend their voices to their respective characters in the spin-off.

The series returned on Nick Jr. on Pluto TV on May 1, 2019.^[2]

Premise

All episodes follow the same basic structure:

• Each episode begins with a song that foreshadows a problem that the band will solve.
• The band works together to solve the problem.
• When the problem is solved they perform a song with the problem and solution incorporated into the lyrics.
• Each episode concludes with a version of The Fresh Beat Band's closing song, "Great Day".
• The main characters dance to choreography by Mandy Moore;^[3] Sean Cheesman; Chuck Maldonado; Scotty Nguyen; Dreya Weber; Mary Ann Kellogg; Nakul Mahajan; Mihran Kirakosian; Susan Austin, and Fred Tallaksen.

Also, they appeared in the Nickelodeon Mega Music Fest.

Characters

Main

The show's main characters are:^[4]   Kiki (Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer) – guitar, violin, vocals   Shout (Thomas Hobson) – keyboards, vocals   Marina (Tara Perry - who replaced Shayna Rose) – drums, vocals   Twist (Jon Beavers) – turntables, beatbox, vocals

Recurring

• Harper the Pizza Maker – owner of the Pizza Café, played by Shane Blades
• Melody the Smoothie Maker – owner of the Groovy Smoothie Shop, played by Dioni Michelle Collins
• Ms. Piccolo the Teacher – music school teacher, played by Monica Lee Gradischek
• Reed the Guitar Player – occasional guitar player and supplier of the Fresh Beats' instruments, played by Hadley Fraser (season 1) and Patrick Levis (season 2–3)

There are also four children known as "The Junior Beats" who are essentially the child equivalent of their grown-up counterparts. They sing, dance, and dress as a corresponding character.

Episodes

Main article: List of the Fresh Beat Band episodes

Season	Episodes		Originally aired
			First aired	Last aired
1	20		August 24, 2009 (2009-08-24)	May 28, 2010 (2010-05-28)
2	20		August 30, 2010 (2010-08-30)	June 20, 2011 (2011-06-20)
3	20		June 24, 2011 (2011-06-24)	December 7, 2013 (2013-12-07)
Special			April 21, 2013 (2013-04-21)

During the buildup to the show's debut, the band was initially advertised as The JumpArounds. Commercials promoting the band under that name were in heavy rotation on Nickelodeon prior to the series debut. The change occurred approximately in mid July 2009. The name was revealed on the Nick Jr. website, then made its debut on television.^[5]

Nominations and awards

• 26th Annual Imagen Awards Nomination for Best Young Actress/Television : Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer in The Fresh Beat Band^[6]
• Parents Choice 2011 Award: The Fresh Beat Band – Fun Stuff (Ages: 2 – 5 years) ^[7]

Music

The Fresh Beat Band: Music From the Hit TV Show was released on January 31, 2012.^[8] The album sold 189,000 copies in the US in 2012.^[9] A second collection, Vol 2.0: More Music From The Hit TV Show was released on October 9, 2012.^[10]

Singles

Four singles were released to iTunes; "Great Day" was released on February 2, 2010, "Here We Go" was released on June 28, 2011, "A Friend Like You" was released on September 13, 2011, and "Just Like a Rockstar" was released on November 29, 2011.^{[11][12][13][14]}

Music from the Hit TV Show
The Fresh Beats’ album cover
Studio album by The Fresh Beat Band
Released	January 31, 2012
Recorded	2009–2011
Genre	Children's music pop rock
Length	40:13
Language	English
Label	Viacom International Inc., Legacy Recordings, KRU Music, Varèse Sarabande
Director	Thomas Hobson Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer Zendaya
Producer	Norman, Yusry, Edry
Compiler	Arena Wan
The Fresh Beat Band chronology
The JumpArounds (2007) ''Music from the Hit TV Show'' (January 31, 2012) Let’s Get Loud - EP (2012)
Singles from The Fresh Beat Band
"Great Day" Released: February 2, 2010 "Here We Go" Released: June 28, 2011 "A Friend Like You" Released: September 13, 2011 "Just Like a Rockstar" Released: November 29, 2011

Track list

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Fresh Beat Band Theme Song"	0:49
2.	"Here We Go"	1:53
3.	"A Friend Like You"	2:19
4.	"Just Like a Rockstar"	2:02
5.	"Reach for the Sky"	1:55
6.	"I Can Do Anything"	2:01
7.	"Bananas"	1:47
8.	"Music (Keeps Me Movin')"	2:09
9.	"Good Times"	2:00
10.	"Loco Legs"	2:37
11.	"Get Up and Go Go"	2:08
12.	"Another Perfect Day"	2:12
13.	"Shine"	2:19
14.	"Stomp the House"	2:15
15.	"Surprise Yourself"	2:10
16.	"We're Unstoppable"	2:06
17.	"Friends Give Friends a Hand"	1:20
18.	"Freeze Dance"	1:53
19.	"Great Day"	2:08
20.	"Sun Beautiful Sun" (Bonus track by the Bubble Guppies)	2:10

Channel

On November 8, 2012, it announced that the all new Fresh Beat Band channel has launched and its now available on Dish Network channel 601 and VOD on demand. The channel has UPSR, PT3 and SPM subjects plus The Fresh Beat Band music videos and episodes, broadcast 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Home releases

Retail releases

Name	Release Date	Number of Episodes	Episode Titles
The Wizard of Song	August 14, 2012	3	The Wizard of Song Ghost Band Chimps in Charge

Manufacture on-demand releases

Name	Release Date	Number of Episodes	Episode Titles
Season 1	March 6, 2012^[15]	5 (Disc 1) 5 (Disc 2) 5 (Disc 3) 5 (Disc 4)	Disc 1: "Loco Legs" "Stick Together" "Stomp the House" "Let's Boogie" "Hippity Hop" Disc 2: "Quack Shoes" "Bounce the House" "Band Together" "Freeze Dance" "Sing with Me" Disc 3: "Rock to Sleep" "Glow for It" "Hip Hop Hoedown" "Smoothies to Go Go" "March Our Way" Disc 4: "Rhyme Time" "Doggone It" "Rock the Luau" "Hocus Pocus" "Bubble Blast"
Season 2	March 6, 2012^[16]	5 (Disc 1) 5 (Disc 2) 5 (Disc 3) 4 (Disc 4)	Disc 1: "Jungle Jazz" "Balloon Buddy" "Honk Honk" "Camping with the Stars" "Circus Mojo" Disc 2: "Singin' in the Rain" "Presto Pants" "Giant Pumpkin" "Back to School" "The Case of the Missing Violin" Disc 3: "Fresh Beats in Toyland" "Zydeco Music Parade" "Car Wash Dance" "Follow the Leader" "Kiki's Kickin' Chorus" Disc 4: "Drum Party" "Mixed Up Musical" "Band in a Jam" "Step It Up"
Season 3	April 10, 2014^[17]	5 (Disc 1) 5 (Disc 2) 5 (Disc 3) 4 (Disc 4)	Disc 1: "Graduation Day" "Giant Pizza" "Dance Floor Superhero" "Cool Pool Party" "Snow Day" Disc 2: "Rock Star" "The Fresh Bots" "Chimps in Charge" "Pink Swan" "Hoop Dreams" Disc 3: "Bollywood Beats" "Yo Fresh Beats Go Gabba Gabba" "Ghost Band" "Veloci-Rap-Star" "Laughing Dance Master" Disc 4: "Royal Wedding" "Keeping It Green" "Dance-A-Thon" "The Wizard of Song"

Episodes on Nick Jr. compilation DVDs

Name	Release Date	Number of Episodes	Episode Titles
Nickelodeon: Rootin' Tootin' Wild West	January 29, 2013 (Walmart) August 6, 2013 (retail)	1	"Hip Hop Hoedown"
Nickelodeon: Once Upon a Rhyme	April 30, 2013		"Royal Wedding"
Nickelodeon: Celebrate Fall!	August 18, 2015		"Giant Pumpkin"

Episodes on Nick Jr. iTunes compilations

Name	Release Date	Number of Episodes	Episode Titles
To School We Go!	August 16, 2010	1	"March Our Way"
Haunted Halloween Vol. 3	October 25, 2010		"Glow for It"
Bundle of Love Vol. 2	January 31, 2011		"Freeze Dance"
Move to the Music	June 6, 2011		"Band Together"
Let's Learn Music	November 12, 2012		"Rock Star"
Let's Learn Science	November 12, 2012		"Keepin' it Green"
Let's Learn Weather	November 12, 2012		"Singin' in the Rain"
Circus	March 4, 2013		"Circus Mojo"
Let's Drive!	April 15, 2013		"Car Wash Dance"
Royal Playdates Vol. 1	July 8, 2013		"Royal Wedding"
Let's Go to the Rainforest!	July 29, 2013		"Jungle Jazz"
Back to School	August 13, 2013		"Back to School"
Happy Halloween	October 23, 2013		"Ghost Band"
Treasure Hunt Vol. 2	March 31, 2014		"The Case of the Missing Violin"
Bedtime Stories	September 29, 2014		"Rock to Sleep"

Critical reception

Drew Magary of Deadspin describes the show as "pure evil, as much as an innocent and friendly show about good friends can be pure evil".^[18]

Mobile streaming

On November 7, 2018, the first season of the series was added to the Noggin SVOD service, making it the first time in two years that the show has been broadcast on the Viacom cable and mobile networks. In January 2021, the third season was added to Paramount+ (at the time CBS All Access).^[19]

References

1. . TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 30, 2016.
2. Frankel, Daniel (April 29, 2019). "Viacom to Launch Nick, MTV, BET and Other Channels on Pluto TV". Multichannel. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
3. "Summit County dancer turned pro returns". SummitDaily.com. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
4. "Meet the Characters | Fresh Beat Band | Nick Jr". Nick Jr. August 18, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
5. "Nickelodeon's "The JumpArounds" Aims At Kids' Musical Sensibilities – Channel Guide Magazine". Channelguidemagblog.com. May 1, 2009. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
6. . Imagen.org. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
7. "The Fresh Beat Band". Parents-choice.org. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
8. "iTunes – Music – The Fresh Beat Band (Music from the Hit TV Show) by The Fresh Beat Band". Itunes.apple.com. January 31, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
9. Paul Grein (January 3, 2013). "Chart Watch Extra: Top Albums of 2012". Chart Watch. Yahoo Music. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
10. "The Fresh Beat Band Vol 2.0: More Music From The Hit TV Show: The Fresh Beat Band: MP3 Downloads". Amazon. October 9, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
11. "iTunes – Music – Great Day – Single by The Fresh Beat Band". Itunes.apple.com. February 2, 2010. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
12. "iTunes – Music – Here We Go – Single by The Fresh Beat Band". Itunes.apple.com. June 28, 2011. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
13. "iTunes – Music – A Friend Like You – Single by The Fresh Beat Band". Itunes.apple.com. September 13, 2011. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
14. "iTunes – Music – Just Like a Rockstar – Single by The Fresh Beat Band". Itunes.apple.com. November 29, 2011. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
15. "The Fresh Beat Band: Season 1: Movies & TV". Amazon. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
16. "The Fresh Beat Band: Season 2: Movies & TV". Amazon. March 6, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
17. "The Fresh Beat Band Season 3: Movies & TV". Amazon. April 10, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
18. "Why Your Children's Television Program Sucks: The Fresh Beat Band". Deadspin. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
19. "The Fresh Beat Band". Paramount+. Retrieved March 4, 2021.