“Sam & Cat” may soon be a thing of the past, but the Nickelodeon show lives on in the heart of its star, Ariana Grande.
Grande took to her Facebook account on Sunday, following news that the series — which starred Grande and Jennette McCurdy — had been canceled after a single season.
In a lengthy post, Grande reflected on her character Cat Valentine, which she also played on Nickelodeon’s “Victorious,” saying that the character was so well-loved that she “used to pretend to be more like her.”
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“I want to thank (series creator) Dan Schneider for allowing me to play such a special, beautiful character who I hid behind for so long. What I mean by that is when I was younger, people loved Cat so much I used to pretend to be more like her,” Grande wrote. “It took me a long time to be brave enough to separate myself and show people how different we actually are…. I think that’s honestly because I admire her so much. Her appreciation for life and everybody she encounters. Her passion and genuine excitement for the little things that most people dread like school projects and work. She always saw negative obstacles as opportunities to make things good.”
Despite the personality crisis that the character created for Grande, the actress wrote, “I will always hold Cat near and dear to my heart and appreciate her help in my personal growth from teenager to adult.”
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News broke on Sunday that the series would not continue for another season, with episode 36, “#GettinWiggy,” serving as the series finale next Thursday.
The cancellation came on the heels of news that the show, which has not been in production since April, had experienced production drama. McCurdy was conspicuously absent from the Kids Choice Awards in late March, and seemingly took a shot at the network via her Twitter account, writing that she “was put in an uncomfortable, compromising, unfair situation.”
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Insiders told TheWrap that the show’s hectic production schedule also took its toll; the network chose to increase the “Sam & Cat” season to 40 episodes after the show became successful, leaving the cast and crew exhausted and resentful.