Sam & Cat is a spin-off combining characters from two separate Dan Schneider sitcoms, iCarly and Victorious, marking the first time the creator merged two of his shows into one series.

According to Jennette McCurdy's 2022 memoir 'I'm Glad My Mom Died', the series was originally developed as 'Just Puckett,' a solo spin-off following Sam Puckett as a school counselor, before it was redeveloped as a joint spin-off with Ariana Grande's Cat Valentine.

Dan Schneider originally aimed for the show to premiere on March 23, 2013, right after the Kids' Choice Awards, but Nickelodeon pushed the debut to June instead, which the stars announced via Twitter.

Ariana Grande dyed her hair red during the earlier parts of the show to play Cat Valentine, whose hair color was meant to resemble her favorite snack, a red velvet cupcake.

The character Randy was originally rumored to appear in only one episode, but creator Dan Schneider found the actor Nick Gore funny enough to make him a recurring character.

Following strong ratings for its initial episodes, Nickelodeon doubled the first season's order from 20 to 40 episodes in July 2013, though ultimately only 36 were produced and 35 aired.

The series was cancelled amid a mix of factors reported by media outlets, including an alleged salary dispute between McCurdy and Nickelodeon, rumors of a feud between the two stars, the leak of private photos of McCurdy, and Grande's rising music career.

In her memoir, McCurdy claimed the production hiatus and cancellation were partly triggered by a sexual harassment claim against one of the producers, and that a senior crew member threatened to quit if she were allowed to direct an episode.