Big Time Rush is both a pop band and a Nickelodeon TV series. Launched in 2009, the show followed the fictional lives of four high-school friends as they move to Los Angeles, sign a record deal, and become a chart-topping boy band. The series also incorporated original music into each episode, effectively turning the fictional band onscreen into a real group featuring actor/vocalists Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Carlos Pena Jr., and Logan Henderson.