iCarly season 2: Are Carly and Freddie in love? (showrunner weighs in)

The iCarly season 2 finale put the “will-they-won’t-they” dynamic between Freddie and Carly under a microscope to be more closely examined. Creddie, as fans have been calling them for nearly 15 years, has always been simmering in the background of the show or pulled into hyper-focus when the story calls for it.

In the revival, they’d even gone as far to fake date. It was a recipe for hilarious disaster, of course, but it was also an opportunity to give longtime fans a window into what a relationship between the two as adults could possibly look like.

Spoilers ahead of the iCarly season 2 finale

The pair had been so convincing that Freddie’s girlfriend, Pearl, broke up with him because she feels he and Carly are in love with one another. Creddie didn’t have a response to her accusation which left their relationship on a cliffhanger to be explored in the next season.

A non-answer, however, doesn’t mean the two are in love. They simply could have been shocked. But, are they in love? In an interview with EW, showrunner Ali Schouten weighed in on the possibility.

Are Carly and Freddie in love in iCarly season 2?

Schouten said the following in the interview:

"I don’t want to get in trouble. I know people have very strong opinions. I will weigh in on why Pearl thinks that they are in love. Looking at the season as a whole through Pearl’s eyes, we start out and she meets Carly, who’s got these two men and she’s been in this fake relationship with Freddie, but Pearl believed it was real. It seemed real enough to her when she met Carly that they were boyfriend and girlfriend, and then Carly doesn’t date anybody the whole season.She’s really focused on herself, she gets a new manager, she’s dealing with her anger, she’s furthering her business, she’s reconnecting with her grandfather. She’s doing a lot of other things. Whereas in season 1, she was doing a lot of dating.From Pearl’s point of view, it’s like, “Why did that stop?” Well, the last person she was even fake dating was Freddie. Maybe there’s something that really stuck there. Maybe the reason that Carly hasn’t dated is that she’s hung up on Freddie. Now, the flip side could argue that Carly was just working on herself and isn’t that great, and she wasn’t focused on dating. So there’s two ways to see it. And I don’t know that either one is entirely wrong."

While that answer probably won’t appease shippers who see Creddie being well over a decade in the making. But, there’s also a lot of hope in Schouten’s statement, because Pearl’s assumption has opened the doorway for Creddie to actually examine their feelings for one another.

What Pearl believes didn’t come out of thin air. She’s been around the two. There’s obviously something to the idea that they have feelings for one another. And, yes, Schouten confirms in the EW interview that if the series gets a third season, Creddie figuring themselves out will be a part of the story.

Given the fact that the two briefly dated in season 3 of the original show, it looks like the revival’s third season is going to bring OG fans full circle and put these two back on the doorstep of love. Whether or not they’ll take the plunge is unknown, but they’re certainly at least knocking at the door.

Stay tuned to Hidden Remote for more Paramount+ news and coverage! Seasons 1-2 of the iCarly revival are available to stream now on the platform.