The 'iCarly' revival explains Sam's absence on the season premiere

• The first three episodes of the "iCarly" revival are now streaming on Paramount+.
• The premiere episode addressed the absence of Sam Puckett, played by Jennette McCurdy.
• Carly and Freddie revealed that Sam is "off following her bliss" with a biker gang.

"iCarly" has returned nine years after the hit Nickelodeon sitcom ended, but a key cast member from the original series is absent from the revival.

On Wednesday, Paramount+ released the first three episodes of "iCarly," which jumps ahead a few years and centers on Carly Shay's (Miranda Cosgrove) life as a 26-year-old.

The revival features the return of Carly's brother Spencer Shay (Jerry Trainor) and Freddie Benson (Nathan Kress), plus two new characters: Carly's roommate and friend named Harper (Laci Mosley) and Freddie's stepdaughter named Millicent (Jaidyn Triplett).

But main cast member Jennette McCurdy, who portrayed Carly's longtime best friend named Sam Puckett, won't be part of the show.

Sam's absence was explained early in the premiere episode of the revival. During a conversation between Carly and Freddie, the titular character debated whether or not she should relaunch "iCarly" despite Sam not being around.

"You don't need a partner to do that," Freddie said.

In response, Carly said: "I don't need a partner, I need Sam. But she's off following her bliss with that biker gang."

"The Obliterators. I hope she's OK," Freddie replied.

"It's Sam," Carly said. "I hope they're OK. I just wish she was here so we could do 'iCarly' again."

This reasoning was possibly a nod to where Sam ended up on the finale of the original series. In "iGoodbye," Spencer gave Sam a motorcycle that she helped to fix up.

Past guest stars from the original show are expected to make appearances on the latest iteration of "iCarly," but not McCurdy. The actress previously said that she's "ashamed" and "embarrassed" by past roles, which partly contributed to her quitting acting.

Cosgrove also told Entertainment Weekly that aside from the mentions of Sam in the premiere, she'll be referenced again as the show continues.

The first three episodes of the "iCarly" revival are now available to stream on Paramount+, with the remaining episodes dropping weekly.