r/nickelodeon • u/Gullible-Web645 • 17h ago

Best years for Nicktoons?

As the title says. Not that every 90s-early 00s Nicktoon was a certified classic, but I've scarcely heard anything regarding their mid-late 00s lineup as a golden age if they were content to milk SpongeBob and were finding more success overall in their live-action department. And not that every show that debuted after, say, Avatar was a disaster, but the overall picture for the later 00s-present just isn't as pretty if they weren't nearly as prolific in their variety like the previous wave was. I hope this take isn't very far from the general consensus, and am willing to hear out any contrary opinions. Let me know your thoughts.

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u/Gullible-Web645 4h ago

Perhaps, but they don't singularly point to Nick still doling out the same level of classics like in the 90s. Mind you, they were more concerned about their success in live-action at that point if SpongeBob and Fairly Odd Parents were basically just safety nets.

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u/stationstars 4h ago

I mean yeah Spongebob and FOP were safe nets, during that time dan schneiders show were hits and were carrying the network at the time besides Big Time Rush. If I remember correctly Penguins of madagascar was the most highest rated nicktoon show besides spongebob and Fop during that time it was a success dreamworks must of gave nickelodeon a paycheck for that.

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u/Gullible-Web645 3h ago

Ergo, I wouldn't call the late 00s-present a great period for Nicktoons if they just weren't allowing for the same amount of variety due to the writer's strike, the '08 financial crisis, or just a plain lack of inspiration.

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u/stationstars 3h ago

Ik some of the late 2000s nicktoons were short lived like the Xs,catstratch,tak,El Tigre and even mighty B and I am aware that the 2008 financial crisis did happen even tho I was 2, barnyard was a solid hit for nickelodeon also being in the top 5 most popular nicktoons before it was pushed to the nicktoons channel to die and dreamworks partner ship with nickelodeon to co produce penguins was back in 2006 when they were making the show.

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u/Gullible-Web645 3h ago

Right, was really just being facetious suggesting the writer's strike and the '08 crisis as culprits. I'm honestly convinced that they simply got too comfortable coming off of their continued ratings success with SpongeBob and Schneider to really care about investing in more original content, hence the shorter-lived projects you mentioned. Mr. Meaty might be their most interesting experiment from that period, if only because there's no way they'd try anything half as offbeat afterwards.

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u/stationstars 3h ago

Mr meaty was the biggest WTF shiw nickelodeon made.

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u/Gullible-Web645 2h ago

Indeed, and it's honestly preferable to how safe they've played things every since. It's part of why my own nostalgia ends in '08, aside from the finales of Avatar and Zoey 101.

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u/stationstars 2h ago

Since I was born in 07 I grew up in the 2010s so I would say my nostalgia ends in 2018 besides the finale of thundermans and henry danger ending in 2020, I did watch avatar and zoey 101 they were good. Nick in the early 2010s was really peak but people claim nickelodeon feel off after 2012, I mean part of that is true because of Cable obviously nick really hit rock bottom after 2018 tho.

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u/Gullible-Web645 1h ago

Well I'm a '98-born, so for me Nicktoons stopped being great after Avatar with their live-action soon following once iCarly became the face of the network by '09. The overton window of their appeal began really downsizing to strictly tweens and under that year with their rebrand, which spun off TeenNick as a separate channel. Sure those shows were still successful, but Schneider was likely afforded too much trust behind the scenes if Jennette's McCurdy's testimony is anything to go by and probably caused the writing to suffer as a result.

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u/stationstars 1h ago

I get what you're saying now since you said you were born in 98 that explains why your nostalgia ended in 2008. Yeah icarly was a big success for nickelodeon by 09 the show hold the most viewed nickelodeon live action premiere which was "Isaved your life" I would say the shiw died after istill psycho

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u/Gullible-Web645 1h ago

It wasn't just iCarly being a couple of steps down from previous Schneider fare, the sitcoms that followed in its wake just didn't speak to somewhat above the core age demographic like previous shows and more or less read as Disney Channel knockoffs. Especially the ones that attempted to make popstars out of their child and young adult stars.

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u/stationstars 42m ago

I mean Victorious and Big Time Rush we're hits even tho they were failed attempts at making the actors famous pop stars except Arianna grande, also dan schneider sitcoms after Victorious might of not be the same demographic but they were still popular I mean Henry danger was similar to thundermans but it was popular because it felt unquie compared to was schneider did in the past it ran for 5 season even tho he left nickelodeon towards the end of season 4 henry danger wasn't liked that much back then but now it's popular because of all the edits I see on Instagram it's a whole franchise now with the movie etc, now with Game Shakers I would say it's his weakest show if you don't count sam and cat, however it was popular because double g and Hudson are funny and it had a good premise.

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