If you grew up in the 1990s-early 2000s like me, odds are, you probably watched a lot of Nickelodeon. With its wide variety of memorable cartoons (or in this case, Nicktoons), distinct animation, and lovable characters, that channel was definitely my jam throughout my childhood. In recent years, I've been revisiting a lot of the shows I used to watch, and I must say that not only do I still like them, but I also actually now appreciate them more a lot more as an adult.
For those who may or may not know, it was announced back in November of 2019 that Nickelodeon and Netflix have set a multi-year output deal for films and TV series. The output arrangement is suppose yield original animated feature films and TV series based on existing Nickelodeon library characters as well as newly created ones. This partnership with Netflix isn't really that new as the streaming service has already exclusively provided the Rocko's Modern Life special, Static Cling, and Invader Zim movie, Enter the Florpus. They also have a live action remake of Avatar: The Last Airbender in the works. While Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie is also on Netflix right now, that actually debuted on Nickelodeon back in 2017.
Although for ViacomCBS (the company that owns the network), they have officially launched a brand new streaming service today on March 4th, 2021 titled Paramount+, which is a rebrand of CBS All Access. On that platform, they're planning to produce and distribute brand new content from a number of their pre-existing franchises. The Nick stuff you should expect is a CGI SpongeBob SquarePants prequel series titled Kamp Koral, a CGI reboot of Rugrats, new shows and movies from the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe through the newly launched Avatar Studios, a reboot of the live action sitcom, iCarly, aimed at adults, as well as live action interpretations of Dora the Explorer and The Fairly OddParents. As for possibilities of more stuff coming in the future, Hey Arnold! creator Craig Bartlett mentioned in a 2019 interview that Nickelodeon is planning to get their Rugrats reboot off the ground and see it how does first before deciding what to do next regarding their animated properties.
What's especially exciting about this is that a lot of the kids who were watching the network back in the 90s-early 2000s now have kids of their own. While I myself don't have any children, I have gotten to that stage of life where members of my extended family (specifically cousins) do. No matter which classic Nicktoon eventually ends up making some sort of comeback on Netflix or Paramount+, parents are going to have an amazing opportunity to introduce the shows they watched in their childhood to their offsprings. After all, millennials (like me) were introduced to older cartoons from Hanna-Barbera, Looney Tunes, and Peanuts by our parents, and each of those properties continue to produce new interpretations to this day.
I made a list below of 8 Nicktoons I've gotten back into most lately that haven't had nor announced some sort of revival yet, but think there could be some potential. So you won't be finding Rocko's Modern Life, Hey Arnold!, nor Invader Zim on this list given that they all just had big TV specials/movies (though if any of them were to come back for whole new seasons, that would be great). Both Rugrats and Avatar: The Last Airbender won't be listed on here either because they already have some stuff in the pipeline for Paramount+. Each of the Nicktoons I am listing are in order of when they first premiered. Not only that, but I'm also including information as to where you can currently find these shows.
For those who may or may not know, it was announced back in November of 2019 that Nickelodeon and Netflix have set a multi-year output deal for films and TV series. The output arrangement is suppose yield original animated feature films and TV series based on existing Nickelodeon library characters as well as newly created ones. This partnership with Netflix isn't really that new as the streaming service has already exclusively provided the Rocko's Modern Life special, Static Cling, and Invader Zim movie, Enter the Florpus. They also have a live action remake of Avatar: The Last Airbender in the works. While Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie is also on Netflix right now, that actually debuted on Nickelodeon back in 2017.
Although for ViacomCBS (the company that owns the network), they have officially launched a brand new streaming service today on March 4th, 2021 titled Paramount+, which is a rebrand of CBS All Access. On that platform, they're planning to produce and distribute brand new content from a number of their pre-existing franchises. The Nick stuff you should expect is a CGI SpongeBob SquarePants prequel series titled Kamp Koral, a CGI reboot of Rugrats, new shows and movies from the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe through the newly launched Avatar Studios, a reboot of the live action sitcom, iCarly, aimed at adults, as well as live action interpretations of Dora the Explorer and The Fairly OddParents. As for possibilities of more stuff coming in the future, Hey Arnold! creator Craig Bartlett mentioned in a 2019 interview that Nickelodeon is planning to get their Rugrats reboot off the ground and see it how does first before deciding what to do next regarding their animated properties.
What's especially exciting about this is that a lot of the kids who were watching the network back in the 90s-early 2000s now have kids of their own. While I myself don't have any children, I have gotten to that stage of life where members of my extended family (specifically cousins) do. No matter which classic Nicktoon eventually ends up making some sort of comeback on Netflix or Paramount+, parents are going to have an amazing opportunity to introduce the shows they watched in their childhood to their offsprings. After all, millennials (like me) were introduced to older cartoons from Hanna-Barbera, Looney Tunes, and Peanuts by our parents, and each of those properties continue to produce new interpretations to this day.
I made a list below of 8 Nicktoons I've gotten back into most lately that haven't had nor announced some sort of revival yet, but think there could be some potential. So you won't be finding Rocko's Modern Life, Hey Arnold!, nor Invader Zim on this list given that they all just had big TV specials/movies (though if any of them were to come back for whole new seasons, that would be great). Both Rugrats and Avatar: The Last Airbender won't be listed on here either because they already have some stuff in the pipeline for Paramount+. Each of the Nicktoons I am listing are in order of when they first premiered. Not only that, but I'm also including information as to where you can currently find these shows.
Doug
Created By Jim Jinkins
August 11th, 1991-January 2nd, 1994
Available on DVD and Paramount+
This show focused on the early adolescent life of its title character, Doug Funnie, who experiences common predicaments while attending school in his new hometown of Bluffington. Doug narrates each story in his journal, and the show incorporates many imagination sequences. The series also addressed numerous topics, including trying to fit in, platonic and romantic relationships, self-esteem, bullying, and rumors.
Created By Jim Jinkins
August 11th, 1991-January 2nd, 1994
Available on DVD and Paramount+
This show focused on the early adolescent life of its title character, Doug Funnie, who experiences common predicaments while attending school in his new hometown of Bluffington. Doug narrates each story in his journal, and the show incorporates many imagination sequences. The series also addressed numerous topics, including trying to fit in, platonic and romantic relationships, self-esteem, bullying, and rumors.
Originally, Doug was going to last five seasons with a total of 65 episodes. However, after four seasons and 52 episodes were completed, Nickelodeon decided that they had enough to run in syndication. While creator Jim Jinkins was finishing up Allegra's Window, which he co-created for Nick, Jr., Disney offered to buy his production company, Jumbo Pictures, in exchange for a brand new series of Doug. The Disney run aired on ABC for three seasons, yet wasn't as well regarded as its Nickelodeon counterpart. As of now, the rights to the series are owned by Disney, so this would be a tricky one for Nickelodeon to revive at all. Though with that being said, Jim Jinkins has revealed in recent interviews that he actually has written a treatment for a follow-up movie that would check in on what Doug’s been up to 10 years after the series ended. Whether that movie gets made for Disney+ or Paramount+ (if Nickelodeon ever gets the rights back), Jinkins says he's ready to make it.
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
Created By Gábor Csupó & Peter Gaffney
October 29th, 1994-December 6th, 1997
Available on DVD and Paramount+
This show focused on three young monsters—Ickis, Oblina, and Krumm—who attend a school for monsters under a city dump and learn to frighten humans. Many of the episodes revolved around them making it to the surface in order to perform "scares" as class assignments.
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
Created By Gábor Csupó & Peter Gaffney
October 29th, 1994-December 6th, 1997
Available on DVD and Paramount+
This show focused on three young monsters—Ickis, Oblina, and Krumm—who attend a school for monsters under a city dump and learn to frighten humans. Many of the episodes revolved around them making it to the surface in order to perform "scares" as class assignments.
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters was the second Nicktoon produced by Klasky Csupó following Rugrats. Co-creator Gábor Csupó was inspired to create a show about monsters because his own young children at the time loved them. He drew some sketches of possible monsters on a piece of paper and successfully pitched the idea to Nickelodeon. Gábor then took the drawings to Peter Gaffney (who was a writer on Rugrats) to see if he could help develop the idea with him. While Gaffney did create the show bible as well as having written a few episodes for the first season, he didn't really get to work on the show that much. The series ended up running for four seasons and 52 episodes. When I interviewed him back in 2019, I asked if an Aaahh!!! Real Monsters revival is something he'd like to be a part of. Peter then told me that he actually would be interested because of how he felt he didn't get to contribute enough to the original series. If Nickelodeon would like to reboot other Klasky Csupó shows for Paramount+ after Rugrats, maybe this could be a contender.
The Angry Beavers
Created By Mitch Schauer
April 19th, 1997-June 11th, 2001
Available on DVD and Paramount+
This series revolved around Daggett and Norbert, two young beaver brothers who have moved out of their parents home to become bachelors in the forest near the fictional Wayouttatown, Oregon.
The Angry Beavers
Created By Mitch Schauer
April 19th, 1997-June 11th, 2001
Available on DVD and Paramount+
This series revolved around Daggett and Norbert, two young beaver brothers who have moved out of their parents home to become bachelors in the forest near the fictional Wayouttatown, Oregon.
The Angry Beavers came from the mind of creator Mitch Schauer, who had previously worked as an assistant storyboard artist on other Nicktoons such as The Ren & Stimpy Show, Rocko's Modern Life, and Hey Arnold!. This one was inspired by his early years in Oklahoma when he was homeless and often spotted beavers in a nearby river. The show ran for four seasons and 62 episodes, though it also had an unaired series finale. In a 2017 interview, Mitch Schauer revealed that he actually has an idea for a revival special titled The Angry Beavers Respooted. Now that we have Paramount+ reviving a number of intellectual properties from Viacom networks (including Nickelodeon), here's hoping that show eventually ends up seeing the light of day.
CatDog
Created By Peter Hannan
April 4th, 1998-June 15th, 2005
Available on DVD and Paramount+
This series depicted the life of conjoined brothers of different species, with one half of the resultant animal being a cat and the other being a dog.
CatDog
Created By Peter Hannan
April 4th, 1998-June 15th, 2005
Available on DVD and Paramount+
This series depicted the life of conjoined brothers of different species, with one half of the resultant animal being a cat and the other being a dog.
While creator Peter Hannan was developing CatDog, he started singing a little song in his head, which he then turned into the theme song. After recording it, Peter sent the song to one of the Nickelodeon executives at the time, and ended up getting passed around the studio. The show ran for four seasons and 68 episodes. In a recent interview from 2019, Peter Hannan revealed that he is actually interested in bringing back CatDog. Maybe with this multi-year deal between Netflix and Nickelodeon or the newly launched Paramount+, either of them could help make that possible.
The Wild Thornberrys
Created By Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, Steve Pepoon, David Silverman, & Stephen Sustarsic
September 1st, 1998-June 11th, 2004
Available on DVD and Paramount+
This series focused around a nomadic family of documentary filmmakers known as the Thornberrys, famous for their televised wildlife studies. Though the show primarily centered on the family's younger daughter, Eliza, and her secret gift of being able to talk to animals.
The Wild Thornberrys
Created By Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, Steve Pepoon, David Silverman, & Stephen Sustarsic
September 1st, 1998-June 11th, 2004
Available on DVD and Paramount+
This series focused around a nomadic family of documentary filmmakers known as the Thornberrys, famous for their televised wildlife studies. Though the show primarily centered on the family's younger daughter, Eliza, and her secret gift of being able to talk to animals.
The Wild Thornberrys was an animated series that encouraged kids to be empathetic toward animals, want to find out about other cultures and ways of life, and understand the vastness and diversity of the world. It ran for five seasons, 91 episodes, and even spawned a 2002 Academy Award nominated theatrical movie. Co-creator Arlene Klasky revealed in a 2012 interview that it would be an honor for her and Gábor Csupó to be creatively involved in bringing back Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys. Though as I've mentioned with Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, if Nickelodeon would like to reboot other Klasky Csupó shows for Paramount+ after Rugrats, this could be another contender. After all, I do currently have a petition going on for this one.
The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius
Created By John A. Davis
July 20th, 2002-November 25th, 2006
Available on DVD and Paramount+
This show followed an 11-year-old boy who is a scientific genius from the fictional town of Retroville named Jimmy Neutron. He frequently goes on adventures with his two best friends, Sheen and Carl, usually involving his inventions going awry.
The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius
Created By John A. Davis
July 20th, 2002-November 25th, 2006
Available on DVD and Paramount+
This show followed an 11-year-old boy who is a scientific genius from the fictional town of Retroville named Jimmy Neutron. He frequently goes on adventures with his two best friends, Sheen and Carl, usually involving his inventions going awry.
Ever since the series ended after three seasons and 62 episodes in 2006, there was speculation about it possibly having something to do with the production company, DNA Productions, going out of business due to the box office failure of The Ant Bully from that same year, which pretty much prevented a fourth season from happening. However, when I interviewed producer Keith Alcorn in 2019, he told me that the series was never actually cancelled. Nickelodeon simply didn't pick up the fourth season because they felt they felt had enough episodes to run in syndication. Though he also mentioned that they actually have pitched a couple of ideas for a reboot to the executives (who happen to have had a long history with the Jimmy Neutron franchise) at Nickelodeon. Hopefully, that can inspire something.
My Life as a Teenage Robot
Created By Rob Renzetti
August 1st, 2003-May 2nd, 2009
Available on DVD and Paramount+
Set in the fictional town of Tremorton, this series followed the adventures of a robot girl named XJ-9, or Jenny, as she prefers to be called, who attempts to juggle her duties of protecting Earth while trying to live a normal human life as a teenager.
My Life as a Teenage Robot
Created By Rob Renzetti
August 1st, 2003-May 2nd, 2009
Available on DVD and Paramount+
Set in the fictional town of Tremorton, this series followed the adventures of a robot girl named XJ-9, or Jenny, as she prefers to be called, who attempts to juggle her duties of protecting Earth while trying to live a normal human life as a teenager.
My Life as a Teenage Robot ran for three seasons and 39 episodes, yet suffered the worst with poor advertising, limited and inconsistent time-slots, non-sequential airing of episodes, and years between seasons two and three that were basically sitting in storage (completed). Creator Rob Renzetti revealed in a 2015 interview that he would've loved to have done a fourth season, but the show ended up getting cancelled prematurely. He also mentioned that if Nickelodeon ever contacted him about bringing back My Life as a Teenage Robot, he would at least consider it. With the show's creative storylines, beautiful yet simple art styles, sophisticated humor, and potential for high drama, the story of Jenny Wakeman deserves its own continuation. I also have a petition going on for this show as well.
Danny Phantom
Created By Butch Hartman
April 3rd, 2004-August 24th, 2007
Available on DVD and Paramount+
This series followed a teenage boy named Danny Fenton, who after an accident with an unpredictable portal between the human world and the "Ghost Zone", becomes a human-ghost hybrid and takes on the task of saving his town (and the world) from subsequent ghost attacks using an evolving variety of supernatural powers. He is aided in his quest by his two best friends, and later, his older sister, who for most of the series' run are among the only people who know of his double life.
Danny Phantom
Created By Butch Hartman
April 3rd, 2004-August 24th, 2007
Available on DVD and Paramount+
This series followed a teenage boy named Danny Fenton, who after an accident with an unpredictable portal between the human world and the "Ghost Zone", becomes a human-ghost hybrid and takes on the task of saving his town (and the world) from subsequent ghost attacks using an evolving variety of supernatural powers. He is aided in his quest by his two best friends, and later, his older sister, who for most of the series' run are among the only people who know of his double life.
According to creator Butch Hartman, Danny Phantom was doing very well, but halfway through production, a new head of Nickelodeon came in and felt it was time for it to stop. Since the series ended in 2007 after three seasons and 53 episodes, many fans wrote letters, signed petitions, and even picketed outside of Viacom to bring back Danny Phantom. Butch Hartman wanted to do more as well, and even revealed on his Speech Bubble podcast in 2018 that there had been talks with Nickelodeon over the years about a Danny Phantom revival, but never came to fruition. Though in a Twitter poll from November of 2019, Butch left an interesting option that his fans wondered if he was hinting at a movie being in the works. Yet over one year later, nothing came from that. Butch Hartman may now be back at Nickelodeon to work on a questionable live action Fairly OddParents reboot for Paramount+, but let's hope that ends up doing well now matter how it turns out creatively because if it succeeds commercially, then maybe it could pave the way for Danny Phantom to return.
So which classic Nicktoon(s) would you most like to see make a comeback on Netflix or Paramount+?
So which classic Nicktoon(s) would you most like to see make a comeback on Netflix or Paramount+?