2021: Year of the Louds

 2021: The Year of the Louds

As the pandemic continued, Nickelodeon was getting ready to put most of their library on a little streaming service called CBS ALL ACCESS, including a few of their originals that were stated to release new episodes there. But on March 4, 2021, it became Paramount+, the place to watch ViacomCBS content (now known as Paramount Corporation). Up until now, people weren’t interesting in getting yet another streaming service. But then come a bunch of Nickelodeon shows and it got more people subscribed. What can go wrong? Let’s find out by the end at this paragraph. Continuing their hot streaks from 2020, 2021 is another great year for Nick in terms of content.  Unfortunately, as a business, they started to go downhill once again during the middle of the year and all the things people hated about them are back full force. Reruns of non-cash cow shows were becoming less and less as time goes on and the only way you must watch then if you want to catch up was on their side channels, which are reduced to being rerun farms of Nick. Nicktoons is pretty much nothing but current cartoons (including the two shows you already seen enough on the main channel) since April 2021 after making so much progress of bringing back older cartoons. TeenNick became the superhero sitcoms as reruns consist nothing but the DangerVerse and the Thundermans. And Nick Jr is Nick Jr, just with less and less shows. They hadn’t adapted to the binge-a-thon strategy, for now, but the classics are pretty much gone from the channel. To make matters worse, NickRewind was on its death bed by the end of 2021. You see, Paramount+ was relaunching and so they decided to made Rewind more exciting this year by airing other classic Nicktoons they don’t normally air. It was too good to true when it all turn out to be a scheme to get Paramount+. I will explain that more for the 2022 review. It’s a bummer that the moment Paramount (or Viacom at the time) was finally interested in streaming, they all forgotten about the wonders of live television. But as the title of this journal stated, it’s really was the year of the Louds for Nickelodeon. The Loud House has turned 5 years old, making it the longest running Nick show from the 2010’s, due to its popularity from younger generation and standing a chance against SpongeBob. So it was only a matter of time that people worshipped it for being lucky during its first year and eventually grew tired of the show when it’s just another cash cow for Nick at this point. I do think people are harsh on it but I get where they’re coming from. Nick did focused on TLH too much for its own good that you forgot that Nick have other cartoons, including the mascot himself. It was so bad that It’s Pony became another victim of the Nicktoons death treatment by fall 2021 (another example of why Nick should ditch the side channel for good already). But yes there were TWO Loud House movies this year: an animated movie for Netflix that has been in the works for years and a live action Christmas s movie that was supposed to come out in 2020, but the pandemic delayed it a year later. I don’t want to get too negative, so let’s look at the bright side. Nick Animation is making tons of projects and while some people may consider it quantity over quality, it’s nice to see a studio so dedicated in pumping out content even if crew members are working from home. As usual, Nick hired some executives such as Brian Keane (coincidentally right around the time Blue Sky closed its doors), Even if 2021 wasn’t as good as 2020 for Nick business wise, the content they premiered this year is even better than last year since I did not found any bad shows (I really hope Kamp Koral doesn’t really ruin that for me since I hadn’t it seen yet). So I’ll remain optimistic for what Nick will have to offer for years to come. So without any further ado, let’s review the shows! Certain shows are too good or interesting that they will have their separate reviews in another journal (the rest of the shows won’t be that long). Though I may give all the subsequent shows (any show to come out from 2022 and beyond) their own journal from this point on since my reviews will be even longer.

Reviewing the shows

The Barbarian and the Troll (9/10)

After nearly 15 years of not doing any puppetry for older kids because a certain awful show freaked everyone out in 2006, Nickelodeon is finally back producing those type of shows. I’m glad it came out at the right time because 2021 was the year I gained an appreciation for puppet shows. The show’s title explains it all. It features a barbarian named Brendar who loses her princess status and sword after fighting a serpent. A bridge troll named Evan leaves home so he could pursuit a musical career. The two main characters met at bar and join forces to go on an adventure to save their kingdom. They are soon accompanied by a wizard named Horus and his daughter, who got turned into an owl. I won’t be copying the first impression review from last year but here’s a finalized review instead. The Barbarian and the Troll is my favorite Nickelodeon show to come out of 2021, although Middlemost Post might dethrone it if it continues to impress me. The puppets they used for the characters aren’t as creepy as you know what (I dare not to mention it at all). The characters themselves are all good in their own ways with such distinctive personality. Brendar is someone who wants to take things seriously, while Evan is a person who just wants to have fun. They are total opposites of each other, but their interaction is great to watch. If you want to get into this show, I will say this - it’s not a laugh fest like most of Nick’s shows nowadays. It’s actually a drama and action-adventure. Most of the comedy comes from Evan due to his goofy nature. Not only that, but due to his talents, it’s also a musical since he tends to break into song every episode. Nick actually had a lot of faith in this show, but since it was story driven, it was getting harder to catch up without getting lost in the story. Since it was hard to tell whether puppetry was animation or live action it was aired on both Nicktoons and TeenNick. I was investigated in the story the whole time and the show got better and better as it went on. I won’t give away spoilers, but the finale was the best episode of the show as it gave the characters a satisfying conclusion. Though it’s weird that the queen’s name was Alvin, which is a guy’s name. Although the way how it ended, there might be a season two, but since Nick never tells us when a show is over or not, it might as well be cancelled. The show and Drama Club both felt like miniseries rather than a full series honestly. Regardless, I’m just glad Nick got a puppet show again. I hope we see more of these type of shows.

Middlemost Post (9/10)

Full season review coming soon. In the meantime, have a first impression review that I wrote back in July 2021 - From the moment this show was greenlit, I knew I was going to enjoy it. After a long drought with new original Nicktoons on the main channel (I know there’s It’s Pony but the articles keep ignoring its existence and that’s because it’s a British show), we finally got one. Even better this is created by a SpongeBob artist and I think we need a Nicktoon with that honor to finally succeed since The Mighty B and Harvey Beaks failed to reach an audience. Thankfully Nick is pushing this show to be the next big hit even if it’s somewhat overshadowed by The Patrick Star Show. Based from both episodes I saw I preferred First Delivery slightly more as it established the show’s premise. The second segment Chore or Less can be relatable for a slacker like me. I sometimes don’t want to do chores but when I cooperate, it can be easy. All in all I think I’m going to have a rainbow of a time with this lightning new cartoon for Nickelodeon. These anti vaxxers may have rained on our parade the past year but as the creator stated in interviews, it’s a great escapism from the real world. And while I enjoy the wacky style that modern SpongeBob and Looney Tunes Cartoon use, I’ve been wanting for this to be used on a totally new original cartoon. Let’s just hope this show delivers for the target demographic and it can stick around for several years. Before I end this review I gotta say it’s so fitting that my hometown got to experiment rainy days on the same week this show came out. 

Tooned In (9/10)

After a series of unfitting reality shows, Nick went back to their old roots by producing a game shows where kids are tested on their cartoons over the years. Yes you heard me - it’s a Nicktoons themed game show! And it has an interesting history - there was a pilot of the same name in the late 90’s, functioning the same way it did with some differences. It didn’t came the light of day back then but it finally came to be last year as a full series. Let me just say it was worth having another game show after a sea of mediocrity (I’m referring to the reality shows they did for a couple years). When you do compare it to the previous game show Unfiltered, the difference in quality is astonishing. Unfiltered wasted everyone’s time, but rest assured, Tooned In is an improvement as it combined Double Dare (due to the slime) and other famous game shows with a cartoon theme. Now you may notice that the kids will be tested on shows they know nothing about (especially that came out long before they were born, although SpongeBob and Fairly OddParents are fair game since they continued for a long time), but the end credits stated that they arranged the questions for the kids to study which is why they ace a question easily. Although some of the kids can be dumb as rocks if they get such simple questions  wrong which made me roll my eyes. The host of the show is cartoon robot with a fitting name of Nicky. He makes this show a joy to watch thanks to Rama Vallury’s goofy performance. He was pretty normal in season 1, despite still being a jokester when sliming the kids for every wrong answer they get. By the time season 2 comes out, his silliness is up to eleven as he tries to do a voice impression as much as possible. Oh, and did I forgot to mention that Jerry Trainor become the human cohost as well? He turns everything to gold so the show is even better as a result. Tooned In isn’t the most perfect game show ever though. Other than kids being dumb from time to time, I do have a few gripe with the show. They consider ALVINNN!!!, The Smurfs, and Paw Patrol (as well as other preschool shows, regardless if Nick Animation is involved) to be Nicktoons and that doesn’t sit right with me. Of course, they also include Henry Danger questions only because it was a cartoon at one point. Second, as much as I’m happy to see the mistreated cartoons shown, I don’t think it’s going to make up for Nick’s reputation of how they handled them. Even when the show is airing new episodes, they don’t even bother giving them reruns on Nicktoons, but instead you must watch them on Paramount+. Third, they screwed up the aspect ratio for the older shows so badly that it’s jarring to see stretched images of Nick shows (since Viacom was never known for doing that as they always done a great job showing content in the original aspect ratio). And last but least, I notice an awful lot of Loud House/Casagrandes questions that were asked during the show. And this is what proves my point on Nick giving the franchise too much spotlight compared to others. It’s best to keep count on how TLH/TCG questions Nicky will ask. Then again, I rarely see 90’s Nicktoons representation but it’s for the best considering how much everyone know about them at this point. All in all, Tooned In is a fun experience of testing your Nicktoons knowledge and reminds me why game shows is their strongest suit in the unscripted department.

Star Trek Prodigy (8/10)

A separate review on this show coming soon. But first, I must watch some past Star Trek show because I might get confused at what’s going on.

Drama Club (8/10)

It was February 2021 - out of the blues, this show was announced just one month shy of its premiere. Created by two female writers of the All That revival, the show revolves on a group of students at a middle school trying to get people to notice their drama club. I didn’t keep up with the show when it was airing but when I rushed my way to watch the rest of the episodes on Hulu, I realized it felt like a miniseries. The whole show follows a story arc of the drama club members doing the show. So, if you want to watch the show at all (especially on tv), you must watch it in order to follow the story. It’s not confusing, but everything that was established the first (or two) episode came to an well deserved conclusion. But I will say this with a straight face - this is High School Musical The Musical The Show done right. Why is that? Well, not only the show isn’t based off a mainstream media, but it handles the mockumentary genre very well without being too self aware. In other words, Drama Club did what HSMTMTS failed to impress me. I really enjoyed the interactions with the characters, especially with Mack and Darci and Oliver and Bianca (whose chemistry is similar to a friendship of mine because of their constant arguments and agreements). I’ve been saying the interactions have been improved from the days of ICarly and Victorious, but this and Danger Force still feature characters at each other’s throats, but they aren’t as mean-spirited as before. Bench is the glue that keeps the club together and the last episode is proof that the show wouldn’t survive without him. Skip, on the hand, is my least favorite main character, since I recalled him spending most of the time obsessing over Bench and nothing else. Honestly, I think the show would’ve been a tad better without him. The show at its worst is still tolerable than Nick’s sitcoms in the 2010’s, but the worst episode featured characters having disagreements and didn’t invite the leader to a party. That didn’t make it a good episode but the last few minutes made up for it. The best episode is the final episode where the drama club is finally noticed by the school, despite the principal desperately wanting it to flop. I know some people want another season, but like with the Barbarian and the Troll, it look like an one and done deal. Drama Club really feel like a miniseries than a full series. Not to mention, there’s no laugh track whatsoever, so the show won’t be renewed regardless since it’s expensive to do a show with such an interesting setup. Still, it continues the streak of good recent live action Nick shows, even though it’s not my favorite.

The Beatbuds (8/10)

I believe Nick Animation had a hand in this show, so I can count it as an official Nick show (unlike Deer Squad). It revolves on two brothers (I think) going on tour. On their way to the concert, they encountered several things in the way, and they encouraged to join them each episode. There’s at least one song per episode as well. In a way, this show only exists to be a vehicle for the Music Fest, even though it aired during June rather than July. There’s nothing much for me to say about this show, except that it’s a decent way to pass the time. Each episode is only several minutes long, so you should finish the entire run in a day. Like Barbarian and Drama Club, this show is just a miniseries, so they might be considered filler shows. It’s a shame though because Nick really needs more preschool content to counter out their Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig, and Blaze boner.

That Girl Lay Lay (7/10)

See review here: 

Rugrats reboot (7/10)

On July 2018, Nick announced that they’re rebooting one of their first Nicktoons, which is Rugrats. Since this is a Paramount+ original, I’m going to make a separate review of it soon. I only seen the first episode and holiday specials so far, but I like thought it was okay for what it is, if not necessary.

NFL Slimetime (6/10)

To continue their deal with NFL, Nick announces that they’re doing a weekly show recapping football. Nathan “Nate” Burelson returns to Nick to host this but he is joined alongside Young Dylan (Nickelodeon’s newest answer to Jace Norman, a star that gets all the glory) to talk about football highlights, No k style. The ESPN influences is showing when you have Adam Schefter’s daughter Dylan (didn’t know it was a unisex name) as correspondent. Lincoln from The Loud House joins during the final act to declare the MVP. I’m not the biggest sports fan so I only got to watch two episodes and it was okay. Good background noise but not something I’d watch every week. Imagine if ESPN did the same thing with this show. It might be boring since there’s no slime involved. Nick’s obsession with The Loud House continues with having the main character to do a part and I do have a nitpick - I feel like Lynn Jr. would’ve suited the role very well because of her athletic skills, but I digress. Nate is great as always and he’s an interesting addition to the Nick family after the Wild Card game. However, my opinions on Young Dylan has soured because of Tyler Perry’s show about him. He’s not bad and definitely have the talent to showcase it, but what I mentioned earlier before is that he’s already the new it boy for Nick, even though there’s better stars out there. Dylan Schaffer, on the other hand, isn’t too bad, for someone who’s related to a sports writer. In conclusion, the show’s not my cup of tea, but I respect it because it will introduce kids to sports.

Kamp Koral (??/10)

Hadn’t watched the show yet. I will update this journal when I finally get to watch it.

ICarly revival (??/10)

I got a lot of interesting stuff to say about this show when I get a chance to watch it. A separate journal about the revival will be posted eventually and I will reveal my score later.

The Patrick Star Show (??/10)

Alongside Kamp Koral, I will watch and then review them on a separate journal.

Nickelodeon 2020 Year in Review: The Year Nickelodeon Thrived

 2020: The Year Nickelodeon Thrived

It was the start of a new decade. Little did we know, the coronavirus pandemic was officially declared on March 2020. Nickelodeon was going to have a rather interesting year on their hands. A total of 13 new shows premiered on the Nick channel, while one show they produced was Netflix exclusive. Compared to Cartoon Network and Disney Channel, who were busy focusing on HBO MAX and Disney+, respectively, Nick had a very packed year for content. This is the first year I’m going to review for the network as I seen all of the shows. I will do 2020 and 2021 before heading back to the 90’s. Without any further ado, let’s take a look at Nickelodeon in the year 2020 and how they fared.

As a company

Before I judge Nick’s year based from their new content, business wise, they did an unusually great job this year as well. For starters, nearly every show were given the attention they deserved rather than having one show/franchise hogging up the spotlight. They did a fantastic job covering current events as well. You got to admit, it was getting hard to ignore the world surrounding us, so Nick decided to go back to their old roots and revive Nick News. Linda Ellerbee retired back in 2015, so they went with entertainers like Kristen Bell, Alicia Keys and Keke Palmer to cover topics like the coronavirus, black lives, and the 2020 presidential election. (To be fair, the #KidsTogether special didn’t had the “Nick News” banner, but it was the first sign that they were reviving the show.) That’s not all - on June 1, 2020, all ViacomCBS networks went off the air for 8 minutes to honor George Floyd. At first, Nick screwed up as they played an allegedly “scary black screen” with the words “I can’t breathe” during the 5pm hour. This, of course, upset some parents, especially when it was showing on the Nick Jr channel.  An hour later, Nick played their own version (with an orange background), which may shock some people - they ended up using something from the day they opened Nickelodeon Studios in 1990. You guessed it, it’s the Declaration of Kids Rights. If this doesn’t bring the network back to 90’s, then I don’t know what will convince certain group of people to learn. Nick promoted their staff and hired more executives as usual to keep their business alive. However, making Ramsey Naito the president of Nickelodeon Animation was their best decision because while I have a like-hate relationship with Brian Robbins, I can trust her to give the fans what they want. While I gave a lot of positivity for Nick in 2020 (a little too much on Twitter that it bothered some of my followers), I cannot deny the flaws it still had as a company. First off, this the year they suddenly started treating their mascot SpongeBob like garbage. Only 7 “new” episodes premiered on Nick (the rest were just cheap clip shows to cash in on nostalgic moments, hence the air quote on the word new). Despite this, they still ended up airing the show more than it had compared to other years. It aired a whopping 4,204 times, in spite of the sparse premieres. Yeah, the schedule was still shit, but that’s modern cable television for you. They’ll never go back to their old ways, the more the streaming wars get stronger. But ViacomCBS is always the worst offender, especially when they change the schedule without warning, usually to “improve” it. The Nick Jr channel has finally started going to the way of modern cable television traits, so now they bump up slots of their current shows more than ever. Shows like Wallykazam and Max and Ruby left the lineup. Nicktoons and TeenNick did okay this year, even as the current shows were slowly getting more screentime, but the worst was yet to come. At least they remembered to play their past programs occasionally. NickRewind was pretty empty outside of bringing back live-action programming for a month and playing other Nicktoons just air Christmas specials. Overall, 2020 might’ve been the closest Nickelodeon mentally came back being a good company that people been begging for years. We enjoyed this side of Nick while it lasted, but rest assure, there’s always a way for Nick to go back to the one that you love to hate since the 2000’s.

As a network (content wise)

Without any further ado, here are my opinions on the in-house shows Nick premiered this year:

Glitch Techs (10/10)

Glitch Techs is easily the best show from Nickelodeon to come out in 2020 and i will explain why with this review. The show was greenlit on May 2016 and you damn right it was worth the 4 year wait. Unfortunately, it didn’t ended up airing on Nick, but it was for the best anyways. Action shows and Nick don’t go well together (unless it’s the Avatar franchise). Like with Pinky Malinky, Static Cling, and Enter the Florpus, the delay was so long that it’s ended up streaming on Netflix instead. It’s better to have the show on a streaming service than to finish its run on Nicktoons. The show’s premise is about teens Hector “High Five” Nieves and Miko “Me- K.O.” Kubota teaming up to stop glitches that come from video games. While modern Nicktoons barely get any online buzz in the cartoon community, this is a rare exception since it’s action and available to stream at any time. Oh, yeah, did I forgot to tell you that this cartoon is one big love letter for gamers? If you love gaming, this show is for you. I may not play on a daily basis, but it inspired me to improve as a gamer after years of struggling. You’ll be surprised at who created this show. Eric Robles of Fanboy and Chum Chum infamy came up with it. And I didn’t mind that show, but you can tell it was a major improvement in quality for me. He teamed up with Dan Milano to work on this awesome cartoon about video game glitches. Original character designs resembled FB&CC at first but in 2D, but eventually went for a distinctive style, something that reminds you of an anime. In typical Nick Animation fare, the animation is very fluid, making the action sequences fun to watch, just like in Rise of the TMNT. I enjoyed almost all the characters here. Like in Fanboy and Chum Chum, they had something worth remembering, such as a serious gamer boy with confidence issues, a hyperactive gamer girl who is immune to having her memory reset, an egotistical gamer who abuses his powers, a Muslim gamer, and an Indian gamer. Nick always knows when to be diverse because none of these characters aren’t white and I applause them for it. The Fanboy & Chum Chum connection continues even further with Lupe being a background character (even with the same voice actress), Frosty Freezies  being a drink on the show, and to top it all of: the music is done by Brad Breeck, who went with a chiptune style to match the video game nature of the show. Glitch Techs explores the world of gaming perfectly, especially if you’re a newcomer or an expert. The writers really did their homework at making video games references. Even if I’m not too familiar or hadn’t played them yet, I enjoyed the way they’re referenced. In fact, the best episode of the entire show is Castle Crawl, one big Castlevania reference. Age of Hinobi is also an amazing episode that established the show’s premise and characters. Normally, tv shows never had a greatest beginning, but this is one of the rare moments where it’s a 10/10 instead of being mediocre. Tutorial Mode played out like a video game where you need to be skilled. Almost all episodes had something exciting going on, except Find the Glitch. Even Karate Trainer and Adventures in Pet Sitting (two weaker than average episodes) had its fair share of good moments, but that particular episode is a clip show. Clip shows are just an excuse to pass the time and look back at the past moments. There’s rapping, reminiscence, and fart jokes. The only episode I’ll skip when o revisit this show. Ralphie Bear is an episode I highly recommended during part 2. It’s 22 minutes of Five Night at Freddie’s references. Other episodes are still worth your time, but that one stood out the most for me. But BITT Prime, presumably the last episode of the show…for now, is such an interesting episode that involved the titular robot at risk of being removed at Hinobi only for Phil’s memory to be erased (I just gave you a little bit of spoilers, so skip ahead if you hadn’t seen this episode or show yet). This is the type of cliffhanger that make you want to crave for more, but there’s one problem: because of how long it was to wait for the show’s release date and the change of management in 2018, Nickelodeon being their usual greedy selves, unfairly cancelled production of this wonderful show. And while it’s hard to tell how many seasons it had due to Netflix’s dumb rule of dividing the seasons amount, it’s looking to be an one season wonder. But with how big the fan base is (thought not as big as Infinity Train, Amphibia, or The Owl House), maybe one day, we’ll finally get another season of Glitch Techs. Nickelodeon never gives us what we want, but it’ll be a miracle if the show eventually returns.

Santiago of the Seas (9/10)

Before I get started, I want to point out that my favorite and least favorite show of the year will be longer than usual to reflect what loved and hated the most about those shows. For other shows, reviews are going to be a little shorter. Since it’s a preschool show, I won’t really have that much to say about, except that when it first came out, it was a breath of fresh air. What felt like years of Nick churning out merchandise driven shows for toddlers, they give us a gem in Santiago of the Seas. Basically, the show is about a Latino kid who lives his life as a pirate. Together, he, his cousin, and a mermaid go on nautical adventures to find treasures, where they often run into enemies, such as a girl and her parrot and cats, a boy and his rats, and an underwater girl. It was created by the guys who bought you Dora the Explorer and they teamed up with Niki Lopez (who longed on a few Nick shows) to make Santiago possible. So yeah, you’re basically watching Dora the Explorer but in CGI and less emphasis on interacting the audience (Santi usually does it in the beginning of every episode). Whereas Dora taught kids Spanish, this show focuses more on Latino-Caribbean culture. There’s a reason why I’m highly fond of this show - for once, it managed to be educational without repeating the audience over and over, which older people might get some enjoyment out of it as background noise. Even more refreshening to see Nick Animation (the Burbank division, even though most of the voice acting is done in NYC) involved with a preschool show after years of cheap Paw Patrol knockoffs. My favorite aspect of the show is the storytelling (although music comes really close, thanks to the catchy opening and credits theme) due to the excitement it have to offer. I really hope this show last for a little while, it really needs to prove that preschool shows can still be watchable for people that has long outgrew these type of shows. In shorter words, I recommended it, big time.

The Crystal Maze (American) (9/10)

Since Nick is on a roll with reviving properties, one of the least expected thing was bringing The Crystal Maze to American viewers. Although this installment is still filmed in the UK like the original version, it’s hosted by an actual American, Adam Conover. You may know him best from the TruTV show, Adam Ruins Forever, so I guess you can say he’s here to ruin Nickelodeon. I hadn’t even seen the original British show and I think Nick did this game show justice. The format is still the same as the original - contestants going through the Crystal maze as they solve a puzzle. Conover does a good job at interacting the contestants. Game shows seem like a great way to kill the time but I don’t think I want to be involved, especially with these challenges (which I has totally forgotten about since it’s been 2 years since it’s aired). Oh, if only we could see more of this show. But alas, COVID-19 happened and the show is pretty much dead. Then again, kids networks will only declare its cancelled when it’s been a long time since it aired. But in the end, what matters is that Nick made the American Crystal Maze faithful to the original.

The Astronauts (9/10)

This show has been in the works since June 2019, and we didn’t get it until November 2020. Nick pushed it so hard during spring 2020 and it was their attempt at a space opera. The show features several teens accidentally launching themselves. Together, they must survive in space and find a way to get back to Earth. Well, here’s a big irony: the show is filmed at Canada but where the space shuttle was made, it was located at Australia. The Astronauts was such a fun ride. The kids in this show were likable, despite their arguments. They weren’t too loud or obnoxious and they were trying to cooperate with each other in order to get back home. I personally enjoyed every episode in its short run. I do have a minor nitpick with the show: was the usage of Jossing by BTS (or was it another K-Pop artist) really necessary? I don’t hate K-Pop music, I just don’t get the appeal, but as a Nick viewer, I was forced to listen to the song a few times throughout the show. Not a good running gag for a rather serious show. Either way, I get why we waited so long to get this show: it was so expensive to make and the production values really played out like an actual film. Towards the end (and this slight spoilers), it became a major tearjerker as the robot in charge of the ship looked like she died, but came back to live (if I recall). And so, the kids lasted 66 days at space. But will they really return home? Unfortunately, it looks like a risk taking show was too good for Nickelodeon that one of the cast members announced that it was announced. I get the reason, it wasn’t a cheaply made sitcom full of laugh tracks. But some day, Nick gotta resume making more shows like this so they can be taken seriously by the adults that long outgrown the network.

Side Hustle (8/10)

The moment this show got announced, I immediately got excited. You wanna know why? Because for years, Nickelodeon kept relying on Dan Schneider to pump out hits after hits and never let other creators (other than Scott Fellows) shine. But after his departure, it was time for a new era. While I know Danger Force and Young Dylan came out  first, Side Hustle is officially the beginning of Shauna Phelan greenlit sitcom era for Nick. The show revolves on two girls named Lex and Presley (who are actually played by real life besties) trying to find a way to pay the debts of their principal’s boat, which they accidentally destroyed with fireworks. With the help of Presley’s brother Fisher, the plot device called Kid-Ding will allow them to get jobs. This is Nick’s best sitcom in years and it’s because of how original the premise is. Teens getting part time jobs is not something you don’t see very often. Granted, not every episode of the show will involve work in some way (ex: Friendiversary, Lunch Boxed In, Uncle Nedward). Other times, they will only be shown working for a little bit or they will just come back home (ex: the beginning of Milkshake Suckdown where they just finished paintballs). And the rest of the episode involves the girls and/or Munchy getting into wacky situations. I already reviewed it back in November 2020, but after seeing more, I can proudly say that this show features characters who aren’t punch worthy, hilarious storytelling, actual comedy instead of cringe, and a lot of heart. I don’t have that much flaws with Side Hustle, except for two things: Fisher’s crush on Lex just comes off as awkward. And since it’s a modern Nick sitcom, the pacing is terrible in the beginning. Why does it always take 5-9 minutes to get to theme song? This structure that they’ve been doing since 2016 isn’t working out. It may not be getting the exposure it deserves (since god forbid watching a totally new original show), but just you wait. When it hits on Paramount+ (or potentially Netflix), people are going to be amazed that they missed out on a funny sitcom. Oh, and even better, Side Hustle is going to be involved with a crossover special event, paired up with 4 different current Nick sitcoms. And the good news is: it’s part of the series. I hope that the writers know how they’re going to fit in 5 shows for more than 44 minutes. All in all, you don’t even know what you’re missing out on. I know people have their fondest memories on the late 2000’s/early 2010’s Nick sitcoms, but Side Hustle is basically iCarly and Victorious combined but written better. Sorry not sorry. I’m telling you right now, I will be ending my reviews by making an unpopular opinion that offend the readers.

It’s Pony (8/10)

The first Nick show to premiere the 2020’s decade. Not to mention, it’s the first original Nicktoon to premiere on television in 30 months since Welcome to the Wayne. The show revolves on a girl named Annie, who owns a horse named Pony. They go on crazy adventures together. I already finished watching the rest of season 1 last year, so I can just say, this show is basically a better Loud House. A lot of people dislike the predictable nature it have for years so this show does TLH-esque plots a little better, due to Pony’s unpredictability. It’s a lot more wholesome in comparison. This show features a lot of hugging. There should be a drinking game on how many times characters gave each other a hug. What makes It’s Pony stand out to other Nicktoons in the last decade is that it’s such a laid back show. It felt like there were a little too much Nicktoons with hyperactivity but this show and Harvey Beaks were the odd men out. A shame Nick couldn’t treat neither shows with respect. I’ll get to that towards the end of the review on why Nick screwed over this show. But we’re here to discuss the show on its own merit. I like every main and recurring character in the show. Annie and Pony make a good team. Annie’s parents aren’t stereotypical as Helen doesn’t control Annie too much about owning Pony and George can be grumpy towards him but eventually warms up to him. Annie’s friends are memorable on their own ways. Although I feel like Gerry and Heston are a little overused while others like Clara, Brian, Fred, Henrietta are underused. The show is another Nicktoon with a comic influenced style. It managed to look distinctive from fellow comic influenced shows, which is another thing I’ll continue to praise Nick Animation for. It’s Pony is at its best when it doesn’t involve Annie and Pony doing something to obtain a plot device for the sake of that episode (ex: Game Horse, Bad Chicken, Bramley Holiday). It doesn’t happen all the time but it could get as formulaic as possible (ex: The Boot, The Giving Chair, 10 Minute Ticket). With Nick off to a great start, you would thought this show would’ve been the one to break that Nicktoons death curse, but unfortunately, it is still a thing in 2022 as we speak. As of October 2021, it now airing new episodes on Nicktoons. Since I hate what the Nicktoons channel has became in recent months, I will only catch up on the show through VOD. I wanted this show to last as long as Sanjay and Craig since it’s another Nicktoon with a human and his/her talking animal friend (that show was one of the more luckier Nicktoons to reach three seasons). Unlike many people who found out about the news, I cared about it and I was a dedicated viewer from day one that never got to properly watch the show as it was intended because I didn’t had cable until November 2021 when I got Hulu Live TV. All in all, a good Nicktoon that not people in the cartoon community aren’t discussing enough of it. It may have stood a chance due to being greenlit during the previous management, but we will try our best to support the remnants of this show.

Baby Shark’s Big Show (7/10)

Buckle up, parents, cause it’s time for Baby Shark to have his own show! Yes you hear me, the underrated genius that Gary Doodles alongside fellow producer and composer Tommy Sica team up for their own take of the infamous Baby Shark song for preschoolers. While I wasn’t excited that a nuisance of a song was getting a cartoon, I get why they wanted to make it. The ultra popular music video was animated so someone at Nickelodeon saw potential in it and said “you know what? Let’s make a cartoon out of it.” I wrote it off at first because I thought it was going to be a cheap acquisition until I saw that Nickelodeon Animation is producing it. Of course, it is everyone but toddler's worst nightmare, but you'll get used to it. I just think it's nice that we finally have a 2D preschool cartoon because god knows how many CGI shows for little kids we have in the past decade. And that is something Nick have over Disney honestly. Plus, out of all the preschool shows Nick had over the years, this is their most cartoonish one yet, all thanks to Gary Doodles. It moves very fluidy for a preschool show as well, which are usually stiff. Just like in Breadwinners, there is musical numbers, from the same guy who brought the music to life. Every character on the show are all aquatic creatures, so you can just say in a way, this is SpongeBob SquarePants for preschoolers. Based from what I seen so far, the songs are better than I expected, and it had some decent morals, usually revolving on friendship. Overall, while a bad show by all means, Baby Shark's Big Show is definitely background noise if you want to pass the time. That is, of course, you the patience to put up with it.

Group Chat The Show (7/10)

2020 was such a rough year to make live action productions. Due to the pandemic, it was getting harder to do filming as studios don't want to risk actors infecting each other. So they have to temporarily shut down until it was safe to do so. For Nickelodeon and other networks, the only solution to make a live-action show is to film remotely, while using Zoom. And thus, give us this show. Group Chat involves Side Hustle stars and besties Jules (known as Annie at the time) LeBlanc and Jayden Bartels (including Jules' sister, Hayley) as they bring in guests from their circle to do silly challenges at home. Out of the two at home shows they done, this was the superior one and I get the reason why they made it. It's the only way to see what the Nick stars are up to during these troubling times. It's not the most exciting show of 2020, but it served as a great background noise during the pandemic. The original season lasted 6 episodes. Then, season 2 was ordered and Jayden returned, but due to Jules' busy schedule with BratTV, she was replaced by fellow Internet sensation Brent Rivera. Honestly, season 2 was a step down because Jules and Jayden clearly had a blast together because of how close they were. When you pair up Jayden with Brent, their chemistry just doesn't come off as memorable or friendly. Because of this, I had to drop the show. If I can recall, it was also That Girl Lay Lay (Alaya High)'s first appearance on Nickelodeon after signing a contract and she served the same role as Hayley did in the previous season. By the end season 2 ended, the pandemic was getting out of control, but it had a good run while it lasted. Can't say the same for the other at home show, which I will get to at the end of this journal. A week after its finale, Jules and Jayden's show, Side Hustle has started premiering, and it was time for them to finally shine as actresses after a year of being used as entertainers (they were in a bunch of Nick Youtube videos and they were campers during summer 2019 commercial breaks). I recommend this one, if you want some good entertainment.

Danger Force (6/10)

The Danger continues, with new sidekicks! With Henry Danger coming to an end, it was time for a continuation. Continuing where the DangerVerse left off on, Ray/Captain Man's new sidekicks consist of Chapa/Volt, a girl with a short temper and electrical powers, Miles/AWOL, a black boy who can teleports at any places but doesn't uses his powers wisely, his sister Mika/ShoutOut, who uses her loud voice, and Bose/Brainstorm, who isn't the brightest kid ever, but uses physical powers. As it's revealed on the first episode, Captain Man try to train them, only for them to accidentally free the villains from jail, and as he stated at the end, "probably need like a hundred hilarious missions to do it. Maybe more." Considering that I really enjoyed the direction Henry Danger went during its final season, I was rather skeptical on the existence of Danger Force. It's not surprising executives wanted to continue the franchise as they saw potential in the new kid cast. On the other hand, Henry may be gone from Swellview, but Jace is still at Nickelodeon (technically, as he's just a producer, while Cooper Barnes is an executive producer). We will be occasionally seeing his character when he's needed, but for now, he's reduced to a producing role. My only fear is that the first season would've undo the progress the franchise made when it became a dramedy. And I was proven to be right - the humor is obviously a downgrade from season 5 of Henry Danger, but it doesn't make me frustrated like it did early on (maybe removing Dan Schneider made a difference). The new kids will take a while to get used to, but their interactions aren't as interesting as Ray/Captain Man, Henry/Kid Danger, Charlotte, Jasper, and Schowz. Other than the a few characters who left for Dystopia, most of the people you know and love from the original series are still here in this spinoff, including characters that you hadn't seen in years. I have delayed my binge-a-thon of the show for so long because I couldn't find a way to legally watch the final season of Henry Danger. But based from the 2020 premiered episodes I've seen so far, it's an alright show, if not unnecessary. The action sequences are still the highlights as it’s the case from its parent series. I don't know how long Danger Force is going to last, but they better give this franchise a satisfying and well deserved because I don't think Jace should be working at Nick for such a long time. Again, more details will be explained on the “How Henry Danger improved without its creator” journal.

Unleashed (5/10)

Nick’s latest reality effort - America’s Got Talent, for pets. After a few unscripted shows that failed to get another season, this was their last hope of winning people over. I’d say this - out of all the reality shows they’ve produced during 2019 and 2020, this is something that kids won’t mind due to their love of pets. They even premiered season 13 of SpongeBob early just because the first episode had to do with pets and it was leading up to an hour premiere of Unleashed. Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias hosts the show with Peyton List and other celebrities that I hadn’t heard of judging the pets. It’s an alright show to watch when you’re bored, but when you watch the whole thing in one sitting, you’ll realize how blatantly similar it is to AGT but with animals. Then again, Nick previously did America’s Most Musical Family. The way how they filmed the show is rather awkward since it was their first show to be made at a studio after the start of the pandemic. Fluffy is isolated but the judges are like six feet apart from each other, and then you have the kids watching the talent show. I would’ve given this show a 6/10, even if I only watched a few episodes. But what made me drop the score is that there’s a sketch that involves grossout humor. Even on Nick, you can’t escape from that BS in a reality show. It’s a bummer, though, the pets did a good job showcasing their talents. But you know, this is yet another reality show that couldn’t win over the kids so it was gone after 2020. And there’s hadn’t been a full series since then, for now. Yeah, Nick should stick to game shows for the rest of their lives.

Young Dylan (4/10)

Tyler Perry has a contract with BET (another network owned by Viacom). So it would make sense that he create a show for kids at Nickelodeon. Unlike other sitcoms Nick produced, it’s filmed at his studios in Atlanta. And it really shows. The show’s premise is kind of similar to The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, but more kid friendly. Without a doubt, Young Dylan is the worst scripted show that came out from Nick in 2020. Lots of people, even the blacks, despise the show. And I can understand the hate it gets. It’s obvious that a man like Tyler Perry doesn’t know how to write for kids & family demographics. You’re so used to seeing him write content for grownups that the contrast between this and the rest of his works is night and day. I don’t want this one flaw to overshadow the whole thing so let me get this out of the way - the laugh track is a bigger nuisance what you normally hear in kid sitcoms.  It’s much louder than usual and the sound department activate it as much as possible. I’m normally not bothered with laugh tracks, but when it’s abused to death, that when you know the show is an unfunny mess. The characters themselves don’t have the same charming relationship like in Fresh Prince. I mean, Young Dylan have the potential to become this generation of Will Smith and he’s already heading that direction in recent months. Just hope Nick doesn’t burn him out. The jokes fall flat so often that it’s not even worth my time, even though it has a person of color cast. There’s a few good episodes I’ve watched like the one featuring DJ Khaled and the season 1 finale, but even then the bad still outweighed the good. So yes, in conclusion, while the show isn’t completely awful, I don’t recommended it whatsoever. It’s such a chore to watch, and I really hope Tyler Perry doesn’t create another kids show ever again.

Unfiltered (2/10)

It’s pretty clear that this is the show that I considered the worst thing to come out of Nickelodeon for the 2020’s so far. Alongside Group Chat, this is one of the two shows Nick created during the pandemic. That other show just came and go, but Unfiltered? It lasted for two seasons from 2020-2021. Now here’s where the problem lies - at-home produced shows were a product of 2020 because of the difficulties of making live-action shows and it was reasonable that they stopped productions. However, when it was revealed that Unfiltered was renewed for a second season in a time when shows restarted production, I knew it was time to get rid of this show. I’ll get to that later, but let me explain the premise first. The show is basically The Masked Singer, but at home. Saturday Night Light actor Jay Pharaoh hosts it with three contestants participating guessing two celebrities (think of it like Figure It Out). At first, I was participating in the game and was having a fun time. Eventually, a few episodes later, I quickly got tired of it as I couldn’t figure out the celebrities. Some of them are so unexpected. However, I’ll say that Tom Kenny was the best one to come out of the show since it was a huge surprise to see a voice actor (of course mostly to promote SpongeBob and nothing else). I would’ve been okay if the show lasted for a few months and it would’ve stayed in 2020. But alas, the pandemic wasn’t officially over by the next year so it continued for another 26 episodes. The press release never stated how many more episodes it was ordered and I was just begging for the nightmare to be over soon. Like I said it, it’s a product of its time, and the worst thing about Unfiltered is the production values and its cringeworthy usage of memes and emojis. Group Chat may’ve been cheap to produce, but I bet this show only costs less than a thousand dollars to make. Unlike that show which was done with Zoom, Unfiltered’s set is a literal futuristic looking simulator. It’s a shame that Lex Lumpkin and Gabby Green were wasted on this show. Especially Lex whom after this, has only done the first Nick Wild card game and a guest appearance on Drama Club. Gabby at least get to have more publicity with be the commentator of the Wild card game on Nick (both years) and being part of a main cast on That Girl Lay Lay. I know very little of Darci Farmer, though. But yeah, this show is a waste of time and it’s what I considered to be the worst game show that Nickelodeon has ever produced in its entire existence.

Why Nickelodeon Will Never Suffer From Network Decay

 Why Nickelodeon Will Never Suffer From Network Decay

Back in November, I made a thread on Twitter  to settle a neverending debate that the kids networks went downhill and responded that they never gotten worse, you just got older. Well, now I’m going to fully explain my thoughts (without worrying about character limits) on why Nickelodeon will never experience network decay.

Nickelodeon and other kids networks

Nickelodeon is best known as the first network for kids. It’s been called this way since it was first launched. What makes this channel special compared to Cartoon Network and Disney Channel is that they always put kids first, even during their worst moments. At worst, Nick just talks down to kids, which is evident for most of their 2010s works, while at their best, they often cater to kids in different ways while not alienating other demographics. Part of the main reason why Nick have a successful run for so long is that their shows have periphery fandoms. While most of their shows are aimed at kids aged 2-11, teenagers and adults can enjoy them. The biggest examples of this are SpongeBob, Rugrats, Hey Arnold, Rocko’s Modern Life, Invader Zim, the Avatar universe, The Loud House. At least from what TVTropes told me. Some preschool shows have periphery fandoms as well, especially from the parents. But it looks like no longer how long they outgrow, Blue’s Clues will always hold a special place in people’s hearts. A lot of the older live-action shows feel more for families rather than targeting kids. It wasn’t until sometimes around the mid-2000’s that their shows really started targeting towards the teen demographic, which may not interest the younger nor older viewers that much. However, shows like Drake & Josh, ICarly, Big Time Rush, and Victorious are one of the few Nick sitcoms in the 21st century to have a decent amount of adult fan base. And that is how Nick has managed to stay afloat for 4 decades. Compare that to Disney Channel and Cartoon Network's worst days - they abandoned their mission for a while before going back to their old roots.

The Side Channels

Nicktoons is one of the most consistent side channel Nick had for a while until they started playing live-action shows. They were often brief and didn’t take up half of the schedule at first. Only shows like The Troop and Supah Ninjas get a regular timeslot on Nicktoons and I don’t know why, but probably they match the action nature of Nicktoons’ current direction at the time. It wasn’t until 2015 that live-action programming would soon take over the channel. On the bright side, almost no one was watching during the morning hours which is where they aired the sitcoms. The rest of the day is still mostly dedicated to animation, but eventually we start to see more live-action programming during the middle of the day because we can’t have nice things. Luckily by January 2018, they were (almost) entirely gone from Nicktoons, aside from the occasional Henry Danger reruns. Now network decay is no more for Nicktoons for the rest of its existence, right? Wrong! By spring 2020, they didn’t learned from their past mistakes. For a short while, it became a semi-rerun farm for game shows, which were entirely removed a couple months later.  But the schedulers gave up and basically let them air whatever currently airing on the main channel. Henry Danger and The Thundermans were the only live action shows with a consistent schedule on Nicktoons and this would last for a year and a half before they start dominating TeenNick. These days, while Nicktoons actually live up to its name, it never shows classic shows and instead airs nothing but current cartoons. Next, we have TeenNick, which brings us the big debates on itself - is it worthy of being a teen channel? Some may say that the channel hadn’t been the same since Degrassi stopped airing. It’s basically an excuse to air Nick’s live action lineup nowadays and only a few of them dealt with actual teen issues. My biggest problem with the channel is how wasted NickRewind is. It should expanded to other channels instead of being limited to a nighttime block on a channel for teens (even though Rewind is certainly catered to adults who grew up on old Nick shows). But when you look at the sad state is in right now, I think a shutdown is recommended at this point. Nick Jr, on the other hand, is the only side channel will almost never suffer from network decay as long as they don’t forget their mission of airing shows for preschoolers. Occasionally, they would air something that is aimed for kids older than 6. Most of the time, it’s due to airing simulcasts of big events (Kids Choice Awards, SpongeBob Musical Live on Stage) that would look out of place airing on a normal lineup for toddlers. For some strange reason, any acquired shows starring girls would be sent to burn off on the channel, showing their blatant sexism problems. And at one point, they came up with NickMom, which is aired content of what mothers watch when their kids are asleep. It was a not good idea as you can tell and by fall 2015, it was back to 24/7 of preschool programming. On rare occasions, the Nick Jr channel aired Nicktoons (the ones aimed at older kids), such as Harvey Beaks, The Loud House, and Rise of the TMNT (which is the most violent of them all), as well as the acquired show, ALVINNN!!! and the Chipmunks. They did aired Rugrats as well but it made sense the most considering who the main characters are. Lego City Adventures remains the last time they aired a TV-Y7 rated show, and the channel is now exclusively to showing current preschool shows.

Nick @ Nite

Before I can end this journal, I want to discuss the rise and fall of Nick @ Nite. Nick @ Nite is the nighttime block of Nickelodeon when its target demographics are heading to bed. During its early years, it started as early as 8pm, with the exception of Saturdays since 1992 with the launch of SNICK, which started at 10pm (until fall 2017). It wasn’t until Nick finally expanded a full hour of screentime that N@N would officially begin at 9pm. It is the place to watch syndicated reruns of retro sitcoms. It predates the TV Land channel, which is like a 24/7 version of the block. For better or worse, Nick @ Nite invented the concept of binge watching as they would usually introduce a show to its lineup by airing a marathon. As the years go on, the block slowly started airing more sitcoms that aren’t considered retro at the time. For example, they started to air The Wonder Years sometimes in the late 90’s, even though the show already ended several years prior. George Lopez, one of their most famous acquisitions, started airing on N@N a few months after it ended. What really started showing its decay is when they decided to play sitcoms that are still making new episodes: The Goldbergs, Mom (although the show has recently ended) and Young Sheldon are examples of this. To make things even worse, they think putting SpongeBob on the block would help keep this block afloat. Yes, the show has been on the air long time to be considered N@N worthy, but one problem: it’s still making new episodes. They make a big deal out of something that is already aired enough during normal hours, and I wonder why this block is still going. They can still air sitcoms for all I can care but maybe it’s time that N@N add a little bit of classic Nick shows to its lineup. In recent months, it’s been doing slightly better than regular Nick (because Friends fans don’t know much about HBO MAX), so they could use that an advantage. Unfortunately, it may not happen so it would just continue rotting. They might ad well ditch the 9pm and 6am hour for good already because they’re basically filler hours. Nick shows will often air at those hours when they need to since some kids will be up. Nicktoons and TeenNick may have a sad network decay, but Nick @ Nite have the most depressing network decay I’ve ever seen in any subsidiary of Nickelodeon. People complain that the Nick Jr block is holding Nick back for a diverse schedule, but I think we can all agree that Nick @ Nite is the one holding this channel back the most. Over 35 years after its launch, I don’t think we need Nick @ Nite anymore, since there’s so much cable networks you can choose from if you want to watch syndicated sitcom reruns. TV Land’s clearly doing better numbers than N@N during Primetime and that’s saying a lot. Replacing it with more SpongeBob and Loud House (or movie reruns) might not be the brightest idea for a true 24/7 Nickelodeon channel but maybe turning the block into a nostalgia Nick block would do more favors than NickRewind ever could on TeenNick.

This journal was a recap of looking back at which of Nick’s side channels suffered the harshest decay compared to the main channel (which the branding itself never had much of a decline, no matter much you outgrew from it). And I think it’s clear that Nick Jr is the only one that deserved its own channel since you can

basically leave it on all the time for little kids. Nicktoons had so much potential of playing Nicktoons from all eras but only insists of playing current toons (and occasionally live-action to break the “Toons” name of the network’s name) in a binge watch format. All of that potential is gone and it’s too late to recover. Not to mention, Nick is still using this channel to burn off cartoons that they don’t like because of low ratings and due to the fact that cable ratings have been declining for a while now, it’s pointless and hard to tell when it’s time to pull the plug. Nicktoons should not only stop being a graveyard for mistreated cartoons, but it should cease to exist as well. TeenNick’s variety is gloomy to look at. Might as well give it the nickname “NickHeroes” while we’re at it. And even then, they did used to favor a certain producer until his departure in 2018. So who knows, if TeenNick would still be around in 10 years from now (highly impossible), it would be balanced, if they’re not doing the marathon format. But with NickRewind being reduced to 1-2 shows, I think it’s also time for a shutdown, because it’s really obvious that Nick wants nothing to do with this channel anymore. They used to promote the channel featuring Nick Cannon, but I think it’s as good as dead when he’s presumably stepped down as chairman (TeenNick Top 10 has been discontinued in 2018, shortly before the rebrand), especially after that controversy in summer 2020 when he said something bad about Jewish people. The N@N section was just a look of how much this nighttime block has fallen. When a Nickelodeon expert admits that Cartoon Network have the better nighttime block, you know that Nick @ Nite have absolutely nothing exciting to offer nowadays, unless they could pull a MeTV by turning it into a nostalgic block for Nick’s past programming. And when you take away N@N and the really poor scheduling as well as atrocious business practices that ruined the network’s reputation, the main channel has so much potential in having an outstanding and varied schedule. It’s a shame those good old days are gone especially once the side channels started gaining more subscribers and the main channel became focusing on only airing 2-4 shows. I already show you my fantasy schedule but it’s how the channel should’ve been if they weren’t held back a stale nighttime block and two side channels that are having identity crisis. Compared to Cartoon Network and Disney Channel, Nickelodeon felt like the most perfect network for kids that have stay steady over the years with no sign of network decay (even on its worst days) and if it wasn’t for those meddling executives, the cartoon community wouldn’t be so harsh on it.