Nick in 2017

Lets see how the Big 3 Kid’s Networks are doing in 2017
-Cartoon Network ended Regular Show, which is super sad, but they made a Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs cartoon, shafted My Knight and Me to Boomerang, put episodes of the original Powerpuff Girls on demand, and I think they greenlit Infinity Train.
-Disney Channel ended Liv and Maddie, Best Friends Whenever, and Girl Meets World, and are rebooting DuckTales and That’s So Raven. Plus, they made a really good show, Andi Mack.
-Nickelodeon, oh boy…….lets see what they have in store for us.

Preschool:
•Butterbean’s Café (40 episodes) – This animated series follows a fairy named Butterbean and her adventures running the neighborhood café with her friends.
This show is made by the same guys who made Backyardigans and Bubble Guppies. I think the show sounds great. Backyardigans was a good show, and Bubble Guppies had a decent first season (the rest suck). Plus, it will feature original songs and teach kids how to cook.

•Sunny Day (40 episodes) – This animated series centers on Sunny, a 10-year-old master hairstylist and entrepreneur who uses creative problem solving to tackle any dilemma that arises in her seaside town of Friendly Falls.
I saw pictures of it, it looks way too girly and cliche for my taste. And how the heck does a 10-year old own a hair salon?

•Top Wing (26 episodes) – This CG-animated action-adventure series, created by Industrial Brothers and produced by 9 Story Media Group, follows a team of eager young birds as they flock together to help their island community and earn their wings as full-feathered rescuers.
I think the show will bomb. It seems like those kind of shows where the characters have to learn their lesson the extremely hard way, and those shows scare kids and shove morals down their throats. This also seems like Paw Patrol but with birds instead of dogs.

Animation:
•Amusement Park – Nickelodeon and Paramount Pictures are moving forward together on a slate of films that will bring new and established properties to audiences, a strategy that will allow for the two Viacom divisions to work together on IP that can journey from the big screen to TV and beyond. The first project is the animated Amusement Park theatrical release, directed by Dylan Brown and in theaters July 2018. Nickelodeon will produce a TV series based on the movie for the following year.
What the heck is this even about? Is it about some amusement park? It’s such a shame that Nick cared too much about the release of the show to tell us the storyline.

•The Adventures of Kid Danger and Captain Man (working title, 10 episodes) – An animated series based on TV’s number-one kids’ show, the live-action Henry Danger. Created and executive produced by hitmaker Dan Schneider ( Henry Danger, Game Shakers, iCarly), the series follows the heroic Kid Danger and Captain Man as they face new adventures–battling criminals and super villains with their sharp wit and amazing crime-fighting skills.
Well, looks like Dan S. is making his first cartoon. At least it won’t have a laugh track, but its sure to fail because Henry Danger sucks. Also, Kid Danger and Captain Man are dimwits and have horrible crime-fighting skills.

•Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (working title, 26 episodes) – Nickelodeon will reimagine its iconic, global franchise Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with an all-new 2D-animated series. Launching fall 2018, the new show follows the band of brothers as they encounter new allies and villains and discover a magical world they never knew existed beneath the streets of New York City.
This actually seems pretty good! I like TMNT, and the premise seems interesting. Too bad I have to wait until I get to eighth grade for it.

• Bunsen Is a Beast (20 episodes) –This just-launched original animated comedy, which premiered to 1.6 million total viewers, follows the adventures of Bunsen, the first beast to attend a human middle school, and his best friend Mikey. The series is created and executive produced by animation veteran Butch Hartman ( The Fairly OddParents).
This show came out, and its actually really good, unlike Alvin and the Chipmunks. It has unique animation, clever jokes, and good morals about diversity.

• Pinky Malinky (20 episodes) – A mockumentary-style series, Pinky Malinky follows the everyday life of an infectiously positive hot dog living in a human world. Pinky’s experiences will also be shared across social media and Nick’s digital platforms.
This seems like a ripoff of Gumball, but I think it looks decent. However, since Pinky is going to be on social media, I’m a bit concerned that the show is trying too hard to be hip and relevant.

• Welcome to the Wayne (20 episodes) – Marking Nick’s first digital short-form content to be greenlit for television, the series follows the comedic adventures of three kids who live in a strange and fantastical apartment building, the Wayne in New York City, where nothing is what it seems.
I saw the short series online. It’s promising, even if i don’t really like the art style.

•Kuu Kuu Harajuku (26 episodes) – Nickelodeon has picked up a second season of this animated series co-created and executive produced by Gwen Stefani. The new season will continue to follow the kuu kuu adventures of the band HJ5–Love, Angel, Music, Baby and G–through their super-cute world of music, fashion and style.
THIS SHOW SUCKS! Nickelodeon is only renewing it because Gwen Stefani is a celebrity. The show has horrible animation, ugly character designs, is too girly, has horrible morals for kids, and is racist against Japanese people.

However, the best thing is that Regal Academy wasn’t renewed! Yay! No more Regal Academy!
Live Action:
•Lip Sync Battle Shorties (10 episodes) – A spinoff of Spike’s Emmy-nominated global phenomenon, Lip Sync Battle, this new half-hour series will feature real-life kids lip-syncing pop songs in celebration of their favorite artists. Lip Sync Battle Shorties is created and executive produced by Casey Patterson Entertainment and Matador Content, with John Krasinski, Stephen Merchant and Eight Million Plus Productions also serving as executive producers.
I can’t believe they made this a full series. I thought Lip Sync Battle Shorties was just a dumb one hour special never to be seen or heard of again. Looks like I was wrong. Lip Sync Battle sucks, and so will this show. No one cares about dumb kids lip syncing to trashy pop songs!

•I Am Frankie (20 episodes) – This series centers on Frankie who looks like a typical teenager, but harbors a very big secret–she’s actually a cutting edge, experimental android who must hide her true identity or risk being powered down forever.
You know what I already knew before I found out this was getting made into a show in the States. THIS SHOW IS AN AMERICAN ADAPTATION OF A TELENOVELA CALLED YO SOY FRANKY. Yes! It airs on Nickelodeon in Latin America! You know what that means. This is going to be another clone of Every Witch Way, WITS Academy, and Talia in the Kitchen, and those shows really suck! I thought Nickelodeon knew to stop making these girly cheesy dramas after Ride, no The Other Kingdom. (Ride was okay, but TOK sucked balls). Instead of watching I Am Frankly Stupid, lets watch an actually good show, El Chavo del Ocho!

• JoJo Siwa special (untitled) – This brand-new docu-style special will give viewers an exclusive look into the teen sensation’s exciting world. The special was greenlit as part of JoJo Siwa’s overall talent deal, in which Nickelodeon will have the opportunity to work with her on a multi-platform basis including in consumer products, original programming, social media, live events and music.
What’s the network’s deal with JoJo Siwa? They’re obsessed with her! They nominated her for a Kids Choice Award (and she won!) had her guest star in the Thundermans, and she performed at the Halo Awards! Not to mention they’re always making YouTube vids about her. She doesn’t have her own show to star in and release soundtrack albums. So why are they shoving her down our throats? Listen up JoJo, I know you got treated pretty bad by the evil Abby Lee Miller on Dance Moms, but on Nickelodeon, you will never have the success that Victoria Justice, Miranda Cosgrove, Jennette McCurdy, Ariana Grande, Jamie Lynn Spears, Drake Bell, Emma Roberts, Daniella Monet, and who knows who else had.

• Hunter Street (20 episodes) – Set to premiere March 13, this comedy adventure series follows the journey of five foster kids on their quest to find their missing parents after they mysteriously disappear.
This show actually looks pretty good! I love mysteries, the premise seems promising, and it doesn’t have high school drama or laugh tracks!

Plus, the best thing about this is, Crashletes and Jagger Eaton’s Mega Life weren’t renewed! No more Trashletes or Jagger Eaton’s Stupid Life! Hooray!

TV Movies and Tent Poles:
•Rocko’s Modern Life special (untitled) – Based on Nick’s beloved ‘90s hit, Rocko’s Modern Life, this original animated one-hour TV special will bring back all the show’s classic characters and offer some surprising new takes on life in O-Town. Rocko’s original creator Joe Murray is on board as executive producer of the special.
I love RML! I’m so excited for this! And the original crew is back on board! I just hope Nick doesn’t screw it up.

•Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library – Based on author Chris Grabenstein’s acclaimed children’s book of the same name, the 90-minute TV movie follows a group of friends whose overnight stay in their town’s new high-tech library turns into a daring, dangerous adventure of escape.
You know what guys? I read the title, and I thought it sounded like a book title! And it actually is based off of a book! I haven’t read the book, so I don’t about the special

•Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie – The two-hour animated TV movie picks up where the iconic series ended in 2004 and will resolve unanswered questions and plotlines, including Arnold finally getting answers about the whereabouts of his missing parents. Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie is written and executive produced by the series’ original creator Craig Bartlett.
I love Hey Arnold! Its one of my favorite cartoons! I’m so happy that we are finally getting the Jungle Movie.

• Nickelodeon will also feature three major TV events this year: Kids’ Choice Awards on March 11, hosted by WWE Superstar John Cena; Kids’ Choice Sports in July; and HALO Awards in November.
I don’t give a crap about the HALO Awards or the Kids’ Choice Sports, but I do watch the Kids’ Choice Awards in hopes that Nick won’t rig it.

Anyways, it looks like Nickelodeon is releasing a lot of content this year. Some of it seems promising (Hunter Street, that new TMNT series), others not so much (I Am Frankie, that Henry Danger cartoon). However, this year seems like a turning point for Nickelodeon. I mean they canceled Crashletes and Regal Academy, two awful shows. They're ending production on The Thundermans, and like I said, a lot of their new content from preschool, to animation, to live action, to tent poles, seem great.

This is CF202, signing off for now.

Comments

Great post summing up how Nickelodeon is doing this year in 2017. While all of the big 3 cable channels are improving in one way or another, I think Nickelodeon is improving the most despite some bad stuff. Considering the pros outweigh the cons, I think Nickelodeon will continue its path of redemption. - visitor (3/11/2017)

Nickelodeon has done a pretty good job of not only producing new and original animated content, but also bringing back old animated series as T.V. movies as well. Hey Arnold! : The Jungle Movie and the upcoming Rocko's Modern Life T.V. movie are just two prime examples of that. And to top it all off, the new Invader Zim T.V. movie will be coming out soon. Keep up the good work, Nickelodeon. - visitor (4/10/2017)

I really liked Lemoncellos Library so I'm pretty excited to see the special - purpleyoshi98 (4/12/2017)

Yasss! No more Stinks Academy!
...
But, shame, Ladybug is on Netflix now, but, it get a Season 2! Yay. - visitor (4/13/2017)

Wow, I couldn't have said it better myself. Although I disagree on some things I agree for the most part. - Anonymousxcxc (4/21/2017)

Nick just acquired a new Nick Jr. show: Rainbow Rangers.

Rainbow Rangers blends fantasy and action-adventure with relatable, accessible stories about friendship and saving the environment. The Rainbow Rangers �" seven girls, each a different color of the rainbow, each with her own wildly unique personality and powers �" band together to save the day whenever there’s trouble for the people, animals or natural wonders of the Earth.

The series hails from an accomplished team of creators from the animated motion picture world, including The Lion King director Rob Minkoff, Frozen co-writer Shane Morris, and Tim Mansfield. Bestselling author and Emmy-nominated writer Elise Allen (Dinosaur Train, Lion Guard, Barbie specials) is head writer and co-creator. Genius Brands’ Chairman and CEO and Emmy winner Andy Heyward serves as executive producer. Disney alum Ruben Aquino (The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Frozen) is creating key designs for the series.

“We’ve assembled an unprecedented team of creative talent to bring Rainbow Rangers to life and are committed to selecting partners of the same caliber that have a shared passion for the brand,” said Heyward. “Nickelodeon has introduced so many of the most beloved and exciting characters to kids and families across the globe.”

The deal with Nickelodeon follows Genius Brands’ recent announcement of the appointment of Mattel Inc.’s Fisher-Price Toys as Global Master Toy Partner for the brand. Genius Brands is developing its global merchandising, licensing and retail program across all key categories to coincide with the series launch.

Even though the show seems too girly and will probably have a ton of useless toys, it'll probably be good since it's got a top-notch crew. - visitor (4/25/2017)