TheMisterManGuy
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2014
- Messages
- 1,418
Every TV channel has had good years, and bad years, but there's also those years that are just... Bizarre. Nickelodeon in 2002 was one of them. 2002 was an incredibly strange year for Nick, I think what makes it so weird was that it's one of the only years the network debuted more acquired programming than originals.
This year was filled with odd programing decisions and questionable series debuts. Perhaps one of the weirdest, was a short-lived Sunday afternoon block called SLAM! This was Nick's attempt to cash-in on the boys-action craze that networks like Cartoon Network and Kids' WB dominated. The block consisted of acquisitions such as Super Duper Sumos, Speed Racer X, Butt-Ugly Martians, Men in Black: The Series, alongside Nick's own shows including Invader Zim and Robot Wars.
That wasn't the only new programing initiative. Nick also picked up a bunch of TV movies from DiC Entertainment in the Summer of 2002, and ran them on Sundays. Why? Eh, they were cheap to air, I guess.
At the start of the year though, SNICK, the network's signature primetime lineup, was re-launched for it's third and final time in January, featuring a new season of All That with a new cast, The Amanda Show, Taina (which moved from TEENick), the short-lived Nick Cannon Show, and Cousin Skeeter. This incarnation didn't last very long, and would be discontinued in 2004, replaced with a Saturday version of TEENick instead.
Speaking of TEENick, the year-old block still didn't seem to have much of a purpose. For the most part, it still felt like a dumping ground for Nick's older skewing shows (As Told By Ginger, Kennan and Kel, Catlin's Way, Brother's Garcia, Clarissa, and Clueless). TEENick wouldn't become a core pillar of Nick's lineup until 2004, with the premieres of Drake & Josh, Unfabulous, and Ned's Declassified.
As far as Nicktoons were concerned, Chalk Zone, a spin-offs of Oh Yeah Cartoons! that was in development hell finally premiered in the Summer, and Fall saw the full debut of The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, after the success of the movie. Both would anchor Nick's new Friday primetime lineup of Nicktoons, dubbed... Friday Night Nicktoons. 2002 was also the year SpongeBob really started to become the face of Nickelodeon as a brand, with the show getting more and more promotions and specials. Rugrats, Nick's original go-to show, was still doing well, but for the most part, it was no longer the channel's killer app. Tragically , 2002 was also the year Invader Zim was officially cancelled. After spending a year struggling to find it's place in Nick's lineup, it was clear this show wasn't working. The final new episode to air on Nick, was it's Holiday special, The Most Horrible X-Mas Ever.
U-Pick Live, an after-school block where kids can vote on what Nick shows get played, debuted this year as well. Uh... Wild n' Crazy Kids, a Nick game show from the 90s, got a reboot. Ummm... Nick 2002 was weird man.
But that's just the core Nickelodeon network. Outside the channel, Nick movies Clockstoppers, Hey Arnold! The Movie, and The Wild Thornberry's Movie all released in theaters. The dedicated Nicktoons network launched this year. Noggin, Nick's joint venture with Sesame Workshop, restructured itself into two halves (Noggin for preschoolers, The N for teens). Sesame would also sell their stake in Noggin/The N to Nick/Viacom by the end of the year as well. And Nick on CBS, a Saturday morning lineup of Nick shows, would also debut on CBS that Fall.
This... was an odd year for Nick. Besides Jimmy Neutron, most of the shows that premiered were either short-lived or acquired, all grouped into equally bizarre and lackluster programming blocks.
This year was filled with odd programing decisions and questionable series debuts. Perhaps one of the weirdest, was a short-lived Sunday afternoon block called SLAM! This was Nick's attempt to cash-in on the boys-action craze that networks like Cartoon Network and Kids' WB dominated. The block consisted of acquisitions such as Super Duper Sumos, Speed Racer X, Butt-Ugly Martians, Men in Black: The Series, alongside Nick's own shows including Invader Zim and Robot Wars.
That wasn't the only new programing initiative. Nick also picked up a bunch of TV movies from DiC Entertainment in the Summer of 2002, and ran them on Sundays. Why? Eh, they were cheap to air, I guess.
At the start of the year though, SNICK, the network's signature primetime lineup, was re-launched for it's third and final time in January, featuring a new season of All That with a new cast, The Amanda Show, Taina (which moved from TEENick), the short-lived Nick Cannon Show, and Cousin Skeeter. This incarnation didn't last very long, and would be discontinued in 2004, replaced with a Saturday version of TEENick instead.
Speaking of TEENick, the year-old block still didn't seem to have much of a purpose. For the most part, it still felt like a dumping ground for Nick's older skewing shows (As Told By Ginger, Kennan and Kel, Catlin's Way, Brother's Garcia, Clarissa, and Clueless). TEENick wouldn't become a core pillar of Nick's lineup until 2004, with the premieres of Drake & Josh, Unfabulous, and Ned's Declassified.
As far as Nicktoons were concerned, Chalk Zone, a spin-offs of Oh Yeah Cartoons! that was in development hell finally premiered in the Summer, and Fall saw the full debut of The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, after the success of the movie. Both would anchor Nick's new Friday primetime lineup of Nicktoons, dubbed... Friday Night Nicktoons. 2002 was also the year SpongeBob really started to become the face of Nickelodeon as a brand, with the show getting more and more promotions and specials. Rugrats, Nick's original go-to show, was still doing well, but for the most part, it was no longer the channel's killer app. Tragically , 2002 was also the year Invader Zim was officially cancelled. After spending a year struggling to find it's place in Nick's lineup, it was clear this show wasn't working. The final new episode to air on Nick, was it's Holiday special, The Most Horrible X-Mas Ever.
U-Pick Live, an after-school block where kids can vote on what Nick shows get played, debuted this year as well. Uh... Wild n' Crazy Kids, a Nick game show from the 90s, got a reboot. Ummm... Nick 2002 was weird man.
But that's just the core Nickelodeon network. Outside the channel, Nick movies Clockstoppers, Hey Arnold! The Movie, and The Wild Thornberry's Movie all released in theaters. The dedicated Nicktoons network launched this year. Noggin, Nick's joint venture with Sesame Workshop, restructured itself into two halves (Noggin for preschoolers, The N for teens). Sesame would also sell their stake in Noggin/The N to Nick/Viacom by the end of the year as well. And Nick on CBS, a Saturday morning lineup of Nick shows, would also debut on CBS that Fall.
This... was an odd year for Nick. Besides Jimmy Neutron, most of the shows that premiered were either short-lived or acquired, all grouped into equally bizarre and lackluster programming blocks.
