At its annual upfront presentation today, Nickelodeon revealed its overall strategy of universe expansion – including: SpongeBob SquarePants, with the pickup of a 14th season for the most-watched kids’ animated series for the last 20 consecutive years; PAW Patrol, with the greenlight of season 10 of the top-rated preschool series and the first-ever spinoff centering on fan-favorite character Rubble; Baby Shark, with a feature-length movie in development for Paramount+ in the U.S. and a special featuring Grammy Award-winning, multiplatinum superstar Cardi B; The Loud House, with an original live-action series set to begin production and season seven renewal of the hit animated series; Transformers, with an all-new animated action-comedy series Transformers: BotBots – and Blue’s Clues & You!, with a fifth season pickup.

With over 40 projects in active production for Nickelodeon Animation across series and movies, Nickelodeon’s 2022-23 pipeline of original content includes: the return of beloved ‘90s Nick Jr. mascot “Face” in Face’s Music Party, a brand-new interactive music variety show; new animated preschool series Bossy Bear, based on the popular children’s books by David Horvath (UglyDolls); HexVet, a new 2D and CG-animated series, based on the eponymous BOOM! Studios graphic novels by Sam Davies; and renewals of the hit series Big Nate, Blaze and the Monster Machines, Middlemost Post and Are You Afraid of the Dark?

The news outlined today encompasses Nickelodeon’s strategy across franchises, new premium content and live experiences. Specific highlights include:

FRANCHISE EXPANSION

• SpongeBob SquarePants – Incurable optimist SpongeBob SquarePants, Patrick, Sandy, Mr. Krabs, Plankton and Squidward, along with all of the denizens of Bikini Bottom, will plunge into all-new adventures with a 14th season (26 episodes) of the most-watched kids’ animated series for 20 consecutive years. Bikini Bottom continues to expand with more episodes of the first two spinoff series Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years and The Patrick Star Show, which was recently picked up for a second season, along with three character-driven movies launching exclusively on Paramount+, and a fourth theatrical release from Nickelodeon Animation currently in development.

• PAW Patrol – Building on the global success of PAW Patrol, Nickelodeon is renewing the global award-winning, top-rated preschool series for a 10th season (26 episodes, produced by Spin Master Entertainment) that will follow the PAW-some pack of pups, including Chase, Marshall, Rubble, Skye, Rocky, Zuma, Everest and Tracker, on even more action-packed rescue missions and adventures–whether it’s deep in the unexplored regions of the jungle or out-of-this-world trouble in Adventure Bay. Coinciding with the property’s 10th anniversary in 2023, is the TV series’ first-ever spinoff centering on Rubble and the release of the movie sequel PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie.

• Baby Shark – The world of global pop culture phenomenon Baby Shark continues to grow with a feature-length movie in development for Paramount+ in the U.S., and an upcoming special episode featuring Grammy Award-winning, multiplatinum superstar Cardi B, and her family, Offset and Kulture, who lend their voices to a special episode of Baby Shark’s Big Show! (co-produced by Nickelodeon Animation and The Pinkfong Company), “The Seaweed Sway,” premiering Friday, April 15.

• The Loud House – Nickelodeon Studios is set to begin production on a brand-new original live-action series (10 episodes) based on the Emmy Award-winning animated show, The Loud House, premiering later this year on Paramount+. This follows the success of the live-action movie, A Loud House Christmas, which became TV’s top kids’ entertainment telecast of 2021 when it premiered on Nickelodeon in November.

• Transformers – Based on the iconic Transformers property, the brand-new animated action-comedy series Transformers: EarthSpark is set to premiere globally on Paramount+ in November. Produced in partnership between Nickelodeon Animation and Hasbro’s Entertainment One (eOne), the series introduces a new generation of Transformers robots–the first Transformers robots to be born on Earth–and together with the human family who welcomes them in and cares for them, they’ll redefine what it means to be a family. Following the launch of the series, the franchise continues to expand next summer with Paramount Pictures’ Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, with Steven Caple Jr. directing, and even further with an Untitled Animated Transformers film, with Josh Cooley attached to direct, from Paramount Animation and eOne debuting on July 19, 2024.

• Blue’s Clues & You! – Coming off Blue’s Clues’ milestone 25th anniversary, Nickelodeon has greenlit a fifth season (26 episodes) of Blue’s Clues & You! that will follow Josh (Josh Dela Cruz) and Blue as they skidoo into brand-new adventures, help out in their community, perform show-stopping dance numbers, sing along to original new music and get visits from fan-favorite characters, including Rainbow Puppy, Periwinkle and Magenta. Upcoming highlights for the property include an original movie Blue’s Big City Adventure for Paramount+ and Nickelodeon, and a live tour Blue’s Clues & You! Live on Stage kicking off this fall in the U.S.

BRAND-NEW CONTENT

• Face’s Music Party (Season 1, 13 episodes) – Beloved ‘90s Nick Jr. mascot Face returns for a new generation of preschoolers in this brand-new music variety show that combines animation and live action. The interactive series will feature a reimagined Face (voiced by Cedric Williams) as host and VJ, playing modern pop hits and revamped nursery school classics to create the ultimate music party.

• Bossy Bear (Season 1, 30 episodes) – The brand-new animated preschool series, produced in partnership with Imagine Kids+Family, is from husband and wife team David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim (UglyDolls), and based on the popular book series by Horvath. The series follows the misadventures of Bossy Bear, an overly-enthusiastic extrovert, and Turtle, a thoughtful introvert–unlikely besties who make the perfect team for navigating silly childhood adventures in their Koreatown-inspired city of Pleasantburg.

• HexVet (Season 1, 20 episodes) – The magical world of Willows Whisper comes to life in the brand-new animated preschool series based on the eponymous BOOM! Studios graphic novels by Sam Davies. The CG and 2D-hybrid adventure-comedy series follows unlikely best friends Nan and Clarion as they navigate life’s weird and wacky challenges, while apprenticing to be magical veterinarians for fantastical creatures.

• Big Nate (Season 2, 10 episodes) – Adapted from the best-selling children’s books and comic strip, and following Nate and his best friends as they navigate sixth grade with humor and style, the debut of the Paramount+ original series last month marks the service’s biggest original kids’ animation launch to date. In season two, the hilarious and heart-filled hijinks that define the series will dive deeper into the backstories of Nate’s friends, introduce Nate’s grandparents and more.

• Blaze and the Monster Machines (Season 7, 26 episodes) – Blaze and the Monster Machines will speed into an all-new season for preschoolers with themed storylines including epic special missions, mighty mechanical rescues with Robot Riders and high-flying adventures with Super Wheels.

• Middlemost Post (Season 2, 13 episodes) – Parker, Angus, and Russell will set sail for their most turbulent adventures yet in season two of Middlemost Post! Jam-packed with heart, humor, and unwavering friendship, the Middlemost Post will do what they do best: deliver the mail to the unusual inhabits of Mount Middlemost. Along the way, they’ll enter Greenwood’s secret wrestling competition, discover one of Burt’s new talents, befriend a mysterious mountain recluse, and meet Lily’s family for the very first time.

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Jerry Beck

Writer, cartoon producer and author of more than 15 books on animation history. A former studio exec with Nickelodeon and Disney; currently on the faculty at both CalArts in Valencia and Woodbury University in Burbank, California.

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