How to Handle the Netflix/Nickelodeon Deal

Readers, at the time of the release of this video, Disney+ will be just over a week old.

And since it launched on November 12, 2019, a lot of things started to happen regarding the watch details of its viewership.

Y’know, the viewership that was...able to properly USE the Disney+ app when it launched...

Gargoyles started trending everywhere HARD for example. Not only reminding everyone just how good and short lived the series was, but causing both the creator of Gargoyles and Goliath himself Keith David using the resurrected interest in the series to campaign the show’s revival.

WHICH DISNEY SHOULD TOTALLY DO

But another thing the release of Disney+ actually did -- despite everything that they did previously to keep attention away from them in preparation for the launch -- was help light a fire under Netflix’s ass

/Because on November 13th, one day after the launch of Disney+, it was announced that Netflix and Nickelodeon via its parent company Viacom agreed to a multi-year deal worth over $200 million dollars, in order to create original content for Netflix based on both their pre-existing past and present shows, along with brand new IPs/ https://deadline.com/2019/11/nickelodeon-and-netflix-set-multi-year-output-deal-for-films-and-tv-series-1202784788/

Now I don’t know if you know this Readers, but this is a pretty huge deal

Because like Disney -- specifically the Disney Channel -- Nickelodeon has a HUGE catalog of original content for kids and families that can easily be placed on a streaming network or given revival-slash-sequel series and specials

/If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend the video on the subject made by Andre Meadows -- aka Black Nerd Comedy. He gives a lot of good suggestions regarding how Nickelodeon can use Netflix to cater to older generations that grew up on Nick shows and cartoons of the 90’s and earlier without damaging their TV-Y to TV-PG/14 branding on cable. Definitely check it out when you have the time./

Now there’s a reason why I mentioned that, along with why I brought up the resurgence of Gargoyles thanks to Disney+

Because as that instance has proven, a lot of the early 90’s shows and cartoons that aired on Nickelodeon that would cater to Millenials and early members of Gen Z have definitely matured and would more than likely be a good demographic to target for nostalgia’s sake.

And just like Disney+ is doing with the Lizzie Maguire sequel series and its High School Musical meta series

Brand new shows with the 90’s and early 2000’s characters people grew up with that have aged and grown WITH said watchers

Could prove to be successful without having to gamble with the possibilities of the IP feeling isolated and out of place with the brand Nickelodeon established for itself on television

The best two examples are actually the two Netflix original movies inspired by the two Nicktoons series responsible for setting this deal into motion: Rocko’s Modern Life and Invader Zim

Not only were both of these movies huge hits for fans of their respected shows when they were released

But they’ve proven that you can take IPs like it, modify it to fit the audience it was initially aimed for as they currently are, and it still be successful without completely shifting the current direction of the actual television network.

/And that goes DOUBLE for the “Rocko’s Modern Life” movie Static Cling, in regards to the reveal of Rachel Bighead’s transition and coming out to her dad./

Now one can argue that strides for more LGBTQI+ representation in Nicktoons and just on mainstream Nickelodeon in general have gotten BETTER over the years

Especially considering Korra and Asami’s relationship in Legend of Korra and Clyde McBride’s dads in 2016’s “The Loud House,” which is actually one of the first Nickelodeon series to get a special on Netflix following the deal

And while there is definitely merit in that argument, Disney+ has proven that there is in fact money to be made not only off of nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake, but having what was once nostalgic to us actually GROW and MATURE with us in the process

But it’s not always a win-win. Every attempt isn’t always as simple as making sequel movies to Rocko’s Modern Life and Invader Zim.

There’s always a chance that for every Static Cling and Enter the Florpus, you get an All Grown Up, which I just wanna put out there...I didn’t think was that terrible

Could it have been better? Absolutely. Terrible though? That’s a strong word for something Rugrats related. And I say that knowing the Rugrats/Wild Thornberrys crossover movie was theatrically released!

But yeah, that’s definitely one of the things both parties have to consider with this deal, especially if they wanna try to cater to both young and older fans of Nickelodeon with the original content they’re gonna be making for the platform. Not everything they make is going to land.

Another thing they need to be careful about and consider? Just because they CAN make a thing...doesn’t mean that they SHOULD.

/I’m of course talking about the fact that on the same day the initial deal between Netflix and Nickelodeon was announced, rumors about one of the first Netflix exclusive series that would be made by Nickelodeon other than the ones announced for The Loud House and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, was a Spongebob Squarepants musical spinoff show starring Squidward/ https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/13/business/media/netflix-nickelodeon-spongebob-squarepants.html

Now this isn’t the first time Nickelodeon entertained a spinoff to Spongebob Squarepants.

/They actually announced an all-CGI prequel series called Kamp Koral back in June of 2019 and ordered a 13 episode first season, a bit over 6 months after the death of Spongebob Squarepants creator Stephen Hillenburg, who while still alive didn’t want any Spongebob spinoffs made at all./ https://deadline.com/2019/06/spongebob-squarepants-cg-animated-prequel-series-kamp-koral-greenlighted-nickelodeon-1202626441/

And despite protests and petitions from both fans of the show and those who want Nickelodeon to honor Hillenburg’s wishes by cancelling the spinoff since then, as far as I currently know, Kamp Koral is still being made.

/Especially considering one of the elements of the third Spongebob movie Sponge on the Run is how Spongbob met his snail Gary AT Kamp Koral/

So I wouldn’t be surprised if the rumor regarding a Squidward-focused Netflix Original Series turned out to be legit

Disappointed, but not surprised.

Like I said, Readers. There’s a LOT of potential for both Netflix and Nickelodeon to benefit from this deal for kids, family and nostalgic millennials and members of Gen Z alike. Especially with how hard Disney+ swung at the bat with their launch, and the likes of Cartoon Network & Co. with HBOGo right around the corner

But in order for them to properly benefit from this deal, they have to take into consideration why the projects they had with Netflix leading up to this actually worked in the first place.

The reason WHY they worked, is that they allowed the creators of the shows to take them and mold them for the audience they were initially aimed for upon the time of their conception, knowing that said audience has grown and matured since then

And for lack of a better term, they also have to know when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em when it comes to pushing out new content. Regardless of whether or not they’re trying to revitalize an older IP in that nature

But if they ignore the aspects of what made the revival movies for Invader Zim and Rocko’s Modern Life so great, and just use this as an opportunity to just push more content for the sake of it

Especially if they’re willing to dishonor the wishes of a creator that provided them with a cash cow franchise for over 20 years -- this deal can go from greenlit to cancelled pretty quickly.

But, I digress, Readers. Your homework assignment for the day

Write in the comment section below what Nickelodeon show you’d like to see rebooted, revived or continued as a Netflix original series or movie now that the deal has been made.

Or, if you feel like sharing with the rest of the class, what you think about the possible extent Nickelodeon is making with Spongebob Squarepants now that his creator no longer has a say on the matter.

Either way, I’d love to know your thoughts.