Since taking over Nickelodeon in 2018, and now kids and family programming for Paramount+, Brian Robbins (Norbit) is taking steps to reinvigorate both networks, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Since joining Nickelodeon, Robbins has revived key network franchises, such as SpongeBob SquarePants with spinoff Kamp Koral on Paramount+ and The Patrick Star Show on linear, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and The Loud House Movie, which is due on Netflix in one month.
Robbins’ next steps are taking on classic favorites, The Fairly OddParents and Blue’s Clues. The former will return as a live-action series for Paramount+, with the hope of reigniting interest in the show’s library on the platform. Some original stars from the animated series are expected to return; it is currently in production in Los Angeles. The live-action revival will consist of a 13-episode first season, picking up years after the original series ended. It will follow Timmy Turner’s cousin, Vivian, played by Audrey Grace Marshall (The Flight Attendant), and her stepbrother, Roy Ragland, played by Tyler Wladis (Single Parents), as they must work their way through Dimmsdale with fairy godparents. Susanne Blakeslee (Oh Yeah! Cartoons) and Daran Norris (Big Time Rush) will reprise their iconic roles as the voices of Wanda and Cosmo. It is expected to debut later this year.
Blue’s Clues will be returning with an original animated movie entitled Blue’s Clues & You!. It will go into production this summer. The film will center around Josh and Blue as they travel to New York City to audition for a broadway musical. Production is slated to begin this summer. While several of Robbins’ newer series, such as Kamp Koral and the iCarly revival, have made their way onto Paramount+ rather than linear, he is still hopeful that this will not compromise the network’s linear productions.
Robbins examines how linear productions interact with those on Paramount+ in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, “Linear is still our biggest reach vehicle. And it is extremely important to our business and most importantly, to our brand, but we’re going to play with how we window content. Some of our content, like The Patrick Star Show – the second spinoff of SpongeBob Squarepants – debuted on linear and down the line that will go to streaming. The first spinoff, Kamp Koral, premiered in March at the launch of Paramount+ but will arrive this fall on linear…Ultimately, our goal at Nick is for our brand to be ubiquitous and to have our content be everywhere where kids and family are consuming.”
Seemingly, the main purpose of Robbins’ strategy has to do with building off classic and beloved shows in order to build up their overall viewership on Paramount+. He verifies this while speaking of the iCarly reboot series which launched on the platform in June 2021.
“You launch iCarly, and then the iCarly library also rises to the top, creating this one-two punch of new and old. The same with the SpongeBob universe. SpongeBob is probably the biggest franchise on the service. You launch the Sponge on the Run movie, Kamp Koral, and then you have 12 seasons of SpongeBob library all being consumed graciously by the audience,” via The Hollywood Reporter.