Animated cult hit Rocko’s Modern Life aired on Nickelodeon from 1993-1996, and now, 20 years later, our anthropomorphic Australian wallaby friend Rocko is ready to make an appearance again. Rocko’s Modern Life is being brought back for a one-hour television special, with show creator Joe Murray serving as executive producer.
The series follows the adventures of Rocko, the wallaby, and his friends: idiot steer Heffer, neurotic turtle Filbert, and Rocko’s dog Spunky. The gang inhabits the fictional O-Town and attempts to maneuver through the difficulties of early adulthood. One of Nickelodeon’s edgier cartoons, Rocko’s Modern Life’s themes speak to adults — fear of death, relationship issues, hardly making enough money to get by. The show is teeming with adult humor, including innuendo, double entendre, satire. Social commentary is interlaced with lighthearted humor.
Mention must be made that the date of this announcement — August 11 — is the Nicktoons brand’s 25th anniversary; the brand that began with Rugrats, Doug and The Ren & Stimpy Show. In 1993, Rocko was the next cartoon to be added. This news of the Rocko one-hour special follows announcements that Nickelodeon is reviving some of its oldies for modern audiences — and the kids who watched them in the ‘90s.
In 2017, Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie is set to premiere. This is a new TV movie that will pick up from where the series ended, hopefully answering viewers’ years-old questions. In addition, the action-adventure TV movie Legends of the Hidden Temple, based on ‘90s kids’ favorite game show of the same name, will premiere this fall. This movie is centered around three siblings and their journey on a dangerous, life-or-death mission.
In the Rocko’s Modern Life TV movie, you can expect to see all the residents of O-Town, all of the original characters.
“I’m very happy to be rejoining Rocko and my friends from O-Town again,” said creator and executive producer Joe Murray. “What I have found by bringing these characters back is that it’s not so much about nostalgia, but a sense that they still feel relevant and fresh to me, and after twenty years, they can’t wait to comment on modern life in the 21st century. They still have a lot to say.”
The casting and release date have yet to be released for the Rocko’s Modern Life TV special.