Top 20 Alert! We have officially reached the critical masses on this countdown…and the hits just keep on coming!
#20: Nick News
Aired: May 1, 1992-present
If I were to ask you to name the longest-running program in Nickelodeon’s history, you’d probably say something like
Rugrats or
You Can’t Do That on Television. Well, those two shows certainly had long runs, but they both pale in comparison to the show that actually holds the title of longest-running Nick series, which is still airing to this very day.
Nick News first debuted all the way back in 1992, hosted by Linda Ellerbee, who still hosts the show today. In much the same way as real news programs,
Nick News often deals with current event topics of the day, such as presidential elections or global warming. Other topics dealt with include issues and conflicts that children might not know much about, such as gay-and-lesbian rights or sexual harassment. Various notable people have also been interviewed on the show, including Bill and Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, Magic Johnson, and Bill Cosby. Despite a few hiatuses and schedule changes,
Nick News continues to air today—Ellerbee, coincidentally, has not missed a single episode since the show’s debut due to illness, personal problems, or any such thing.
Scores: Perfect longevity; Very high popularity and originality; High nostalgia; Above average impact
Total: 444 points
#19: Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
Aired: October 29, 1994-November 16, 1997
One of the most popular Nicktoons in history,
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters was the second show created by Arlene Klasky and Gabor Csupo. The ‘toon revolved around three young monsters—Ickis (voiced by Charlie Adler), Oblina (voiced by Christine Cavanaugh), and Krumm (voiced by David Eccles), who live in a city dump and attend an institute where they learn how to frighten humans. The monsters’ teacher, the Gromble, was inspired by the Blue Meanie Chief from the classic Beatles movie
Yellow Submarine. The Nicktoon proved to be very popular throughout its run, and was considered one of the “big five” at its heyday (along with
Rugrats,
Rocko,
Hey Arnold and
Angry Beavers), but the show ended production in 1997. However, the show aired on Nick until 2002, and the characters even appeared in an episode of
Rugrats in 1999. The show moved to the NickToons network in 2002, but was pulled from the channel four years later and hasn’t been seen since.
Scores: Very high popularity and originality; High longevity, nostalgia and impact
Total: 447 points
#18: Kenan & Kel
Aired: July 15, 1996-July 15, 2000
Perhaps no show has produced the two biggest faces on Nickelodeon than this one. Starring then-
All That cast members and real-life best friends Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell, the show debuted on SNICK in 1996, with a theme song sung by rap legend Coolio. The show revolved around the titular characters, who starred as two mischievous teenagers. Kenan was the level-headed but hyperactive mastermind behind the duo’s plans, while Kel played his accident-prone, dimwitted, orange soda-loving best bud. The show finished very strongly in the ratings, never leaving the top 10 for its first three seasons. However, ratings began to slip in the fourth season (though the show still finished in the top 20), and Nick decided to pull the show, ending with a highly-watched made-for-television movie as a finale. Kenan went on to star in various movies such as
Fat Albert, and can currently be seen as a cast member on
Saturday Night Live. While Kel hasn’t had nearly the post-show success as Kenan, he went on to voice cartoons like
Clifford the Big Red Dog, and can currently be seen on
G4’s Attack of the Show. As for
Kenan & Kel itself, the show continues to be seen in reruns on TeenNick’s
The 90s Are All That block.
Scores: Perfect popularity; Very high originality; High nostalgia, longevity and impact
Total: 449 points
#17: Eureeka’s Castle
Aired: September 4, 1989-June 30, 1995
In the early ‘90s, this was the most popular children’s show on Nickelodeon.
Eureeka’s Castle was first conceived in the mid-‘80s by puppeteer Judy Katsche and, oddly enough, aspiring writer R.L. Stine (who would go on to write the well-known
Goosebumps children’s book series). Similar to
Sesame Street, the show revolved around puppets who lived in a castle-shaped music box owned by a friendly giant. The titular character was a young witch, and some of the show’s many other characters included Magellan, a friendly green dragon, Batley, a very nearsighted bat who always crashed into things while flying, and the Moat Twins, who spent most of their time under the castle eating sandwiches. The show was a daytime success, mostly watched by the 2-8 age demographic, and ran for a whopping 134 episodes over six seasons. After new episodes stopped, reruns were shown on Nickelodeon until 1999, when the show was pulled to make room for more “edgy” original programming on the Nick Jr. block.
Scores: Perfect longevity; Very high popularity, nostalgia and impact; High originality
Total: 452 points
#16: Mr. Wizard’s World
Aired: October 3, 1983-Late 1990
If you were a kid in the mid- to late-‘80s who had Nickelodeon, you probably had no idea who Don Herbert was. However, you certainly knew who Mr. Wizard was. Donald Jeffrey Herbert was born back in 1917 in Waconia, Minnesota, and was a former middle-school science teacher and Air Force bomber pilot. In 1951, he conceived the idea of “Mr. Wizard”, and by using the new medium of television, his newly broadcast
Watch Mr. Wizard was a huge success. In 1965, the show was cancelled, but almost twenty years later, the 66-year-old Herbert produced
Mr. Wizard’s World for Nickelodeon. The show functioned in much the same way as
Watch Mr. Wizard, featuring young children who helped Herbert with various science experiments throughout the show. The show was the #3 rated show in 1983 (only
Livewire and
You Can’t Do That on Television outranked it).
Mr. Wizard’s World ceased production in 1990, but reruns were shown on Nick at Nite until 1997, and the show was said to have spawned other science-related kid’s shows like
Beakman’s World and
Bill Nye the Science Guy. Don Herbert passed away in 2007, just four weeks before his 90th birthday.
Scores: Perfect longevity; Very high popularity and originality; High nostalgia and impact
Total: 454 points
#15: The Secret World of Alex Mack
Aired: October 8, 1994-January 15, 1998
After
Clarissa Explains It All was cancelled in the fall of 1994, the SNICK block needed something to fill that show’s timeslot. It found a replacement in this show, which was filmed in Valencia, California. The series revolved around the title character, a teenage girl from Paradise Valley (the state is never given) who is accidentally doused with a high amount of chemicals from an oncoming truck. Afterwards, she discovers that the chemical has given her strange powers, such as telekinesis and the ability to liquefy herself. Only Alex’s sister Annie and her best friend Ray know of her powers, and most episodes revolve around Alex keeping her powers secret from those around her, including the woman who wants to find and expose the chemical-drenched child, Danielle Atron. Unlike most Nick shows,
Alex Mack ended with a decisive finale, in which Alex sacrifices her powers to save her friends and expose Danielle Atron as a criminal. The show spawned a short-lived book series, and the first and second season are available on iTunes.
Scores: Very high popularity, originality and nostalgia; High longevity and impact
Total: 455 points
#14: GUTS and Global GUTS
Aired: September 19, 1992-January 14, 1996
One of the most popular game shows ever made by Nickelodeon,
GUTS emerged as part of a massive wave of game shows in the early ‘90s. Hosted by the incomparable Mike O’Malley and announced by the lovely Moira Quirk (who went on to appear on
Figure It Out and
My Life as a Teenage Robot), the show was filmed in a part of Nickelodeon Studios known as the Extreme Arena, which is now used by TNA Wrestling for their televised matches. Each show featured three contestants, who competed in various feats of strength, speed, and endurance. The three kids would then have a chance to tackle a massive fabricated mountain called the “Aggro Crag” (later known as the “Mega Crag” or the “Super Aggro Crag”) in the final round. Whoever received the most points in all the events won a gold medal and a “piece” of the Aggro Crag. A spin-off,
Global GUTS, premiered in 1995, featuring contestants from all around the world, and a video game for the Super Nintendo was even made featuring real-life (but still crappy) footage of the show. After cancellation, reruns aired on Nick GaS until the channel’s closure, and a short-lived revival called
My Family’s Got GUTS was made in 2008.
Scores: Very high popularity, originality and impact; High longevity and nostalgia
Total: 457 points
#13: Clarissa Explains It All
Aired: March 23, 1991-December 3, 1994
Quite possibly one of the most groundbreaking programs in Nickelodeon history,
Clarissa Explains It All was the first series on the network to feature a female lead character. The series revolved around teenage girl Clarissa Darling (played by Melissa Joan Hart), who lived in a suburban area in Ohio with her family. Clarissa’s best friend Sam (played by Sean O’Neal) was also a prominent character on the show—his and Clarissa’s relationship was interesting at the time, because it never blossomed into romance like so many boy-girl relationships on TV at the time. Each show focused on a particular aspect of Clarissa’s life, and always featured her talking directly to the audience, a term known in television as “breaking the fourth wall”.
Clarissa ran for 65 episodes over five seasons, and headlined the first few months of the SNICK block on Nickelodeon. The show was cancelled in 1994, but reruns showed on Nick until 1999, and the show can sporadically be seen on
The '90s Are All That block on TeenNick. Hart herself went on to star on
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and numerous made-for-television movies, but has unfortunately stated that she is not at all interested in a
Clarissa reunion.
Scores: Very high popularity, nostalgia and impact; High originality and longevity
Total: 460 points
#12: Legends of the Hidden Temple
Aired: September 11, 1993-August 30, 1998; May 14, 2007-June 7, 2007
Surprised? Yeah, I know what you’re thinking…why isn’t
Legends of the Hidden Temple, one of the most successful game shows Nickelodeon ever had and the focus of this whole website, in the Top 10, let alone #1 on the list? Well, hear me out…while
Legends is probably the best game show Nick ever produced, it’s far from the most famous, didn’t have very much impact on future game shows, and is generally overshadowed by the likes of
Double Dare and
GUTS—case in point, these shows were revived while
Legends was not. The show’s workings should be second nature to everyone around here, so I won’t bore you with the details of how the show worked. Just know that I gave
Legends a LOT of leeway with the points I gave it, but unfortunately, our favorite ancient history-based game show still fell short. Still,
Legends did finish strong in my rankings, making it all the way up to #12, and it does outrank some of the most well-liked and remembered Nickelodeon shows in history. However, even this may not be enough to appease some of the hardcore fanatics around here. You may start throwing stones whenever you like now…
Scores: Very high popularity, originality and longevity; High nostalgia and impact
Total: 463 points
#11: Pinwheel
Aired: December 1, 1977-July 6, 1990
Fun fact: when Nickelodeon first hit the airwaves on December 1, 1977, it was called the Pinwheel Network. So naturally, this show was created as its flagship program, sharing its name with the fledgling channel it debuted on. The show was notable for featuring numerous puppet characters interacting with human characters, and also featured animated shorts from around the globe. Bill Cosby even appeared as himself on several episodes, and hosted an educational segment called "Picture Pages" on most episodes. The show was Nickelodeon’s highest-rated program for four years, until
You Can’t Do That on Television knocked it down to #2. A whopping 260 episodes were produced over the show’s run, and the show still ranks as the #5 longest-running show ever on Nick. To this day,
Pinwheel is still the longest-running show Nick ever aired in terms of episodes (if
SpongeBob airs into 2012, it will definitely surpass it in this category, though…).
Scores: Perfect originality and longevity; Very high popularity and impact; High nostalgia
Total: 467 points
Topic: The Top 80 Greatest Nickelodeon Shows of All Time (Read 8462 times)
