26 Best Nickelodeon Shows of All Time to Help You Get Nostalgic for Slime, Silliness and a Whole Lot of Heart
Nickelodeon
The orange logo. The laughs. The slime!
Nickelodeon brought us some of the best television of the era, from animated series that warmed our hearts and tickled our funny bones to live-action game shows and competitions that blew our minds (seriously, is anything in your life today as intimidating as Olmec?).
Though much of the diversity, education and humor was taken for granted at the time, the best Nickelodeon shows remain more relevant than ever. In addition to just being full of fun shows for kids, the network provided amazing representation for marginalized groups, even though, as little ones, a lot of that probably went right over our heads. Not everything holds up through nostalgia lenses, but these old Nickelodeon shows (many from the ’90s and 2000s) do.
Rugrats
Rugrats went beyond kids’ stuff. The show explored progressive themes in a mature way, even as it depicted babies engaging in everyday life: Traditional gender norms were flipped in much of the parents’ relationships, with Didi and Charlotte Pickles as their families’ respective breadwinners and Betty teaching twins Phil and Lil about sports. In one episode, Tommy and Chuckie heroically rock dresses; in another, Lil says she’s going to marry Angelica’s imaginary twin sister because “[they‘re] both pretty.” The show also explored interracial adult relationships and grief in ways that never felt pandering, juvenile or too on the nose.
Aside from their adorable depictions of a group of infant and toddler pals, Rugrats also provided a rare form of representation in kids’ shows and media in general, as its main focus, the Pickles family, was Jewish. “A Rugrats Passover” remains a classic, as well as the show’s Kwanzaa and Hanukkah specials. Add in the iconic theme song (and its movie soundtrack version), and you have an absolutely timeless classic that was incredibly wise beyond its (and its subjects’) years.
And we’re in luck: Rugrats is getting a CGI reboot on Paramount Plus.
Rocko’s Modern Life
Rocko’s Modern Life, like Rugrats, was progressive before it was cool, this time in its depiction of gender and sexuality. In the 1996 episode “Closet Clown,” Mr. Bighead attempted to hide the fact that he lived and dressed like a clown because the series’ fictional town was full of anti-clown sentiment. More than 20 years later, creator Joe Murray told Entertainment Weekly that the episode was, indeed, an allegory for an LGBTQIA+ person living in and eventually coming out of the closet.
“We were still playing by the rules, so to speak, and still trying to interject those situations [into the cartoon],” he said. In 2019, a 45-minute Netflix special, Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling, examined Mr. Bighead’s search for his trans daughter, Rachel, who was previously known as Ralph in the original series. “When I started writing [Static Cling], I really started latching onto the idea of change and how society has changed and what’s gone on in the last 20 years and the development of our characters and how they would react to change,” Murray explained. “It felt natural, because it was not only about change, about somebody finding who they are and making that courageous choice to go through that change.”
The episode was endorsed by GLAAD, with a rep for the organization specifically appreciating the fact that Rachel’s gender was, essentially, treated as a non-issue, thus further normalizing the trans community and showing that she can simply be loved for who she truly is.
SpongeBob SquarePants
Literally everyone loves SpongeBob SquarePants. The animated instant classic debuted on May 1, 1999, and has since launched endless memes, two movies, a Broadway musical, comic books and video games, plus an estimated minimum of $13 billion in merchandise sales. Along the way, SpongeBob learned a lot of lessons about hard work, friendship and the importance of tailoring. He also—in June 2020—was revealed to be part of the LGBTQIA+ community. Not bad for a guy who started at the [Bikini] Bottom.
You Can’t Do That on Television
The classic sketch show You Can’t Do That on Television got its start in Canada in 1979 before premiering for American audiences in 1981. It began airing on Nickelodeon in 1982. It was the originator of the network’s famous slime, which splashed down on cast members whenever anyone said, “I don’t know.”
Look for an adorable, super-young Alanis Morissette in five 1986 episodes (she has short hair!).
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
With its so-cute-it’s-scary characters, Aaahhh!!! Real Monsters has a few ties to Rugrats: It shares the same creators, Klasky Csupo, and David Eccles, who voices Krumm (the orange monster who carries his own eyeballs in his hands), also voiced the monster under Chuckie Finster’s bed.
Double Dare
Another slime-filled classic, Double Dare was like Family Feud, designed by your hyperactive 9-year-old cousin after a sugar bender—in the absolute best way. The show, hosted by Marc Summers, was one of the most successful original cable shows in history at the time of its 1986 debut on Nickelodeon. The mixture of trivia with messy stunts and physical obstacles (and, of course, slime) was a fan favorite for years, with a recent revival from 2018 to 2019 featuring both Summers and YouTube star Liza Koshy.
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
A cult classic, The Adventures of Pete & Pete follows the lives of two brothers, both named Pete Wrigley. “Big Pete” serves as the voice of reason, while “Little Pete” is often irrational and rebellious. Their friends’ and enemies’ lives are equally colorful and featured stars like Adam West as Principal Ken Schwinger, Michelle Trachtenberg as Nona F. Mecklenberg, Steve Buscemi as guidance counselor Phil Hickle and punk icon Iggy Pop as James “Pop” Mecklenberg. Aside from its regular stars, it also had a ton of guest stars who either already were or who went on to become mega-famous, including Janeane Garofalo, Selma Blair, J.K. Simmons, Debbie Harry, Alicia Keys, Bebe Neuwirth, Chris Elliott, LL Cool J and Larisa Oleynik (who’d go on to star in her own Nickelodeon series, The Secret World of Alex Mack).
Salute Your Shorts
Whoever decided that Salute Your Shorts would only get two seasons should basically be tried at the Hague. The summer camp comedy, based on the 1986 book
All That
Arguably Nickelodeon’s best sketch show ever, All That was essentially Saturday Night Live for kids that couldn’t quite stay up that late or grasp the latter’s more adult nuance. Running from 1995 to 2005, All That was a SNICK (Nickelodeon’s Saturday night lineup) staple. The show was a breeding ground for comedians, including Nick Cannon and Kenan Thompson, the latter of whom later became SNL’s longest-running player. The show was lauded for its diversity without tokenism, as well as for its musical guests, which included N*SYNC, Blackstreet and Coolio.
Kenan & Kel
Thompson and All That co-star Kel Mitchell’s spinoff, Kenan & Kel, followed the Nickelodeon icons throughout various misadventures in high school. The series frequently broke the fourth wall, with Thompson as the straight man to Mitchell’s silly, slapstick fixture. One of the best running gags? No one will ever love anything the way Kel’s character loves orange soda.
The Amanda Show
Another spinoff of All That, Amanda Bynes’ flagship sketch show, The Amanda Show, cemented her as a modern-day, kid-friendly Lucille Ball. From her ultra-loud voice to her rubbery facial expressions, Bynes’ talents as a comedic prodigy were on full display, establishing her foundation later as a sitcom and movie star.
Related: Pow! Bam! Ka-Boom! 18 Ways to Watch Cartoons Online—Some Are Even Free!
iCarly
No one does the internet like iCarly. Miranda Cosgrove starred in the series that essentially predicted the vlogger phenomenon long before it actually hit YouTube and the pop culture zeitgeist. The show explored themes of friendship and the trappings of newfound fame with a charm and silliness that other shows of the era couldn’t quite capture. It also featured some sweet guest stars, including One Direction. A revival of iCarly is set to hit Paramount+ in June 2021, with Cosgrove’s Carly competing with a younger influencer.