Nickelodeon's The Splat, a return to the classic '90s era of Nickelodeon programming, will premiere on Monday night and has already revealed its line-up. But before I get to the details, what time does The Splat start? The exciting new block will air on TeenNick every day from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., with a rotation of classic Nickelodeon shows ranging from All That to The Angry Beavers. However, The Splat won't be following a traditional TV schedule where certain shows are assigned specific time slots. You won't be hearing "Rocko's Modern Life, every Wednesday at 11:30 p.m.!" when tuning into The Splat. Instead, it will be have a unique schedule each week, rotating between its selection of classic Nickelodeon shows. For the first week, The Splat is doing a "First Time For Everything" week, showing the first two episodes of all the beloved Nickelodeon shows in its lineup.
The Splat recently announced on Facebook that its lineup for the first evening of shows will be: Legendary Nickelodeon comedy duo shows The Adventure of Pete & Pete and Kenen & Kel, along with animated pair Ren & Stimpy. Rounding out the night is animated classic Doug and the seminal sketch show You Can't Do That On Television. The Splat will be airing the first two episodes of each show on its first night, likely followed by the premiere episodes of five new shows the next evening, and continuing the pattern for the rest of the week.
Many fans will be tuning in to see shows they watched in their childhood, but are these shows worth seeing for the first time if you didn't watch them when you were younger? Absolutely, and here's why.
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
The Adventures of Pete & Pete isn't your average children's show. While many kids' shows are interested in providing quick laughs aimed at the whole family, Pete & Pete wasn't scared of tackling tough situations in a fun, understandable way. Whether it was Little Pete trying to chase the feeling he gets when he hears his favorite song by forming a band or Big Pete trying muster the courage to ask Ellen on a date, Pete & Pete dealt with the absurdity of basic feelings, and it still holds up today.
Kenan & Kel
Kenan & Kel is a simple premise: Two best friends going to school in Chicago and getting into wacky hijinks. What elevates the series is the charisma and chemistry between its two leads: Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell. These two All That alums perfected the straight man/wacky character dynamic that so many legendary comedic duos built their empires on, and did so before they turned 20. The writing of the show is even strong by today's standards, especially compared to the current crop of children's television. What other television show features a courtroom scene where the big, emotional line is "I dropped the screw in the tuna?"
You Can't Do That On Television
You Can't Do That On Television was a sketch comedy show devoted to children that is is important for two big reasons: It launched the career of Alanis Morrisette and introduced the world to green slime, which would go on to cover many a celebrity as Nickelodeon went on throughout the years.
Ren & Stimpy
Ren & Stimpy was pushing the envelope on what animated television could do before almost anyone else. The brainchild of animator John Kricfalusi, it featured humor that was off-color, even verging on being violent and fairly sexual. It was way ahead of its time and helped shows like South Park, Rick & Morty, and every show to ever air on Adult Swim determine how to push the envelope with animation.
Doug
Almost the polar opposite of Ren & Stimpy, Doug was a down-to-earth animated series with sweet, simple animation that told slice-of-life stories. Creator Jim Jinkins was interested in showing an honest, moral version of the world to kids through the friends and family of the relatable Doug Funnie. Although the world of Doug was populated by silly characters like Doug's beatnik sister Judy and his best friend Skeeter Valentine, Jenkins told The Huffington Post he "wanted to show kids a world where everyone took honesty seriously."
Now that you know what makes each of these series still worth watching, be sure to tune into The Splat at 10 p.m., every night on TeenNick.
Images: Nickelodeon; Giphy
