Nickelodeon shows bring back very fond memories for many of us. The over the top characters and ridiculous scenarios may have been a little too much at the time, but often had us laughing anyway. That, and the acting on Nick live-action shows always seemed up to a much higher standard than other live-action shows aimed at children and teens. Particularly in the 90s and early 00s! We have Nickelodeon to thank for some of the stars we know so well today, such as Amanda Bynes, Drake Bell, and Ariana Grande.
Saying goodbye to a show you know and love is never easy. Here I aim to put to rest some of the old rumors and bring these old classics back into the limelight. There are many reasons why a show might be cancelled. Budget cuts, behind the scenes quarrels, or maybe the people involved just decided it was time to move on.
But sometimes, the reasons behind a show ending can be just a little bit sinister. Maybe you remember some of these shows and used to watch them when you were younger? Maybe you’re too young to have seen any of these and now is your chance to discover something new, something that was once considered a classic. So many of these shows were such big parts of my childhood, I can’t imagine growing up without them.
20 Amanda, Please!
The Amanda Show was a Nick sketch show performed by kids, including leading lady Amanda Bynes, and created by Nick legend Dan Schneider. The Amanda Show was a spin-off of the earlier show All That, which also starred Bynes.
When the show ended in 2002, it ended on a cliffhanger, with the in-series exaggerated soap opera Moody’s Point.
It was revealed the main character Moody has been switched at birth and was sent to live with her biological parents, with the original Moody about to be revealed. This cliffhanger was never meant to be left unresolved, as Schneider planned to revive the series in a full-length series based on Moody’s Point. But fans of the show were left disappointed, as Nickelodeon never green-lit the spin-off, and Bynes decided she wanted to move on to What I Like About You.
19 Too Ugly To Continue
If a book series becomes popular enough, someone out there will make a film/TV show out of it. But as popular as the film or show might become, fans of the book will insist that the books are always better. Well, for Animorphs, this was certainly the case.
Animorphs was a popular science-fiction book series written by Katherine Applegate and Michael Grant (under the pen-name K.A. Applegate). So when Nickelodeon announced they were making a TV series based on the books, fans were very excited. As it was, the budget for the show was not nearly high enough to keep up with the special effects needed. The morphing looked very cheesy and horribly done, disappointing fans. This, combined with the young actors having poor on-screen chemistry, led the show to be cancelled after twenty-six episodes.
18 A Mutual Farewell
Drake & Josh was a sequel to The Amanda Show that Nickelodeon did greenlight, and for good reason. These guys had amazing chemistry, helped by their real-life friendship that had been ongoing for years prior. As it was, Drake & Josh was never officially “cancelled.”
Ratings for the show remained high throughout the series, the last series being the highest rated of the show’s run. When season four ended, Nickelodeon would happily have green-lit the show for another year. However, the boys were all grown up and the writers were already moving on to other projects, including iCarly. Because of this, the team and the network said a rare mutual goodbye to the show, agreeing to come together to conclude matters with Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh a year after the series ended.
17 The Importance Of Education
Sometimes education is more important than your TV show. Miranda Cosgrove had been with Nickelodeon for a while when iCarly hit our screens back in 2007, after first appearing as the evil little sister Megan in Drake & Josh. Despite being homeschooled from the sixth grade, Cosgrove is said to have been a very keen student, getting good grades and taking her studies seriously. So when she decided to head off to college in 2012, iCarly had to end.
Cosgrove was only fourteen when the show started and was ready to head to university when they had finished.
Cosgrove even commented, “I went straight to college after we shot the show.” She attended the University of Southern California but continued acting, most notably her voice role of Margo in the Despicable Me film franchise.
16 Not Fitting The Nickelodeon Image
After iCarly finished, rather than move on from Nickelodeon sit-comes Schneider began a new project with Sam & Cat. It starred iCarly sidekick Jeanette McCurdy and Victorious star Ariana Grande. Despite starting strong, things started to go south before season one had even finished airing, leading to the show being cancelled and no season two going into production.
While there are rumors of clashes between McCurdy and Grande, the main conflict lay between McCurdy and Nickelodeon. After her ex-boyfriend leaked some compromising pictures of her, Nickelodeon began to distance themselves from McCurdy, fearing she would ruin their reputation. This included excluding her from the Kids Choice Awards! Obviously upset about how she’d been treated, McCurdy voiced her displeasure on social media, essentially severing her ties with the network.
15 No Sportacus? No Thank You!
Ah, our old friend LazyTown! Responsible for so many memes and so many catchy songs! Despite its insane cheesiness, the show had some well-written jokes and storylines, as well as increasing fruit intake in children. So why did the show have to end?
Well, put simply, you can’t make LazyTown without Sportacus!
There are many rumors and creepypastas surrounding the end of LazyTown, but the truth of the matter lies with the blue superhero himself. In 2014, Magnús Scheving announced that he was stepping down from the role of Sportacus and retired completely from the show in 2015. Scheving was the original creator of the show and was said to have been a big part of writing the show, making sure everything was at its best. Another actor was brought in to play Sportacus, but continuing without Scheving proved too much for the townsfolk!
14 Unsuccessful Solo Careers
Sometimes, you just need a little break. Sometimes, that break lasts a really long time. Four years, for example! Big Time Rush was a very popular Nickelodeon show, surrounding a boy band who lived in a hotel for stars and celebrities. The show produced four seasons and released four albums, which sold relatively well. So why did the show end?
After the last season aired, Kendall Schmidt promised fans that the band was not over, but they would be taking a break to pursue solo careers. That was back in 2014, and that break does not seem to be ending. I don’t know, maybe they had a lot of Netflix to catch up on! As none of the members have made great progress in their solo careers, maybe the break wasn’t the best idea.
13 Nothing Classified About This
Ned’s Declassified was a great show. With Ned and his friends saying goodbye to middle school and heading off to the perils of high school, one would think that this was the perfect way to end the series. Well, while some of the actors agreed, the creators thought otherwise.
A spin-off of the series was originally planned that would follow the adventures of the three friends during high school.
Not a bad idea, as I’m sure Ned’s advice would have been greatly needed during those more intense years. While series star Devon Werkheiser did sign a contract agreeing to take part in the series, other actors had already moved on, including female lead Lindsey Shaw who had started on Aliens in America. But if nostalgia for the series gets too much, Werkheiser did create a YouTube series back in 2016 entitled Devon’s Life Survival Guide.
12 Never Meant To Be
Sometimes a good show comes out of nowhere! The Adventures of Pete and Pete was a comedy released on Nick in the early nineties, surrounding two brothers both called Pete. The weirdest thing about this show was that it was never meant to exist as a show in the first place.
The show started out as a series of shorts, intended to be aired in-between other shows. After the success of these shorts, much to the creator’s surprise, Nickelodeon commissioned a full series of the show. Then, to even further surprise, a second and third series was commissioned! Series creator Will McRobb was quoted as saying in a 2012 interview: “We felt like the show was going to get cancelled every week. So we put everything we had into every show!”
11 Showing Its Age
10 Not The Reason You Think
According to rumor, Zoey 101 was axed due to the teenage pregnancy of Jamie Lynn Spears. But creators and actors from the show have repeatedly denied this. Although Spears’ pregnancy lead to changes in the filming schedule for the final season, Zoey 101 was ready to end before her pregnancy was announced. Creators thought that the show was starting to show its age and wanted to leave it on a high note rather than have it suffer seasonal rot.
What helped push the show towards cancellation was that it was the most expensive show produced by Nickelodeon at the time, mostly due to it being shot on location in Malibu. So any decline in ratings would have been disastrous for the network. Jamie Lynn Spears gave birth to her daughter after the final episode had aired.
9 Interfering With Real Life
The Naked Brothers Band seemed a lot more Disney Channel than Nickelodeon at times. The show surrounded two young musicians, Nat and Alex Wolff, and their attempts to balance fame with normal teenage life.
The show did incredibly well, becoming one of Nick’s most-watched live action shows.
As a result, Nickelodeon proposed rapidly increasing the number of episodes produced per season from thirteen to sixty! It was at this point that the parents of the leading cast members got involved and put a stop to this. Nickelodeon had agreed at the start of filming that the show would not interfere with cast members’ schoolwork, something that this increase would go against. The network and the parents were unable to agree on the matter, officially announcing the show’s cancellation in 2013.
8 Dreams Are Expensive
The catchy theme song of this Nick classic, surrounding a girl’s quest for fame, still gets stuck in my head to this day. Taina was a relatable and funny show, pulling in high ratings and popularity with every airing. It seemed for a time that Taina would be on our screens for a very long time.
Apparently, one girl’s dreams of becoming a star don’t come cheap! Towards the end of season two, cast member Josh Cruze admitted that the show was becoming too expensive for Nickelodeon to produce. According to the show’s star Christina Vidal, a season three was written. However, it was never given the go-ahead, leaving Taina on permanent hiatus. A shame, since I’m pretty sure all fans wanted to see Taina achieve her dreams and become famous.
7 Too Difficult To Film?
At first glance, H20: Just Add Water may seem like a perfect premise. The main characters were teenage girls who had to deal with the normal everyday problems that teenagers have to deal with. But they also had mermaid powers and transformed into mermaids when making contact with water. While the show started out strong, with a third season being commissioned when only two were planned, things started to go sour for the cast members.
The mermaid costumes caused a lot of issues for the actors, as they were very heavy and hard to swim in.
The tails could weigh up to 15kg. After being strapped into their costumes, the cast had to be lowered into the water! Because of this, and boredom with the show, the cast decided to move onto other projects, not wanting to be known just for the mermaid show.
6 The Missing Fourth Season
House of Anubis was a pretty fun and original Nick series, based in an English boarding school. It was the first Nickelodeon series to be filmed outside of the US. It pulled in solid ratings from the start. So it was a mystery to fans when the show apparently disappeared without a trace.
When the third season ended in 2013, it was assumed that the show would return for the fourth run, especially after winning “Favourite UK TV Show” at the Kid’s Choice Awards. After director Tim Hopeful hinted on Twitter that there would be a fourth season, fans eagerly awaited an announcement that never came. Seemingly out of nowhere, Nickelodeon finally announced in 2014 that the show would not be returning for a fourth season.
5 Tensions Leading To No Direction
Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, creators just can’t get along. My Brother and Me was a Nick show aimed at older audiences. The show surrounded a family living in North Carolina and could be very heart-warming at times. But while the show was a very positive and loving experience for viewers, behind the scenes became a different matter.
The show’s creators became locked in intense battles about which direction the show should be heading.
They all had different ideas and could not come to an agreement. Star Ralph Woolfolk didn’t find out the reasons for the show’s cancellation until years after it had ended, finding out that the producers still do not speak. He also commented that he was disappointed that the producers contributed to the stereotype that “African Americans can’t get along.”
4 Growing Up, Moving On
We all imagine, especially as young people, that everybody wants fame and fortune. Achieving these things feels like the ultimate dream. But this life isn’t for everybody. Some people will turn away when coming to close to what so many have dreamed off.
The Secret World of Alex Mack aired in 1994. It was about a seemingly normal teenage girl who had been dosed with a chemical, giving her superhuman powers. The show ran for four seasons, remaining incredibly popular throughout. It was all set to return for a fifth. That was, until star Larisa Oleynik decided she no longer wanted to stay in the spotlight. She wanted to go back to living a normal life. Despite being offered a large salary to return, Oleynik stood by her decision. She later said in interviews that she didn’t regret her decision.
3 Can’t Really Explain This One…
Before Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Melissa Joan Hart stole our hearts as Clarissa in Clarissa Explains it All. Clarissa was a sassy young girl with a pet alligator named Elvis, a unique fashion sense, and a talent for gaming. The show was incredibly popular, often addressing relatable adolescent issues and looked like it could go on forever.
However, as the show progressed, the cast began to grow up, as normal healthy humans do.
Despite Melissa Joan Hart being a very talented actress, at seventeen Nickelodeon was worried that she was too old to appeal to their demographic. Because of this, they decided to cancel the show after season five. As tragic as it all seems, going by the decline of Sabrina, maybe they made the right call.
2 Not Ready To Move On
Hey Dude! was a comedy series that aired on Nickelodeon from 1989 to 1991. The show surrounded a New York family, looking to start a carefree new life in the desert. Unlike other Nick shows, that at the time were filmed at their studios on the West Coast, Hey Dude! was filmed on location in the Arizona desert. This was where many cast members lived. This obviously became very expensive for the network!
Eventually, Nickelodeon decided to move location and set up shop in Orlando, Florida. Despite never being filmed on set, Nick decided that if Hey Dude! was to continue, it would have to move with them. Due to the cast of teenagers growing up, with plans of heading to college, they decided not to move to Florida. This lead to the show’s cancellation.
1 Going Their Separate Ways
No duo summed up Nickelodeon in the nineties quite like Kenan and Kel. After first appearing together on All That, the pair were given their own TV show in 1996. The show featured the zany antics of the pair, with various recurring jokes and memorable moments. The show cemented in the memories of many, even boasting the sales of orange soda! So why did things end?
Well, after many years of working together, things started to go sour for the known pair.
The two fell out big time. Kel Mitchell claimed that his former co-star refused to be seen with him and that they were no longer on speaking terms. Despite this, Mitchell claimed he had no hard feelings and respected Kenan Thompson’s desire for a solo career. The pair have since patched things up and have appeared together in recent years.
