Friday, August 03, 2012

Nickelodeon Greenlights 14 New Live-Action And Animated Series, TV Movies And Pilots

Breaking Nickelodeon News! - Nickelodeon has ordered 14 brand new live-action and animated series, television movies and pilots! Below is a Nickelodeon Press Release from PRNewswire:
Nickelodeon Greenlights 14 New Live-Action And Animated Series, TV Movies And Pilots

NEW YORK, Aug. 3, 2012 /Nickelodeon Press Release via PRNewswire/ -- Nickelodeon announced today that it has greenlit over a dozen new live-action, animation and TV movie projects – featuring top creative talent in front of and behind the camera, iconic characters from its most popular series and an animated talking snake – that will begin rolling out this fall and into 2013.

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Pictured: Jerry Trainor and Buddy Handleson in new Nick@Nite comedy "Wendell and Vinnie"]

The slate includes a new Nick at Nite series Wendell and Vinnie and two Nick spin-off comedy pilots, Sam & Cat and Gibby, featuring beloved characters from hit series iCarly and Victorious. The network has also greenlit the pilot Instant Mom for Nick at Nite, while Nick TV movies Swindle and Nicky Deuce will be commencing production later this year. The CG-animated series Monsters vs. Aliens and 2D-series Sanjay & Craig have also been greenlit with both productions based at Nickelodeon's Animation Studio in Burbank, Calif. In addition, Nick preschool has added a new animated series Monty and Norville and a pilot Blaze and the Monster Machines.

Details of Nickelodeon's new content are as follows:

LIVE-ACTION

Current Productions:

Wendell and Vinnie (Nick at Nite series) – iCarly's Jerry Trainor stars as Vinnie, a lovable, goofball uncle who becomes the guardian to his buttoned-up 12-year-old nephew Wendell (Buddy Handleson, Shake It Up). Nicole Sullivan (The King of Queens, The Penguins of Madagascar) also stars as Vinnie's high-strung older sister Wilma. The comedy series, greenlit for 20 episodes, was written by Jay Kogen (Frasier, George Lopez) and will be executive produced by Aaron Kaplan (GCB, Terra Nova).

You Gotta See This (Nickelodeon series) – Nickelodeon combines the best of the web, behind-the-scenes footage, celebrity interviews, pranks and bloopers in its new series You Gotta See This, premiering this fall. Hosted by Chris O'Neal and Noah Crawford (stars of How to Rock), the half-hour series rolls all the must-see clips of the week into one hilarious package. Nickelodeon is currently in production on this 20-episode series in Los Angeles.

Swindle (Nickelodeon movie/working title) – With daring heists, crazy disguises, pie fights and sumo wrestlers, the network greenlights Swindle, an original TV movie featuring an impressive ensemble cast of Nickelodeon stars. When an evil collector cons Griffin out of a million dollar baseball card that could have saved his best friend's home, he unites a ragtag group of his classmates who need to work as a team to take down the swindler. Swindle is based on a popular children's book by Gordon Korman. Production will commence this fall in Vancouver, Canada.

Nicky Deuce (Nickelodeon movie/working title) – Based on a popular children's book by The Sopranos' Steve Schirripa and Charles Fleming, Nicky Deuce stars iCarly's Noah Munck as Nicholas Borelli II, a nerdy, over-protected teen who transforms into the title character. Nicholas gets caught in the adventure of a lifetime when he spends the summer with an uncle he never knew he had. Production on this original TV movie will commence this summer in Montreal, Canada.

Pilots:

Sam & Cat (Nickelodeon pilot/working title) – In the comedic spin-off Sam & Cat, from iCarly and Victorious creator Dan Schneider, feisty Sam Puckett (Jennette McCurdy) and daffy Cat Valentine (Ariana Grande) become best buddies and unlikely roommates. They love their freedom and independence, but quickly realize that fun and adventure do not come cheap. Rather than get traditional after-school jobs, Sam and Cat become teen entrepreneurs by starting their own babysitting business.

Gibby (Nickelodeon pilot/working title) – Noah Munck reprises his role as Gibby in the spin-off from iCarly creator Dan Schneider. In the comedy pilot, Gibby takes a job at The Bixby, a recreational center where kids of all ages hang out, socialize, play sports and take unique classes. Gibby becomes a mentor to four quirky middle-schoolers, helping them break out of their shells and embrace life in true "Gibbehhh" style.

The Haunted Hathaways (Nickelodeon pilot/working title) -- Life in The Big Easy gets a little more complicated and way more spirited when the Hathaway siblings move into a house occupied by a family of ghosts. The pilot is written by Robert Peacock, who served as writer/producer on several series over the last decade including Reba, The Jeff Foxworthy Show and Coupling.

The Thundermans (Nickelodeon pilot/working title) – Written by Jed Spingarn, The Thundermans follows 13-year-old Phoebe Thunderman, who just wants to be normal, but that's impossible when she comes from a family of superheroes. While most superheroes are lucky to have one power, Phoebe happens to have 12. So much for normal! A longtime producer for Nickelodeon, Spingarn most recently served as co-executive producer of the hit series Big Time Rush and prior to that, produced on Nickelodeon's The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and Johnny Bravo.

Instant Mom (Nick at Nite pilot/working title) – Instant Mom centers on a 25-year-old party girl who trades in Cosmos for carpools when she marries an older man with kids. The project is executive produced by Aaron Kaplan (GCB, Terra Nova) with Warren Bell (Ellen, According to Jim, What I Like About You) and Jessica Butler (According to Jim, In Plain Sight) serving as writers/executive producers.

ANIMATION

Nickelodeon, the top producer of television animation in the U.S., is in production on three new series and two new pilots.

Current Productions:

Sanjay & Craig (Nickelodeon series) – A classic tale of boy meets snake, this 20-episode, 2D-animated series follows two best buds who dedicate their lives to becoming the coolest, most rebellious dudes in the neighborhood. Sanjay & Craig is created by Jim Dirschberger, Jay Howell and Andreas Trolf, and executive produced by Nick alumni Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi (The Adventures of Pete & Pete, Alvin and the Chipmunks).

Monsters vs. Aliens (Nickelodeon series) – An extension of the blockbuster movie, the all-new CG-animated television series features the lovable monsters and a whole new group of nefarious aliens living and working together at Area 50-something. Greenlit for 26 episodes, the series will be executive produced by Bob Schooley, Mark McCorkle and Brett Haaland (The Penguins of Madagascar).

Monty and Norville (Nickelodeon preschool series/working title) – Monty and Norville follows the adventures of a five-year-old troll named Monty and his dragon friend Norville. With the help of viewers at home, Monty can use his magic stick to make incredible things happen as long as he uses the right words. The new animated 26-episode series, created by Adam Peltzman (head writer, Blue's Clues, The Backyardigans), will introduce a literacy curriculum to Nickelodeon's preschool audience.

Pilots:

Bad Seeds (Nickelodeon pilot) – From SpongeBob SquarePants alumnus and Chowder creator Carl Greenblatt, Bad Seeds is about a good bird running with the bad crowd… and having a great time!

Blaze and the Monster Machines (Nickelodeon preschool pilot/working title) – Blaze and the Monster Machines is a CG-animated, interactive program about an eight-year-old boy named AJ and his incredible monster truck Blaze. AJ, Blaze and their friend Maddie fight their arch nemesis Crusher along with a fleet of other trucks. The series features a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) curriculum and is created by Jeff Borkin (head writer, Team Umizoomi, Little Einsteins) and Ellen Martin (producer, Bubble Guppies, The Backyardigans).

About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 33rd year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 17 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B).

SOURCE Nickelodeon

RELATED LINKS
http://www.nick.com.
Also, from The Hollywood Reporter:
Two Spinoffs, Animated Pilot From 'SpongeBob' Scribe Part of Ambitious Nickelodeon Slate

The network has greenlighted more than a dozen live-action, animation and TV movie projects, including "iCarly" and "Victorious" spinoffs.

Noah Munck; Getty Images

Nickelodeon has pulled back the curtain on its plans for 2013 and beyond, greenlighting a number of series and pilots from the creative teams behind Frasier, Reba, SpongeBob SquarePants, iCarly and Victorious.

As the children's-themed network prepares to launch live-action comedy See Dad Run with Scott Baio and the animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the fall, it handed out orders to four live-action series and five pilots. In addition, Nick on Friday picked up three animated series and two animated pilots.

The assorted entries hail from both new and established creators, with spinoffs from Dan Schneider's iCarly and Victorious among them. For his part, iCarly co-star Noah Munck will have his hand in three of the new installments.

The ambitious push comes as Nickelodeon attempts to remain competitive in an increasingly crowded landscape where outlets including Netflix and the Internet are among the rivals. For the first time in 16 years, Nick's top competitor, Disney Channel, ended 2011 as the No. 1 kids network.
Also, from Kidscreen:
Nickelodeon greenlights 14 new productions

Nickelodeon is ramping up its TV offerings this fall and into 2013 by greenlighting 14 new projects covering live-action, animation and TV movies.

Live-action projects added to the slate include 20 episodes of a new Nick at Nite comedy series, Wendell and Vinnie (pictured), starring iCarly's Jerry Trainor as a goofball uncle who becomes the guardian of his 12-year-old straight-laced nephew (Shake It Up‘s Buddy Handleson).

Also greenlit is You Gotta See This (20 x half hours), a new live-action series set to premiere this fall featuring web clips, behind-the-scenes footage, celebrity interviews, pranks and bloopers. The series is currently in production in L.A.

In live-action TV movies, two projects based on children's books are set to begin production in Canada later this year. Swindle (working title) is an original comedy film based on a children’s book by popular Canadian/American author Gordon Korman. Production on the movie will begin in Vancouver this fall.

The second movie, Nicky Deuce (working title), based on a popular children’s book by The Sopranos' Steve Schirripa and Charles Fleming, is an adventure film that follows the story a nerdy, over-protected teen who transforms into the title character. Production begins this summer in Montreal.

For pilots, two Nick spin-off comedies, Sam & Cat and Gibby, have been greenlit and feature characters from the hit series iCarly and Victorious. Additional pilots include The Haunted Hathaways about a group of siblings living in a house occupied by a family of ghosts, The Thundermans, written by long-time Nick producer Jed Spingarn, about a 13-year-old girl who comes from a family of superheroes, and Instant Mom, a Nick at Nite pilot.

New animation productions include the 20-episode, 2D-animated comedy series Sanjay & Craig, 26-episode, CG-animated series Monsters vs. Aliens (an extension of the hit DreamWorks Animation movie), and Monty and Norville, a new 26-episode preschool series created by Adam Peltzman (Blue's Clues, The Backyardigans) that focuses on literacy.

Rounding out the new additions are two new animated pilots. Bad Seeds is the brainchild of SpongeBob SquarePants alumnus Carl Greenblatt, while the CG-animated, interactive series Blaze and the Monster Machines targets Nick's preschool audience and features a STEM curriculum.

Tags: Bad Seeds, Monsters vs. Aliens, Nick at Nite, Nickelodeon, Sam & Cat, Swindle, The Thundermans, Wendell and Vinnie
Also, from Contactmusic.com:
Icarly To Live On Through Nickelodeon Spin Off 'Sam & Cat'

Hit US teen sitcom 'iCarly' and its impending termination has most certainly been the source of disappointment amongst many female Nickelodeon viewers since the show's final season was announced. However, it looks like 'iCarly' fans are in for a treat as two brand new spin-offs have been confirmed to commence filming.

If you loved Carly Shay then you'll most certainly love her best friend Sam Puckett and will be very pleased to learn that she will appear in her own show 'Sam & Cat' starring Jennette Mccurdy (obviously) and Ariana Grande from Nickelodeon's other popular show 'Victorious' in which she plays Cat Valentine. That's right; the same Cat in the aforementioned show. That's two spin-offs in one! The show involves the pair of them becoming roomies and starting their own babysitting business in order to support themselves financially.

The second spin-off stars the rather unusual acquaintance of Carly and Sam, Gibby, played by Noah Munck. Currently with the working title of just 'Gibby', the show features him getting a new job at a community centre for pre-teen kids where he mentors a group of four eccentric centre-goers. The pilot episodes for both spin-offs created by Dan Schneider are set to start being filmed this summer. Schneider has had much experience in working on Nickelodeon and has a long list of hit shows under his belt including 'Zoey 101' starring Britney's sister Jamie-Lynn Spears, 'Drake & Josh', Amanda Bynes 'The Amanda Show' and even executive produced 'Kenan & Kel'.
Also, from the International Business Times:
'Sam & Cat,' 'Gibby' Get Pilots From Nickelodeon Starring Arian Grande, Jennette McCurdy And Noah Munck

Even though Nickelodeon's show "iCarly" is ending soon, the channel is all set to begin new shows for Nick stars Jennette McCurdy, Noah Munck and Ariana Grande. Grande and McCurdy will co-star on their own show together called "Sam & Cat," which is scheduled to begin production this summer, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Although "Sam & Cat" won't definitely be the name of the upcoming show, it will be about the two friends moving in together and starting a babysitting business so they can make money and afford to have fun. Munck will have his own show called "Gibby" where he'll play a mentor to four wacky middle-school kids at a recreational center.

Creator and executive producer of "iCarly" Dan Schneider will be behind both of the spin-offs. Schneider has been at Nickelodeon since the 1990s, when he worked on shows like "Kenan and Kel" and "All That." Schnneider told TV Guide he'll be upset when "iCarly" comes to an end.

"When we film our very last scene, there will be a lot of crying, I know," he said. "But I also know that in television, you don't want to over-stay your welcome. I want to go out the way we are -- on a creative high note."

The show, one of Nickelodeon's most popular, is set to film its final episode in June, although it won't air until November. Even though it's a show meant for kids, "iCarly" has had it's share of famous guests. First lady Michelle Obama, late-night TV host Jimmy Fallon, Vice President Joe Biden and One Direction have all been featured on the comedy series.

Although it's unclear if Grande's "Victorious" will even stay on the air, it hasn't been revealed what role she'll have in the future of that show. McCurdy also is a country-pop singer when she's not on TV.

Thursday afternoon after the news broke the Nickelodeon stars took to Twitter to express their excitement.

"Can't thank @DanWarp @JennetteMcCurdy and @NickelodeonTV enough 4 this opportunity..I'm so excited about this show I could cry. #SamAndCat," tweeted Grande. She also added, "And congratulations to @NoahMunck on #Givvy's new show..I'm so happy for you and can't wait to watch!"

"EXCITED: in GIBBY, zany Gibby gets a gig @ a rec center where he winds up as a mentor to 4 offbeat kids #Gibby .../bignewss," tweeted Munck before retweeting congratulations messages from many of his fans.

Many fans tweeted a similar sentiment, adding they were excited to see their two favorite sidekicks finally appear on their own show.
Also, from C21Media:
Nickelodeon okays seven pilots

Nickelodeon is moving forward on more than a dozen new projects for its flagship channel and Nick at Nite, including spin-offs from the creator of iCarly and Victorious and a new live-action series from the producer of The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.

The US specialty outlet said Friday it has greenlit seven animated and live-action pilots and is entering production on another seven series and telemovies. Among live-action pilots, Dan Schneider is working on Sam & Cat (wt) and Gibby (wt), which break out characters from his series iCarly and Victorious.

Jed Spingarn (Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Johnny Bravo) is writing The Thundermans (wt), about a teen girl growing up in a super-powered family, while Aaron Kaplan (GCB, Terra Nova) has an okay for Instant Mom (wt), about a 25-year-old party girl who marries an older man with kids.

Nick’s animated pilots are Bad Seeds – from SpongeBob SquarePants alumnus Carl Greenblatt – about “a good bird running with the bad crowd,” and Blaze & the Monster Machines (wt), a CGI project about a boy and his monster truck, from Jeff Borkin (Little Einsteins) and Ellen Martin (The Backyardigans).

New projects heading into production include the Nick at Nite series Wendell & Vinnie (20x30′), also from Kaplan, about an uncle who becomes guardian to his nephew.

Clip show You Gotta See This (20x30′) is currently shooting in Los Angeles while the telemovies Swindle and Nicky Deuce are about to start production in Canada. Swindle is based on the kids book by Gordon Korman; while Nicky Duece is based on the book by Steve Schirripa and Charles Fleming.

In animation, Nickelodeon is also going forward with the 2D series Sanjay & Craig (20x30′) and Monsters & Aliens (26x30′) , a small screen version of the recent movie.

For the preschool crowd Nick has Adam Peltzman (Blue’s Clues, The Backyardigans) working on the 26x30′ series Monty & Norville (wt), about the adventures of a five-year-old troll and his dragon friend Norville.

Sean Davidson
04-08-2012
©C21Media

SECTIONS: C21Kids
Also, from The Huffington Post:
Jennette McCurdy gets her own show on Nickelodeon

NEW YORK — Nickelodeon's hit show "iCarly" made Jennette McCurdy a star, and although the show will air its series finale in November, the 20-year-old doesn't have to worry about what comes next.

The network has tapped McCurdy and actress Ariana Grande to star in a spinoff tentatively titled, "Sam & Cat." The series will follow the girls' characters, Sam Puckett from "iCarly" and Cat Valentine from "Victorious," as they become roommates and start a baby-sitting business.

"Sam & Cat" will be produced by Dan Schneider, who is behind Nickelodeon shows "iCarly," "Victorious," "Zoey 101" and "Drake & Josh."

"I couldn't be under a better person's wing, so I'm really happy about that decision," McCurdy said in a recent interview. "I haven't seen a script ... so I'm dying for information."

McCurdy describes taping the series finale of "iCarly" as emotional.

"The last day of shooting was really sad. There was a lot of crying and there were a lot of hugs going around. None of us wanted to say goodbye really."

Besides acting, McCurdy loves singing. She recorded a self-titled album with Capitol Records Nashville, but is no longer under contract with that label.

"I knew that I was starting this show and I needed to be focused on that," she said. "I didn't want any one thing to get too muddied with the others. Hopefully a different label will like to sign me."

She has spoken with Schneider about incorporating her music into "Sam & Cat."

McCurdy hopes that celebrities will appear on the new show, as they did on "iCarly," which included guest spots by first lady Michelle Obama, One Direction and Jane Lynch.

Who would be her ideal guest star?

"Andrew Garfield. I'm gonna marry him," she said with a laugh. "In my dreams maybe. Sorry, Emma Stone. Emma Stone was on `iCarly.' If she sees this, she's gonna kill me. Oh my goodness. No. I love him though. I love his face. I love his hair! `Andrew Garfield, I love you.'"