Nickelodeon embodies a zany nostalgia for many fans who grew up with its imaginative content. From comedic skits to full-blown comedy dramas, the network has consistently set the standard for shows targeting children and teenage audiences.
However, some projects viewers once loved don’t translate very well into the modern day. Some humor can be off-putting or unbearably cringeworthy. Outdated references and memes can dominate a program and distract from morals that are intended to be timeless. While some of these shows might still make their original target demographic chuckle, younger viewers would doubtless find even the best among them hopelessly dated.
10/10 True Jackson, VP’s Zingers Quickly Went Out Of Fashion
True Jackson, VP’s style may be all about power moves, but many of its most potent one-liners feel dated and even cringeworthy. Protagonist True navigates different leadership dynamics while working at Mad Style, and along the way, she often has to find the right words to stick up for her decisions.
While True Jackson’s lessons about authority and responsibility are solid, the way it executes its vision can be difficult to watch. Nearly every scene is littered with dated lingo and sassy zingers that feel more forced than clever. The show’s painful dialogue ends up taking lessons that could be relatable and instead twists them into a product that doesn’t stand the test of time.
9/10 The Effects Are Far From Magical In H2O: Just Add Water
H2O: Just Add Water has a fantastic premise, but its special effects can’t deliver. The series uses its beautiful Australian coasts and unique premise to its advantage, but it falls flat when it comes to portraying the show’s actual mermaid magic.
Cleo, Emma, and Rikki’s mermaid tails hold up remarkably well because they rely on practical effects and makeup. When it comes to racing through the ocean and other aquatic supernatural elements, though, the CGI looks too fake to keep fans hooked on the fantasy. The mermaids look beautiful and graceful, as long as they don’t have to swim anywhere.
8/10 Some Of The Amanda Show’s Skits Are More Cringeworthy Than Charming
Nickelodeon took a risk by embracing a comedy sketch series like The Amanda Show, but it didn’t always pay off. The show relied on spoofs and pop culture references, like creating Judge Trudy as a parody of Judge Judy.
While The Amanda Show’s skits can be amusing, some depend on abrasive characters for most of their comedy. A prime example is Courtney, whose main comedic appeal seems to be wearing fake teeth and screaming the catchphrase “MAH-HA!” Because The Amanda Show had to keep its content kid-friendly, a lot of its potential for humor was stunted by its demographic. As a result, skits like “Crazy Courtney” felt tiresome and irritating almost as soon as they began.
7/10 Big Time Rush’s Musical Premise Is Beyond Dated
Big Time Rush might be filled with whimsical shenanigans, but the concept of a quirky boy band feels stale now. Also telling, the show’s generic pop music feels like a product of its times, making the show’s premise harder to accept.
Distractingly, the show rarely relies on its writing or acting but tried to drive its humor home with grating sound effects. These sounds end up drowning out most of the dialogue in blatant attempts to foster cheap laughs. To top it all off, the series’ four main characters felt like cookie-cutter wannabe celebrities, rather than relatable role models for fans to jam out with.
6/10 Bucket & Skinner’s Epic Adventures Are Pretty Tame
Despite the promise of the name Bucket & Skinner’s Epic Adventures, this series relied on some pretty standard zany high school shenanigans. The series needed fresh ideas to give it personality, and without them, its very concept was dated instead of endearing.
From Bucket and Skinner dressing up as girls and sneaking into a party to the pair making mistakes at their part-time jobs, these adventures are less epic and more run-of-the-mill. Furthermore, Skinner and Bucket’s tumultuous friendship and their competition over girls is a dynamic that viewers have seen countless times. Since other shows did it better, Bucket & Skinner’s Epic Adventures’ half-baked morals are hard to revisit.
5/10 Sam & Cat Feels Recycled From Other Nick Shows
Sam & Cat featured two beloved characters from other Nickelodeon shows, but combining this pair in their own project felt unoriginal from the start. Sam and Cat’s plotlines seemed repurposed from other popular Nick titles, making its formula feel obsolete rather than refreshing.
The show was a direct spin-off from iCarly and Victorious, and it relied on the same kind of humor as its predecessors. This includes Sam’s tendency to use her aggression as slapstick and Cat’s naivety landing the duo in eccentric situations. Sam and Cat may be charming, but their contrasting personalities aren’t enough to make this show’s outdated model work.
4/10 The Naked Brothers Band Relied On Star Cameos Instead Solid Narratives
It was clear upon its release that The Naked Brothers Band wanted to capitalize on the fake documentary style that The Office made popular. Unfortunately, the series relied so heavily on this format that it never found its own identity, making the story tough to revisit.
While The Naked Brothers Band featured cameos from stars including Snoop Dog and George Lopez, it never seemed to find a solid narrative for its own protagonists, Nat and Alex Wolff. Although it may have thought it was doing something groundbreaking with its style, the format is far too familiar these days to be entertaining on its own.
3/10 The Troop’s Monsters Are Too Cheap To Be Terrifying
A group of high school monster fighters might sound interesting, but The Troop proved that sci-fi adventures aren’t exciting without terrifying foes to fight. Jake, Hayley, and Felix were tasked with keeping their school safe from horrendous creatures, but with horribly outdated CGI, it’s difficult to even want to look at the screen.
The creatures The Troop encountered included the Repticore and Kaiju. They sound terrifying, but when it’s so obvious that the monsters aren’t really there, it sucks the audience right out of the story. The show was ambitious, but today its fans would only shudder at its cheesy effects, not from legitimate fear.
2/10 The BrainSurge Game Show Didn’t Make People Think
Nickelodeon was already known for its outrageous game shows that ended in contestants being doused with slime. Unfortunately, BrainSurge didn’t offer anything new to the network’s line-up. The set of the trivia show was creative, but after a few episodes, fans got sick of its grotesque imagery.
BrainSurge overused childish gimmicks, even going as far as to name one of its main levels “Brain Fart.” Additionally, losing contestants had to slide down the Brain Drain, which was filled with a disgusting gooey concoction. Fans might have enjoyed these features when they were younger, but they haven’t aged well at all.
1/10 Fred: The Show Proved Basing A Series On A Meme Doesn’t Work
Fred Figglehorn delighted children with YouTube videos in the late 2000s, but Nickelodeon’s Fred: The Show is a painful reminder of how grating his voice can be. While Fred’s skits were perfect for a short video format, an entire show dedicated to his shrill vocals and juvenile gimmicks was painful.
This was another show that relied on obtrusive sound effects. The show was full of misplaced trumpets and imaginary plates breaking in the distance, as well as Fred’s earsplitting caterwauling.
Fred: The Show turned into a non-stop barrage on viewers’ eardrums, making the unsubtle show one that’s hard for even nostalgic fans to watch.
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