Most kids have seen at least one of the many hit Nickelodeon kids shows. Nickelodeon has produced a collection of intriguing and notable shows, from Spongebob and Paw Patrol to Victorious, ICarly, and Henry Danger. But in the last five years, the popularity of Nickelodeon has dropped significantly.
The most recent Nickelodeon sensations that come to mind are shows like Gameshakers and Bella and the Bulldogs, but these shows ended over seven years ago. In the last few years, there has been a drought of high quality and bingeable TV shows for elementary/middle schoolers to watch. Nickelodeon may have reached its peak, but what will stop its viewers from reminiscing about the wonderful memories they have when watching their favorite Nickelodeon shows from their childhood? Is it the decline of the cable box, the increase in social media platforms, or the newly-exposed abusive working environment many experienced working at Nickelodeon?
The first reason for the decline in viewers may be that you and many other citizens don’t want to watch cable. If you were to sit down and had the choice to watch anything, would you head straight for the newest streaming services with the top shows or go to the “ancient” cable box your parents keep around so they can watch reruns of their favorite shows? You would probably head straight for the streaming services. With the rise of streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu, in addition to cable slowly declining in watchers, many kids have strayed from watching Nickelodeon. Many shows can be seen on streaming services such as Netflix, like Victorious, but Nickelodeon can’t thrive on almost all viewers watching on Netflix or other streaming platforms. The top Nickelodeon show right now only gets about an audience of 450,000 viewers, which is nothing compared to what Nickelodeon shows used to get.
Also, with the creation of attention-grabbing social media, competition changed in the game for cable shows like Nickelodeon. In the 2000’s when Nickelodeon had a ton of hit kids shows, kids had minimal options when it came to other streaming services similar to Nickelodeon. But now, they have plenty of other activities to do when on their screens: scrolling through TikTok, playing mobile games, and watching Youtube. Sure, kids still watch their fair share of TV, but with so many other options, most likely, Nickelodeon knows that making new original content won’t draw in the kids of today as they did with 2000’s kids.
In addition to the deterrents that drag viewers away from watching Nickelodeon, their downfall may have been caused by the company’s dark affairs. When the 2024 TV show Quiet on Set was released, Nickelodeon’s worst secrets became detrimental to their reputation. The documentary depicts the dark side of the beloved children’s network highlighting the abuse and disgraceful treatment that child actors experienced. Most of these horrors were created by the once famed producer and writer, Dan Schnieder, who made sexually inappropriate jokes to his child actors and other staff. Schnieder made Nickelodeon a miserable, unsafe, and uncomfortable place for many employees.
In the documentary series, Drake Bell, predominantly known for his acting on The Amanda Show and Drake and Josh, revealed that Brian Peck, a former dialogue coach for Nickelodeon, was to blame for the abuse that Bell experienced twenty years ago. Peck found himself in jail for 16 months in 2004 for abuse; however, the victim was never revealed. After he was released from jail, the Disney Channel hired Peck (a still convicted sex offender) to work with children. He was then fired in the years to follow. Along with Schnieder and Peck, two men who abused their power while working for Nickelodeon, Jason Handy and Ezel Channel, found themselves facing time for child abuse. Although three out of the four men listed above faced prison time for their despicable treatment towards children, Schnieder’s actions were “cleared up” by an apology for his former “embarrassing” actions. All in all, this new information that was disguised will now, hopefully, save many more child actors from these unwarranted behaviors.
When all of these stories were revealed, Nickelodeon got a new surge of attention on social media. Many viewers were disturbed and felt saddened for the people who were treated with such disrespect. With these secrets revealed, many adults that grew up watching Nickelodeon were exposed to the dirty jokes and inappropriate skits that went over their juvenile heads. The once comforting shows had become just another reminder of the behind-the-scenes horrors of children’s TV. Knowing these facts subconsciously ruins the watch for the viewers. The once “childish jokes” now have a darker side to them.
Because of the truths the documentary series exposed, Nickelodeon most likely has a struggle finding child actors. Parents now knowing about the recurring pattern of hiring sex offenders most likely don’t want their kids anywhere near Nickelodeon’s sets. A struggle to find actors makes it extremely hard to keep the audience’s attention and produce a good show. The difficulty to find actors is almost as bad as the lack of advertising. Nickelodeon has found itself left behind in the new world of social media and streaming services. Nickelodeon doesn’t promote their shows enough on any sites. It is hard for a show to get fans if nobody knows it exists.
Surely you or someone you know has had a deep love for Nickelodeon, but when was the last time you rewatched a Nickelodeon show? When was the last time someone you know made a Sam and Cat reference? Probably not too recently. The new generations will never understand our love for Nickelodeon as more and more parents don’t want their kids watching shows with these two-faced jokes. We say goodbye to the creepy producers, the funny actors, the goofy episodes, and we say goodbye to the age of Nickelodeon.
