Nickelodeon brought its annual Upfront presentation to Los Angeles, where it announced the pickup of Scott Baio’s Daddy’s Home for Nick at Nite and the casting of James Franco for a multi-episode arc on Hollywood Heights, in addition to their 2012-13 programming slate detailed in its March 14 presentation in New York.
Nickelodeon has ordered 20 episodes of Daddy’s Home (working title), starring Scott Baio. Daddy’s Home is a multi-camera half-hour comedy for Nick at Nite that follows David Hobbs (Baio), an actor who, after ten years of starring as America’s favorite TV dad, becomes a stay-at-home father to honor the deal he made with his soap star wife so that she may return to the limelight.
Actor James Franco will also be joining the cast of Hollywood Heights, a daily scripted series premiering on Nick at Nite this summer. Franco will star in a multi-episode arc, playing the role of Osborne “Oz” Silver – a passionate, intense eccentric movie mogul who lives life to the fullest, often outrageously. Funny, offbeat, seductive, ruthless when he has to be, Oz adores the moviemaking process and does whatever it takes to make the films he wants.
Details of Nickelodeon’s new content slate include:
ANIMATION:
Nickelodeon will roll out a new roster of over 300 new animated episodes in 2012 which includes:
- New episodes of returning hit series including SpongeBob SquarePants, T.U.F.F. Puppy, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, The Penguins of Madagascar, The Fairly OddParents and The Winx Club.
- The Legend of Korra, in which the mythology of the beloved animated franchise from Avatar: The Last Airbender creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko continues. The series centers around a new Avatar named Korra, a 17-year-old headstrong and rebellious girl who continually challenges and bucks tradition on her quest to become a fully realized Avatar in a world where benders are under attack.
- Raving Rabbids, which will join the net’s animation line-up in spring 2013, brings to television the hysterical physical comedy that has become so popular in Ubisoft’s Raving Rabbids video games.
- Monsters vs. Aliens, the all-new animated television series marking the third partnership between Nickelodeon and DreamWorks Animation. Green-lit for 26 episodes and based on the popular characters from the 2009 blockbuster hit feature film ($383 million worldwide gross), the new series will continue to follow the funny escapades of the beloved, well-meaning monsters.
- Robot & Monster, which will also be hitting Nickelodeon’s air for a 26-episode run for the 2012-2013 season. Created by Josh Sternin, Jeff Ventimilia and Dave Pressler, this CG-animated buddy comedy is set in a unique world where gangs of Howling Cyber Monkeys roam the streets at night, everybody loves bacon, and robots and monsters live side by side, but typically don’t get along.
- It’s A SpongeBob Christmas! – Nickelodeon’s first full-length stop-motion animated special is inspired by the classic Rankin/Bass (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town) specials, and the popular SpongeBob song released in 2009,
- Seven new animation pilots picked up for the 2012-2013 season, including four pilots helmed by hit-maker Butch Hartman (The Fairly OddParents, T.U.F.F. Puppy).
LIVE ACTION:
As part of the overall 650 new episodes the network is rolling out this year, Nickelodeon’s live-action slate will include:
- More new episodes of hit live-action hit series — iCarly, Victorious, Big Time Rush and Supah Ninjas.
- A 26-episode pick-up of Marvin, Marvin, an original new series starring Internet sensation Lucas Cruikshank (AKA Fred).
The third installment of the hit Fred movies — Fred Goes to Camp, as well as a pick-up of 28 additional 11-minute episodes of FRED: THE SHOW. - A development project for UK pop sensation One Direction, who will next collaborate with Nick when they perform live at Nickelodeon’s 2012 Kids’ Choice Awards in Los Angeles on March 31.
- Rags, a music-infused modern-day fairy tale debuting this spring. The two-hour original TV movie centers on Charlie Prince (Max Schneider), an orphan living with his acerbic and unloving stepfather and spoiled stepbrothers, whose dream of being a singer might come true once he meets pop star Kadee Worth (Keke Palmer).
- A Fairly Odd Christmas, a sequel to 2011’s hit live-action TV movie, A Fairly OddMovie: Grow Up Timmy Turner, which will bow this holiday season.
- Figure it Out, a contemporary revival of the hit ’90s family friendly game show.
Hollywood Heights (previously titled Reach for a Star), a daily scripted series based on the wildly popular Televisa telenovela, Alcanzar Una Estrella, will debut in primetime on Nick at Nite in June.
