NICKELODEON’S NEW HIT DANGER FORCE GOES INTO KID-FRIENDLY QUARANTINE IN VIRTUALLY PRODUCED SPECIAL
AIRING SATURDAY, MAY 9, AT 8 P.M. (ET/PT)
With New Danger Force Episode Scaling A 75% Lift in Live + 3 Viewing, Special Takes Light-Hearted Look at Superheroes Staying at Home
Share it: @Nickelodeon @HenryDangerForce #DangerForce
HOLLYWOOD, Calif.—April 27, 2020—Nickelodeon’s new hit Danger Force sees the team of superheroes-in-training raising the stakes and lightening the mood with a virtually produced special where the city of Swellview is quarantined from a way-too-natural gas leak from the nearby Bhutt Factory. Airing Saturday, May 9, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT), Danger Force: “Quaran-kini” features Captain Man, Schwoz and the Danger Force kids staying at home and setting a good example, but then Captain Man gets restless and becomes determined to find out who exactly is ‘behind’ the leak. The special also includes an at-home musical number of “This Gas Shall Pass” and features guest star Frankie Grande returning as the fan-favorite villain, Frankini.
Since its March 28 premiere, Nickelodeon’s latest live-action hit Danger Force has consistently posted double-digit gains in Live + 3 viewing. Most recently, a new episode (April 18, 2020) set a series record in Live + 3 posting a +75% increase with Kids 6-11 versus Live + SameDay viewership.
In Danger Force, four kids–Chapa (Havan Flores), Miles (Terrence Little Gardenhigh), Mika (Dana Heath) and Bose (Luca Luhan)–are recruited to attend Swellview Academy for the Gifted (SW.A.G. for short), a school conceived by Captain Man (Cooper Barnes) and brought to life by Schwoz (Michael D. Cohen), after having been accidentally mutated in the fight to save Swellview. While there, the kids must learn to harness their frequently troublesome and sometimes uncontrollable superpowers as they begin to fight crime. Despite the dangerous circumstances of their new lives, the superheroes must keep their real identities a secret from both from their families and the villains who are out to destroy them.
The Danger Force “Quaran-kini” special is written by Christopher J. Nowak (Henry Danger, Sam & Cat) and directed by Mike Caron (Henry Danger, Game Shakers). “This Gas Shall Pass” is written by Samantha Martin (Henry Danger The Musical). Danger Force is created and executive produced by Nowak, and is produced by Barnes and Jace Norman (Henry Danger). Production of Danger Force is overseen for Nickelodeon by Shauna Phelan, Senior Vice President, Live-Action Scripted Content. Omar Camacho serves as Nickelodeon’s Executive in Charge of Production for the series.
Nickelodeon, now in its 41st 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 brand includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, location based experiences, publishing and feature films. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of ViacomCBS Inc. (Nasdaq: VIACA, VIAC).
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Sneak Peeks:
Bose the CEO of hair tips 🙌 catch a special episode Saturday at 8p/7c on @Nickelodeon pic.twitter.com/HY6pQV9I41— Henry Danger Force (@HenryDanger) May 5, 2020
From Just Jared Jr.:
Frankie Grande Sings 'This Gas Shall Pass!' In Exclusive 'Danger Force' Clip!
Frankini is back in a new virtual episode of Danger Force this weekend!
Frankie Grande returns as his villain character and joins the cast in singing a new original song, “This Gas Shall Pass“, and we have an exclusive first look.
The new episode, titled “Quaran-kini” and directed by Mike Caron, shows the city of Swellview quarantined from a way-too-natural gas leak from the nearby Bhutt Factory.
It features Captain Man (Cooper Barnes), Schwoz (Michael D. Cohen) and the Danger Force kids (Havan Flores, Terrence Little Gardenhigh, Dana Heath and Luca Luhan) staying at home and setting a good example, but then Captain Man gets restless and becomes determined to find out who exactly is ‘behind’ the leak.
JJJ also spoke to Frankie about stepping back into the villainous role, what it was like getting to do a virtual episode, and more.
“ELATED!! I mean, Frankini is the greatest character on TV, ok maybe I’m biased!” Frankie shared about how excited he was to come back as Frankini. “It is always a delight when I get the call from the network to return on Danger Force!”
Tune in to Danger Force: Quaran-kini THIS Saturday (May 9) at 8pm ET/PT on Nickelodeon!
JJJ: What’s your favorite part of portraying Frankini?
FG: Frankini is as fabulous and as unapologetically himself as the man who plays him, and that is a true delight. His love of glitter, fashion, dancing, color, and singing takes center stage, which makes him not only a delight to play but a great example for kids around the world who love those things as much as Frankini/Frankie… giving them permission to live out loud and shine bright for the world to see!
JJJ: What was your favorite part about the virtual episode?
FG: I thought for sure we would not be able to film for a long with everything being shut down, but getting to be a part of the show I love from home was so cool and unexpected. It went so well that it gave me a breath of hope that I needed… and showed not only me but everyone watching that life will ABSOLUTELY go on… and in style!
JJJ: If you could play any other character or villain in Swellview, who would it be?
FG: I’ve already swapped bodies with Captain Man so one dream role has already been checked off… I think I’d love to play Schwoz next! I just know I would have a BLAST with the character and I would love to see what Michael Cohen, who plays Schwoz, would do with Frankini if there was another swap!
You can also catch Frankie starring as Joe Exotic in a new Tiger King musical parody. Check it out here!
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Update (5/1) - Frankie Grande will be a guest star on Tamron Hall on Wednesday, May 6, 2020!: "Wednesday, May 6: Actor and singer Frankie Grande on reprising his role as Frankini on Nickelodeon's "Danger Force," and on being sober and in love."
Trailers:
From Variety:
At Nickelodeon, ‘Danger Force’ Seizes Tough Mission
Mike Caron is doing a lot more with his favorite program than just binge-watching it.
Caron has long worked on the Nickelodeon series “Henry Danger,” and directed the first episode of a new sequel series, “Danger Force. “ The show, which debuted earlier this year, centers on a team of four young super-novices and the more experienced veteran, Captain Man, who must train them.
The heroes have their work cut out for them tomorrow night – and Caron is quietly helping them behind the scenes.
On Saturday night, Nickelodeon will present a special episode of “Danger Force” that is not among the ViacomCBS network’s initial order for the series. With production of many shows shuttered by the coronavirus pandemic, “Force” producers and cast thought they could entertain fans by making an extra “Danger” episode with the cast scattered at their various homes – playing their characters hunkered down in a room, a closet, a home garage. Caron will direct once again.
“This episode has a very, like, let’s-all-get-together-in-the-treehouse-and-put-on-a-play feel to it,” says Chris Nowak, the executive producer and showrunner of the series.
Other TV series are trying to find a way to get back on the air despite restrictions on big crowds gathering. Late-night talk shows have all moved out of the theaters and studios that housed live audiences and now their feature hosts working from home and talking to celebrities via video-sharing technologies. At NBC, “Saturday Night Live” has moved to an “at home” show that relies on taped segments. Discovery’s Food Network can no longer dispatch Guy Fieri to various “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” so he’s making the recipes he sampled while traveling to those places while at home. And CBS recently broadcast an episode of “All Rise” showing central character Judge Lola Carmichael holding a virtual bench trial with Zoom, FaceTime and other new-tech tools.
But regular kids’ series have yet to nod to the pandemic. And Caron hopes viewers will be able to enjoy the episode on Saturday, and in the future. “It will always be representative of something that was made in the quarantine age. There’s no getting around it. But I’d like to think that with the song and the dancing – it’s funny. Our hope is that five years from now, I think it will still play fine.”
Few heroes can see into the future, but getting fresh content on Nickelodeon despite a pandemic is a mission even the network’s top executive can embrace. ViacomCBS brought Brian Robbins aboard its kids-media empire in 2018 with a mandate to win back a legion of kids who have a dizzying array of content aimed at them streaming on any number of outlets. “If you make content and shows that kids want to watch, they will show up for it,” Robbins told Variety in 2019 as he introduced a new programming lineup that revived the Nickelodeon classic “All That” while vowing to keep kids interested by giving them a wider array of content to consider.
The “Danger” franchise is not to be ignored. “Henry Danger” has grown to be one of the network’s most popular shows and made a star out of Jace Norman, the young actor who played Henry Hart, a novice sidekick to Captain Man. When the series wrapped earlier this year, the network made certain to do so with a storyline designed to keep viewers interested in the spin-off. “We just really tried to bust our butts to end ‘Henry Danger’ strong and keep riding it into “Danger Force,” says Nowak.
No one at the network mandated the super-hero team get back to work. But Ben Giroux, who plays the super-villain The Toddler on “Danger Force,” and Cooper Barnes, who has played Captain Man since “Henry Danger” launched in 2014, started making videos in character on Tik-Tok urging followers to stay safe amidst the pandemic. Nowak showed the funny videos to executives at Nickelodeon, who asked “Could we do something like that with our cast just to keep ‘Danger Force’ in people’s minds during this quarantine?’” the showrunner recalls. “I thought it was a joke.”
It wasn’t. And producing the episode required serious thought.
Actors and producers had to figure out how to make various rooms in different homes look like they belonged to the characters, not the people who actually lived there. Cooper Barnes started putting little knick-knacks in his garage that would remind viewers of previous “Henry Danger” episodes. One of the kids lives in a different time zone than the others, spurring producers to try to figure out how to change the lighting to emulate the time of day portrayed elsewhere. Families rearranged home décor and furniture to help the actors stage a more convincing setting. Could producers orchestrate a fight scene between The Toddler and Captain Man? “How do you punch someone virtually?” asks Caron.
The entire staff has tried to add interesting touches to keep viewers intrigued. Samantha Martin, a supervising producer at the show who gained some notice last year by creating a musical episode of “Henry Danger,” devised a new song about flatulence for the cast to sing toward the end of the program. And Nowak’s wife, a dancer and choreographer, created a short 20-second routine for everyone to do.
To help the cast, Nickelodeon arranged for the characters’ masks to be sent out via contact-less delivery. Their colorful super-hero suits were another matter. “We don’t have a lot of them, and they are pretty expensive,” says Nowak.
Defeating super-villains is the easy part. “We are literally constructing this from scratch,” says Caron. Viewers can decide tomorrow night if “Danger Force” carries the day.
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From Hollywood Life:
Frankie Grande Reveals How ‘Rock OfAges’ Cast Is Supporting Co-Star NickCordero Amid COVID-19 Coma
Frankie Grande has rallied around his co-star Nick Cordero during his battle with Coronavirus. Frankie spoke to HL about how they’re supporting him during this time.
Broadway star Nick Cordero has been in a coma due to Coronavirus complications for at least 37 days and while he has shown signs of improvement, he has a long road to recovery. The Tony Award winner had recently relocated to Los Angeles with his wife, Amanda Kloots, and their 10-month old son, Elvis, to perform in the Bourbon Room production of Rock Of Ages. Now, as he fights for his life, his cast, including Frankie Grande, is supporting in anyway they can. “We are very closely monitoring Nick’s condition and what’s going on with him. I’m staying super, super tuned in to Amanda’s Instagram Stories, and I don’t want to be too intrusive, so I’m waiting for the information to come, but I’m just praying every day. Sending love and light and healing energy,” Frankie told HollywoodLife.com in an EXCLUSIVE interview.
“When he wakes up, he’s going to need even more support and even more love, because he’s a performer… This is going to be a long process, a marathon for Nick, and we’re just going to be there for him. He can count on me or anyone in our cast for anything. We will be there,” Frankie continued. In support of her husband, Amanda has been asking fans and loved ones to sing and dance to Cordero’s song “Live Your Life” on social media using the hashtag #WakeUpNick, and it has since gone viral. Every evening at 6 PM ET, family, friends and fans blast the song and share those positive healing vibes Nick’s way. “The #WakeUpNick movement is so powerful,” Frankie added. “We’re here when you’re ready, Nick.”
And even though we’re in quarantine, Frankie is proving that the show MUST go on! He is guest-starring in Nickelodeon’s virtually-produced episode of the hit series Danger Force on Saturday, May 9. As his glitter-loving, even more over-the-top character Frankini, Frankie Grande is bringing the energy to viewers at home. “I was really happy to pop right back into that amazing character and it was not too difficult and really cool to do at home,” he explained. “I never take the crew at Nickelodeon for granted, but now, shooting at home, I didn’t realize just how grateful I actually was. I was really encouraged by the fact that it turned out so well.”
Be sure to tune in to Frankie Grande on Danger Force, Saturday, May 9 at 8 PM ET on Nickelodeon!
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From Pride:
Even in 'Quaran-Kiki,' Frankie Grande Inspires Kids to Wear Glitter
The Danger Force actor discusses the importance of LGBTQ+ representation in kids' shows, as well as his Tiger King parody.
Frankie Grande is an escaped villain—on Nickelodeon's Danger Force.
The gay actor and influencer has reprised his role of Frankini from the superhero children's show's prequel, Henry Danger. But don't think of Frankini as evil. "He just really wants to bring happiness," asserted Grande in a recent Zoom interview with PRIDE. And don't think of Danger Force as a show reserved for kids, either.
"It's one of those shows where like adults get jokes more than the kids, but the kids don't know what they're missing," Grande attested.
Danger Force, about a school of young superheroes-in-training helmed by the hunky Captain Man (Cooper Barnes) and the inventor Schwoz (Michael D. Cohen), may be of particular interest to LGBTQ+ folks and allies because of the rainbow diversity on display. A recent episode featured same-sex parents, and there are several out actors on the show, including Grande and Alec Mapa.
Frankie Grande
"Frankini was loud and proud, covered in glitter wearing heels, lashes, drama," Grande said. "It was so amazing to get to do that on Nickelodeon like it just made me feel so proud to be able to represent that community for the world to see."
Grande has seen the influence of his character firsthand. A boy under age 10 at Disneyland approached him, and said, "My mom said that I can wear nail polish because of Frankie, and I love it."
Additionally, a little league team approached Grande and his mother and grandmother in a parking lot in Florida—where they had gone to observe a blood moon—and performed one of Frankini's musical numbers from Henry Danger. "The stars were aligned for a musical performance in a parking lot, which only happens to me, I feel," Grande quipped. His sister Ariana is also a fan of celestial sightings, he noted.
Grande is one of the cast members who will appear in a special at-home musical "Quaran-kini" episode of Danger Force, which will air Saturday, May 9 at 8pm Eastern and Pacific. In the special, "the city of Swellview is quarantined from a way-too-natural gas leak from the nearby Bhutt Factory," according to a release.
Fortunately, the Broadway entertainer had the home green screen and microphone already set-up for "gaymer" Twitch events before the health outbreak. And he enlisted some friends for hair and makeup for the weekend's "DIY episode."
In addition to Danger Force, Grande is helming several other online events, including hosting Rainbowthon, a celebrity fundraiser for the Los Angeles LGBT Center next Thursday, and Digital Drag Fest on May 23.
"I'm thriving. I'm having a good time," Grande said of his quarantine performances. "It keeps me busy too and keeps me sane."
To help keep fans entertained during stay-at-home orders, Grande is also producing a "Bathroom Talent Show" series on Instagram, where he shows off talents ranging from impersonations to singing Dua Lipa to recreating The Little Mermaid in the tub. The bathroom "has the best lighting and the best acoustics," Grande attested.
His most recent release is a performance of "Husband Number 2" from a musical parody of Netflix's Tiger King created by Andrew Lippa; Kristen Chenoweth previously crooned "Little Pieces" as Carole Baskin in the digital series, which will also reportedly include RuPaul's Drag Race's Nina West. And it was Chenoweth who, after seeing Grande's Bathroom Talent Shot, referred Grande to Lippa.
Not to be outdone, Grande performs as Baskin, Joe Exotic, and the gay zookeeper's husbands in his own YouTube music video, complete with costumes, performances, and fake toothless grins.
"Believe it or not, all of those things that I'm doing in my bathroom are naturally occurring thoughts in my head," said Grande, who doesn't need to go on Twitter to see trending topics to feel the cultural zeitgeist.
It's also no surprise to Grande that shows like Tiger King and Schitt's Creek have become cultural obsessions for America right now. "I think it speaks to the content, and I think that that's really cool that we're finally in a world where the content is excellent and [is] consumed by the masses, regardless of the sexual orientation of the lead character," he said.
"We need these depictions positive depictions in the world, especially on Nickelodeon where we can talk to kids and allow kids to know that this is just part of the way the world works," he added. "There's no such thing as 'you're normal' and 'this is not normal.' Like everything is normal because God made us all. And that's it. Period."
And Grande can relate to Tiger King in a different respect—for over four months, he was in a polyamorous relationship with Daniel Sinasohn and Mike Pophis. It was "a learning experience," said Grande, who only has time for one boyfriend at present.
"I discovered through that I'm more of a monogamous kind of person," said Grande, adding, "It's different having like a one-on-one relationship and I think that there are definitely different ways to love. I was a hundred percent believer that I think that [polyamory] is something that can work. I discovered for me that it wasn't it. I want all the attention all the time."
Grande also hopes that better representations of polyamorous relationships appear in media other than in Tiger King, which had a "pretty horrific" depiction of straight men getting married to a gay man for drug use that resulted in a very bad outcome. "It was kind of an example to the world that like this will never work out," said Grande, who has put his faith in TV trailblazer Shonda Rhimes for creating a better representation in the future.
In his interview with PRIDE, Grande also showed off a few of his talents: an impersonation of Smeagol (Gollum) from Lord of the Rings, as well as Smeagol's take on "Rose's Turn." Watch the conversation and performances [here].
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From Kidscreen:
Nick launches quarantine content at lightning speed
From viral TikToks to virtual set designing, Danger Force's team needed to invent a new production process to put together a remote special in just three weeks.
Nickelodeon’s live-action superhero series Danger Force is ready to save the day with a quarantine-themed special. Produced virtually, the “Quaran-kini” special will air on May 9, and feature the heroes of Danger Force solving a mystery on a conference call while stuck in quarantine. It was crucial to premiere the special as quickly as possible, says Danger Force creator and executive producer Christopher Nowak, to make sure it was as relevant as possible to kids’ current experience.
The special was written by Nowak and directed by Mike Caron (Henry Danger, Game Shakers). Samantha Martin (Henry Danger The Musical) wrote an original song for the special.
Based on the popular Henry Danger universe, Danger Force premiered on March 28. In addition to fan favorite characters like Captain Man and Schwoz, Danger Force introduced four kid characters that are recruited to become superheroes.
The idea of a virtually produced special first came up in a conference call with Nickelodeon execs on April 2 after social media posts from a few of the actors (in character) went viral on TikTok. Nowak started writing on April 6, a table read was conducted on April 16 and filming wrapped just four days later on April 20.
During filming, the team set up two virtual conference rooms. One was used as a ready room where final adjustments could be made, and the second was used for recording.
“We were really inventing this new production process as we went,” says Nowak.
All of the actors were provided laptops with high-quality cameras as well as ethernet cables so they could film themselves from home. Then, the show’s different departments held video conferences with the actors to rearrange furniture in their homes, adjust lighting and sound, and make sure hair and makeup were consistent with the rest of the series.
“We really counted on the kids’ families to help us, and there was this fun feeling of putting on a play in the treehouse,” Nowak says. “You’d be in a virtual meeting with the art department, and there would be a production designer walking a parent through how to make set decorations using materials they had on hand in their home.”
While Nowak hopes the team will be back on set soon, he says learnings from the “Quaran-kini” special will make it easier to create more content while in lockdown. If Nickelodeon does want to bow more quarantine content, for Danger Force or any other shows though, Nowak says they will have to keep pushing to make things feel fresh for the audience.
“Kids like physical comedy, so I don’t know how long we can sustain this [direct-to-camera confessional format].”
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Original post:
The Danger Force may be stuck at home like the rest of us, but that won't stop this superhero team from battling the bad guys! Catch the Danger Force: Quarantine Special, bringing you all the villains, jokes and action you love, premiering Saturday, May 9, 2020 at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT), only on Nickelodeon! Check out the trailer below!:
In Danger Force, a spin-off from Nickelodeon's long-running hit live-action series Henry Danger, four kids – Chapa (Havan Flores), Miles (Terrence Little Gardenhigh), Mika (Dana Heath) and Bose (Luca Luhan) – are recruited to attend Swellview Academy for the Gifted (S.W.A.G. for short), a school conceived by Captain Man (Cooper Barnes) and brought to life by Schwoz (Michael D. Cohen), after having been accidentally mutated in the fight to save Swellview during the series finale of Henry Danger. The series is created and executive-produced by Christopher J. Nowak (Henry Danger) and produced by Cooper Barnes and Jace Norman.
Make sure to subscribe to the brand-new Henry Danger/Danger Force YouTube channel! Up the (You)Tube!: https://at.nick.com/HenryDangerYouTube
Original source: Regular Nick Vids; Special thanks to @kancsn01 for the news!
More Nick: Riele & Ella Play ‘This Or That’ At Home! | Henry Danger!
Originally published: Sunday, April 26, 2020 at 20:16 BST.
Additional source: TheFutonCritic.com.
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