The Amanda Show, starring Amanda Bynes, first premiered in 1999 as a spinoff of fellow Nickelodeon sketch show All That and ended after three seasons in 2002. Dan Schneider created the show, and went on to launch other popular Nickelodeon comedies like Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, iCarly, and Victorious.
Keith Dawkins, Executive Vice President [EVP] of TeenNick and NickToons, said he thinks The Amanda Show "holds up today."
"People have kind of a short memory with history," he said, by way of Refinery29. "A woman being funny, leading content, and being like The Carol Burnett Show is not a new idea. We forget about it. Women can lead content. Women can lead the charge."
Though, he says the network and its audience "has always been about boys and girls," being inclusive from the beginning. "We're not here to alienate anyone. We're here to reflect what’s going on in kids' lives, which allowed us to put young girls front and center in our content. We're reflecting our audience." And bringing back The Amanda Show is simply in line with that philosophy. "It's less about what's happening in Hollywood and more about what our audience is asking us to do."
As for the reaction Dawkins and the network hope '90s kids will have to the news? "I'm hoping that people will lose their minds."
"We have been listening closely to our first generation of Nick kids that are craving the great characters and shows they grew up with watching Nickelodeon in the '90s," Cyma Zarghami, president of Viacom Kids and Family Group, said in a statement. "We designed The Splat with fans and their requests in mind, which means we're bringing together these beloved series and a high level of digital engagement to give fans a retro media experience they can't get anywhere else."
Nickelodeon has been keen on looking to the past for new content. The network announced a Hey Arnold! sequel movie and a scripted movie version of Legends of the Hidden Temple that will feature original host Kirk Fogg returning to the khaki shorts. Nickelodeon is also speculated to be making a Rocko's Modern Life tv movie. The Splat also hosted an All That reunion earlier this year with Lori Beth Denberg, Kenan Thompson, Josh Server, Kel Mitchell and Danny Tamberelli.
The Splat programming block launched on TeenNick in October with reruns of your favorite classic Nickelodeon shows such as Rugrats, The Adventures of Pete and Pete, Doug and Hey Arnold!.
Fans can revisit Bynes' best sketches - including "Moody's Point" and "Judge Trudy" - and catch up with Penelope, Amanda's number one fan, please, when the reruns, including the 6 compilation specials that haven't aired for a while, air June 10, 11, and 12 from 11 p.m. ET to 1 a.m. ET/PT, as part of TeenNick's retro-centric programming slate, The Splat!
Original sources: E! Online, Entertainment Weekly.
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