Six New Series Join Nickelodeon Schedule in 2005-06 Season

Six New Series Join Nickelodeon Schedule in 2005-06 Season

New Slate Includes Five Animated Series Featuring Filthy Rich Felines, Opera Singing Superhero Pets and a Suburban Spy Family, Plus Live Action Series from Whoopi Goldberg

Number-One Kids' Network Also to Premiere 248 New Episodes of 18 Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. Series, Including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer and Many More

NEW YORK, March 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Nickelodeon, the number-one entertainment brand for kids, will roll out a wide-ranging programming slate of six new live-action and animated series for the 2005-06 season, it was announced today by Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon Television. The network will also premiere 248 episodes of 18 returning hit Nick and Nick Jr. series, totaling 124 hours of new, original programming, including: 20 new episodes of the number-one kids series SpongeBob SquarePants; 24 new episodes of the number-one preschool series Dora the Explorer; as well as new seasons of Nickelodeon's live action hits Zoey 101, Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, Unfabulous, Drake & Josh and Romeo!.

For the 2005-06 season, Nickelodeon will add to its number-one kids' schedule: Catscratch, (September), an outrageous animated tale about three wealthy fumbling felines who carry on in a world of humans, featuring the voices talents of Wayne Knight (Seinfeld, Jurassic Park), Rob Paulsen (The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius) and Kevin McDonald (The Kids in the Hall); Power Strikers (working title, September), a live-action comedy executive produced by Whoopi Goldberg chronicling the swift soccer moves, fast friendship and bumpy adolescence of four diverse players on a winning girls' team; and The X's (November), about a family of highly trained secret spies living in the suburbs starring Wendie Malick (Just Shoot Me), Patrick Warburton (Seinfeld), Lynsey Bartilson (Grounded for Life) and Stephen Root (NewsRadio).

Nick Jr. will expand its award-winning roster with three new visually innovative, play-to-learn series: Go, Diego, Go!, (October) an animated spin-off of the popular preschool series Dora the Explorer starring Dora's eight-year-old rough and tumble cousin Diego; The Wonder Pets (2006), a combination live-action/animated series about three, brave opera singing classroom pets who become superheroes after school; and Wubby Widget and Walden (2006), an animated series about three indefinable creatures who each approach and solve problems in a different way.

"These new series will continue to build on last year's crop of hit shows, serving up even more new, original programming for our audience," said Zarghami. "Our track record over the past year has been strong and we anticipate that several more hits will break out of this diverse mix of series."

Also for the 2005-06 season, 18 current Nick and Nick Jr. series will premiere new episodes, totaling over 124 hours of original programming. Pick ups on returning hit series include: Zoey 101 (13 episodes), Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide (20 episodes), Unfabulous (13 episodes), Drake & Josh (10 episodes), Romeo! (10 episodes), All That (13 episodes), SpongeBob SquarePants (20 episodes), The Fairly OddParents (10 episodes) Danny Phantom (20 episodes), ChalkZone (10 episodes) Dora the Explorer (24 episodes), The Backyardigans (10 episodes), Miss Spider's Sunnypatch Friends (12 episodes) and LazyTown (20 episodes).

New, original series slated to premiere on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. in the 2005-06 season include:

NICKELODEON:

Catscratch, (13 Episodes - Premiering in September 2005)

Three cat brothers, Mr. Blik, Gordon Quid and Waffle, are so beloved by their mistress that she wills to them her fortune, mansion and butler. With their new riches, the brothers are free to do whatever their furry hearts desire, although they rarely agree on exactly what that is. The series features Wayne Knight (Seinfeld, Jurassic Park) as Mr. Blik, Rob Paulsen (The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius) as Gordon Quid and Kevin McDonald (The Kids in the Hall) as Waffle. Catscratch is created and executive produced by Doug TenNapel, creator of Earthworm Jim, Project Geeker and the CD-ROM game Neverhood. TenNapel is also the author and illustrator of the popular comic book series Gear.

Power Strikers (working title - 13 episodes - premieres September 2005)

This live-action series centers on the swift soccer moves, fast friendship and sometimes bumpy road through adolescence of four players on a winning girls' team called the Power Strikers. Odds are Alexa (Francesca Catalano), Freddie (Mallory Low), Lauren (Katija Pevec) and Vida (Jessica Williams) wouldn't even cross paths if it weren't for their love of the sport, but the unlikely quartet click after making the elite New York City U14 (under 14) squad. And they discover that soccer, with its quick strikes, bold blocks and skinned knees, is a lot like life at age 14. Though these tight teammates diverge in everything from ethnicity and social status to personality and interests -- aside from soccer and boys -- they are a spirited, fiercely competitive bunch whose differences dissolve on the field.

The show comes courtesy of executive producers Whoopi Goldberg, Tom Leonardis, David Brookwell and Sean McNamara and is a collaboration of Goldberg's Lil' Whoop Productions and Brookwell-McNamara Productions, in association with Nickelodeon. Goldberg and Leonardis' credits under the Whoop, Inc. banner include Strong Medicine, Whoopi's Littleburg, What Makes a Family and the feature film The Piano Man's Daughter. Credits of Brookwell-McNamara Productions include Phil of the Future (pilot), That's So Raven and Even Stevens. Brookwell and McNamara also each served as producers on Nickelodeon's The Secret World of Alex Mack

The X's (13 episodes - premieres November 2005)

After years of training with the finest top secret organization, the X's have been unleashed to protect the world as an undercover family of super spies. Now, living incognito in suburbia, the X's must fight the forces of evil without upsetting the neighbors. Wendie Malick (Just Shoot Me) stars as Mrs. X, with Patrick Warburton (Seinfeld) as Mr. X, Lynsey Bartilson (Grounded for Life) as Tuesday X and Stephen Root (NewsRadio) as Homebase. Creator is Carlos Ramos, Annie award-winning designer and creator of the Oh Yeah! Cartoons shorts "A Dog and his Boy," "Twins Crimson" and "Those Amazing Robots."

Go, Diego, Go (20 episodes - premieres September 2005)

Nick Jr. introduces Go, Diego, Go, an animated play-along series starring Dora the Explorer's cousin, Diego Marquez, an eight-year-old rough and tumble action-adventure hero with an intense love of nature and the animals around him.

Go, Diego, Go will take viewers on high stakes animal rescue missions while encouraging them to jump, clap, cheer and speak in English and Spanish each step of the way. Diego will be joined by his 11-year-old sister Alicia, along with a loving group of loyal animal friends who will encourage kids to use scientific thinking and investigative strategies to help the animal in trouble. The series is created and executive produced by Chris Gifford (Dora the Explorer) and Valerie Walsh (Dora the Explorer).

The Wonder Pets - (20 episodes - premieres 2006)

This combination live-action/animated show is about three very special pets: Linny the Guinea Pig, Ming-Ming Duckling and Turtle Tuck, who live in a classroom at the neighborhood preschool. At the end of every school day when the students have all gone home the trio become The Wonder Pets, courageous superheroes who sing opera and travel the world using teamwork to help save young animals in distress. Josh Selig (Oobi) is creator/executive producer.

Wubby Widget and Walden (26 episodes - premieres 2006)

This animated series is about three indefinable creatures that each approach life in a different way. Wubby sees the world through childlike eyes and always looks for the simplest solution. Widget loves to solve problems with her tool box and sometimes makes things more complicated than they have to be. And Walden is a quirky, inquisitive thinker who approaches everything with a wildly original point of view. Together, the three friends highlight that there are always different ways to approach and solve a problem. Created by Bob Boyle (The Fairly OddParents).

Nickelodeon, now in its 26th 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 company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in 88 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for more than nine consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

Source: Nickelodeon

CONTACT: Joanna Roses, +1-212-846-7326, or Marianne Romano,
+1-310-752-8208, both of Nickelodeon

Web site: http://www.nick.com/

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