Do you think Nickelodeon is trying to erase Stephen Hillenburg's connection to the show?

[Sara SquarePants]

This is a real question

Ever since the first movie, it feels like Nick has been trying to rebuild SpongeBob SquarePants into their own vision

Even more so now after Stephen Hillenburg's death!

What is Nickelodeon/Viacom's true master plan for this IP?

Who knows...

 

[MattTheSpongeFanatic]

Nick is definitely conspiring to remove SpongeBob.

1) The million spin-offs and movies. What's up with all these spin-offs and movies going on? Kamp Koral feels like garbage. Stephen was against spin-offs, and now, just because he's dead, is everyone treating that like a joke?
2) Slower air dates. What happened to premiere weeks? The last one was way back in 2018! Now, we're lucky if we even get two episodes every month!
3) General declining quality of Nick overall. I remember Nick back when I first discovered it sometime in 2011 or 12, and it was filled with cartoons. Now, we barely get anything. The Loud House is painful to watch, and It's Pony? I never really watched that. Soon, if this line of removing and creating new, worser, cartoons continues, SpongeBob will probably die out one day.

 

[OrbOfConfusion]

Nick is definitely conspiring to remove SpongeBob.

1) The million spin-offs and movies. What's up with all these spin-offs and movies going on? Kamp Koral feels like garbage. Stephen was against spin-offs, and now, just because he's dead, is everyone treating that like a joke?
2) Slower air dates. What happened to premiere weeks? The last one was way back in 2018! Now, we're lucky if we even get two episodes every month!
3) General declining quality of Nick overall. I remember Nick back when I first discovered it sometime in 2011 or 12, and it was filled with cartoons. Now, we barely get anything. The Loud House is painful to watch, and It's Pony? I never really watched that. Soon, if this line of removing and creating new, worser, cartoons continues, SpongeBob will probably die out one day.

Ouch

 

[Sara SquarePants]

Nick is definitely conspiring to remove SpongeBob.

1) The million spin-offs and movies. What's up with all these spin-offs and movies going on? Kamp Koral feels like garbage. Stephen was against spin-offs, and now, just because he's dead, is everyone treating that like a joke?
2) Slower air dates. What happened to premiere weeks? The last one was way back in 2018! Now, we're lucky if we even get two episodes every month!
3) General declining quality of Nick overall. I remember Nick back when I first discovered it sometime in 2011 or 12, and it was filled with cartoons. Now, we barely get anything. The Loud House is painful to watch, and It's Pony? I never really watched that. Soon, if this line of removing and creating new, worser, cartoons continues, SpongeBob will probably die out one day.

Are you being sarcastic or do you actually agree with me that Nickelodeon is intentionally sabotaging SpongeBob SquarePants?

 

[MattTheSpongeFanatic]

I'm not being sarcastic. Nickelodeon really is trying to end SpongeBob in my opinion.

 

[Vuvuzela Smasher]

I don't think there's any sort of conspiracy going on, I think Nickelodeon is just incapable of learning. Rugrats and Jimmy Neutron should have taught them that spinoffs don't work, but in order for that to happen they would need to be able to accept that they made mistakes.

 

[Sara SquarePants]

I'm not being sarcastic. Nickelodeon really is trying to end SpongeBob in my opinion.

In that case, I am 100% in agreement!

I have had suspicions for many years that Nickelodeon has been trying so hard to kill this show and their actions after Stephen Hillenburg's death prove it

The question is:

Why would they want to get rid of a cartoon that brings them profits?

The only explanation I can come up with is that Nick knows that SpongeBob SquarePants is getting in the way of the network TRULY thriving and are intentionally sabotaging it to save themselves

 

[Sara SquarePants]

I don't think there's any sort of conspiracy going on, I think Nickelodeon is just incapable of learning. Rugrats and Jimmy Neutron should have taught them that spinoffs don't work, but in order for that to happen they would need to be able to accept that they made mistakes.

I personally believe that there IS a conspiracy going on

Remember how this is the same network who has harbored pedophiles for decades...

 

[Sara SquarePants]

I don't think there's any sort of conspiracy going on, I think Nickelodeon is just incapable of learning. Rugrats and Jimmy Neutron should have taught them that spinoffs don't work, but in order for that to happen they would need to be able to accept that they made mistakes.

They're money-hungry which is the direct result of SpongeBob's unprecedented popularity

 

[Sara SquarePants]

Sorry for triple-posting!

 

[TheCrunchyPudding00]

They have definitely been reshaping the show in recent years, but I would rather have Vincent Waller do what he wants with they show than worry about trying to emulate the “Hillenburg Style”

 

[Sara SquarePants]

But is Vincent Waller REALLY a good replacement for Stephen Hillenburg?

He is reshaping SpongeBob SquarePants...into Ren & Stimpy!

A show created by a well-known pedophile isn't something that should be emulated IMHO

Also, the "Hillenburg Style" is what made this show popular in the first place

 

[Grass-Skirt-Chase]

In that case, I am 100% in agreement!

I have had suspicions for many years that Nickelodeon has been trying so hard to kill this show and their actions after Stephen Hillenburg's death prove it

The question is:

Why would they want to get rid of a cartoon that brings them profits?

The only explanation I can come up with is that Nick knows that SpongeBob SquarePants is getting in the way of the network TRULY thriving and are intentionally sabotaging it to save themselves

Um... SpongeBob SquarePants is Nickelodeon’s most popular and profitable show. I doubt they’re trying to sabotage it. They’re likely just butchering it and milking it for money, no matter the consequences.

 

[Sara SquarePants]

Yes but their recent actions suggest otherwise

I'm not sure if being a popular and profitable show would make any difference to them since Rugrats and The Fairly OddParents were also successful cartoons yet Nickelodeon sabotaged them regardless of that fact

It's hard to say for certain without actually being an employee at Nick what's REALLY going on behind-the-scenes...

Also, their blatant disrespect of Stephen Hillenburg is straight out of the intentional sabotage playbook as well

 

[SpongeBobfan1987]

It seems they're trying to pull the same crap CN did with that sub-par Powerpuff Girls reboot...

But unlike with the SpongeBob SquarePants IP in its current state, whose creator and visionary, Stephen Hillenburg, has passed away, the original creator of the Powerpuff Girls classic IP, Craig McCracken, is still alive and involved in a few other animation projects.

 

[YouDontKnowSponge]

I mean they have 12 seasons to re-show on the channel so if Nick did end SpongeBob, it would not harm the channel.

 

[Sara SquarePants]

^exactly

They have NOTHING to lose by pulling the plug at this point!

Nickelodeon is just either too lazy or cowardly in their current state to realize that SpongeBob SquarePants really has gone downhill

 

[SpongeBobfan1987]

^exactly

They have NOTHING to lose by pulling the plug at this point!

Nickelodeon is just either too lazy or cowardly in their current state to realize that SpongeBob SquarePants really has gone downhill

...and if they keep going at this point, it's going to be more difficult to collect the DVD box sets for each and every season!

 

[Sara SquarePants]

Yes that is also true!

It might be best to call it quits now before the show gets irredeemably awful

 

[Bigsmoker]

I'm not sure I understood you well. I think they just want to earn more money by those spin offs. Spongebob is something unique, it has a lot of fans and love. They see they can receive more money of it.