Top 20 WORST Nickelodeon Shows
#20: “The Naked Brothers Band” (2007-09)
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At first glance, a satiric take on the trials and tribulations folks in the music industry face doesn’t sound half bad. The thing is, “The Naked Brothers Band” aired on Nickelodeon. Any of the mockumentary’s attempts at real criticism were watered down into droll, cookie-cutter plotlines. This then begs the question/; why even bother with a faux-documentary format at all? Unfortunately, the show never managed to answer that question. Instead, it buried its own pitch beneath a thick layer of obvious humor and flat characters. In the brothers’ defense, the musical numbers are genuinely pretty catchy. But, they aren’t worth yawning through endless eye-rolling quips to get there.
#19: “Game Shakers” (2015-19)
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The biggest issue with this program is that it doesn’t feel like a TV show in the first place. See, “Game Shakers” stars a group of young entrepreneurs at the helm of a gaming company. In a brilliant bit of cross-promotion, many of their inventions became playable titles on the Nickelodeon app or online. But, therein lies the issue. Episodes of “Game Shakers” feel like they were reverse-engineered to justify new games, instead of the other way around. Pair that with a distinct lack of charm or laughs, and you’re left with boring commercials. It’s no shock that this game ran out of lives after just three disappointing seasons.
#18: “Talia in the Kitchen” (2015)
Clearly, this ill-advised recipe had way too many ingredients. It featured a dash of wholesome humor, a sprinkle of teen drama, and a heaping dose of tonal whiplash. That’s right, even though “Talia in the Kitchen” baked in the oven for forty episodes, it never quite decided whether to be sweet or salty, a family-comedy or a teen melodrama. In the end, the finished dish only succeeded in leaving a bad taste in everyone’s mouth, including Nickelodeon’s. They primarily aired the series in two installments, with little-to-no-reruns in between. It certainly seems they weren’t happy with the meal they ordered, and after tasting it ourselves, we can’t blame them.
#17: “Supah Ninjas” (2011-13)
You heard that right. These ninjas aren’t “Super,” they’re distinctly “Supah.” Sadly, the show doesn’t get any more clever than that. Instead, it wastes its charming cast on jokes that are too low-brow to even be called “corny.” Then again, missed potential is kind of “Supah Ninjas’” thing. After all, they got George Takei to play the team’s mentor, only to saddle him in a hologram. In lieu of any real character development, episodes typically throw poorly-choreographed fights at the screen and call it a day. Understandably, most audiences seemingly weren’t having it. Since the show only lasted two seasons, it’s safe to say these ninjas went a bit too undercover.
#16: “Tak and the Power of Juju” (2007-08)
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To put it bluntly, this is the kind of show where what you see is what you get, fart jokes and all. Yes, it’s true that “Tak and The Power of Juju” has bright colors, quirky characters, and an interesting world. But, without any sort of moral to tie it all together, the whole thing comes across as grating and mindless. Let’s just say that, for someone who can communicate with magical creatures, Tak sure lacks a whole lot of soul. “The Power of Juju” was based on the 2003 video game of the same name, and honestly, you’re better off just playing through that instead.
#15: “Sanjay and Craig” (2013-16)
There’s immature, there’s crude, and then there’s “Sanjay and Craig.” Sure, no one expected a show about a talking snake to be sophisticated. But, this one flushes down so much potty humor, it makes you wonder who the target audience is supposed to be. We can’t imagine it’s anyone watching Nickelodeon, and no amount of celebrity cameos will convince us otherwise. If anything, they do the opposite. The randomness of “Sanjay and Craig”’s humor means there’s never a chance to settle down and explore the world. As a result, the show suffers from weak characters, weaker plots, and no reason to keep watching – not that there was much of one to begin with.
#14: “Pig Goat Banana Cricket” (2015-18)
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The pitch for this sounds like the setup of a bad joke, and given the results, it kind of is. “Pig Goat Banana Cricket” does, in fact, star a pig, a goat, a banana, and a cricket. Before you ask, yes, it’s just as chaotically confusing as it sounds, and not in a good way. Every episode is basically a walking, talking headache – one that can only be cured by turning off the TV. That’s no hyperbole; Nickelodeon essentially did just that with the series’ second season. In response to embarrassingly low ratings, “Pig Goat Banana Cricket” got demoted to Nicktoons. There, it aired as it lived: chaotically, with little rhyme or reason.
#13: “Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures” (2011-13)
Don’t let the name fool you, this show is about the farthest thing from “epic” you can get. Really, “Bucket and Skinner” is just a tired, shameless retread of the many great teen shows that came before it. It has the classic high-school setting, the generic love interest, the self-absorbed jerk. The only difference is, this time, it’s presented without any wit or heart to back it up. The worst offenders are Bucket and Skinner themselves. Despite the inordinate focus placed on them, they’re dopey antics get old very fast – like, before-the-first-commercial-break fast. With these two as the title characters, “Bucket & Skinner’s Epic Adventures” was doomed from the start.
#12: “Alvinnn!!! and the Chipmunks” (2015-)
After decades of the “Alvin and the Chipmunks” franchise defining Chipmunks media, it’s almost impressive to see this CG show get just about everything wrong. The well-meaning morals, the stylized plotlines, the remarkably smart comedy - it’s all essentially gone. In their place, Alvin, – and to a lesser extent Simon and Theodore – adopt a strange sense of humor that makes them feel more like brats than anything else. The rebellious edge misunderstands what makes the brand work in the first place. And that’s without even mentioning the show’s poor characterization and subpar animation quality. It may add a few catchy songs to the Chipmunks’ catalog, but otherwise, this is an unfortunate stain on their fantastic legacy.
#11: “The Haunted Hathaways” (2013-15)
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The only scary part of this haunted house is the writing. You’d think that, with a literal otherworld of possibilities, the show would evolve past the same old obvious punchlines. But, sadly, that doesn’t happen. Instead, “The Haunted Hathaways” squanders its fun setup with a persistent lack of ambition, both in the humor and overall storytelling. It’s maddening to see the show constantly default to bland tropes and clichés when its ghostly setting is capable of so much more. It isn’t even a particularly good ripoff, either. Suffice it to say, “The Haunted Hathaways” is barely worth the time it takes to watch one episode - and that’s maybe being generous.
#10: “Planet Sheen” (2010-13)
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Sheen Estevez had a pretty good life in the original “Jimmy Neutron” series; however, he leaves all that behind in this spin-off when he stupidly blasts himself off to a far-off planet that basically worships him for some odd reason. While the original series had clever humor and solid visuals, many believed that Planet Sheen’s imagery is painful to the eyes, and the only joke is Sheen himself –showing why he really should’ve stayed a supporting character. The series ended before Sheen ever returned to earth… not that he seemed to particularly care. Sure he was working on the damaged rocket, but he honestly seemed perfectly content to have left his family and friends behind.
#9: “Butt-Ugly Martians” (2001-03)
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Three Martians sent to conquer Earth fall in love with the planet, and decide to fool their gullible emperor with fake reports while they have fun with three teens and pre-teens - occasionally going toe-to-toe with a bumbling alien hunter voiced by the late Robert Stack. Though an interesting concept on paper, people thought the final product fell flat thanks to tacky writing and stock characters. Worst of all was the animation and character design, which put the “butt-ugly” in the series’ title; the humans look arguably even worse than the aliens. The series ran for 26 episodes before ending on a cliffhanger -setting up for a second season that thankfully never happened.
#8: “Marvin Marvin” (2012-13)
YouTube celebrity Lucas Cruikshank got the chance to star in TWO Nickelodeon sitcoms… and they BOTH bombed horribly. One of these hot messes features Cruikshank as Marvin - an alien disguised as a human teenager trying to adapt to life on earth with the help of his adoptive family. If there’s some deeper meaning about being yourself, viewers are bound to miss it – as Marvin’s annoyingly wacky antics and “hilarious” gross-out jokes overshadow pretty much everything else… including the supporting cast. While it could be considered Lucas’ swan song for when he finally left the Orange Carpet… that would imply that this feeble imitation of “Mork & Mindy” was some sort of high note, which isn’t the case for many.
#7: “The Nick Cannon Show” (2002-03)
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After his role in the smash-hit “All That,” Nick Cannon landed his own short-lived spin-off series. This semi-scripted comedy has Nick taking over an everyday place or scenario to match his more outrageous vision; we even meet a few familiar faces along the way –including his “All That” character, Latanya. While Nick himself has charisma, the show itself is pretty forgettable – trying to act as both a comedy and a semi-reality series feel off-kilter and boring. Not to mention, the premise of Nick changing things for his amusement every week was just too bizarre for viewers. The series finally ended due to low ratings.
#6: “Breadwinners” (2014-16)
The creators of the original “Breadwinners” YouTube short were reportedly shocked when Nickelodeon greenlit this for television… they’re not the only ones. The series follows two anthropomorphic ducks who fly around in their rocket van delivering bread to other odd individuals in a strange video game-inspired world. While it aimed for a younger audience, there’s no sustenance – the morals are half-baked, the voices are loud and obnoxious, the pacing is suffocating, and people felt constantly tortured with horrible rapping and heavy uses of toilet humor. Sitting down to watch this travesty is no way to break bread... and trust us, this series’ wordplay is even worse than ours.
#5: “AwesomenessTV” (2013-15)
Adapted from the YouTube channel of the same name, this sketch comedy, which was first hosted by “Victorious”’ Daniella Monet, and later by miscellaneous teen celebrities, features skits, music videos, and all kinds of hidden camera shenanigans both new and reused from YouTube. Contrary to the title, few found anything AWESOME about this show… at all. The jokes are dry attempts to connect with a modern audience, but ultimately come off as dated and unfunny –despite what the overused laugh track might suggest. Top it off with lazy editing and sloppy cinematography, and you get a very harsh life lesson – just because it’s funny on YouTube, doesn’t always mean it’s good for television.
#4: “Rob Dyrdek's Wild Grinders” (2012-15)
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This series follows Lil Rob - voiced by creator and real life skateboarder, Rob Dyrdek - and his gang in search of thrills and shenanigans as they take to the streets… oh, and they have a talking dog –because, why not. It’s been labeled a rip-off of the Nicktoon “Rocket Power”, and it’s not hard to see why – it tries to appeal to the “cool” skateboarding crowd… and fails miserably. As if the tacky animation and the bland voice acting weren’t enough, the characters are walking stereotypes in a boring, unfunny narrative. If it’s as loosely based on Dyrdek’s actual life as it claims, then it doesn’t do his life or its intended audience justice.
#3: “Nick Studio 10” (2013)
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Technically this wasn’t really a full-length show, but it was universally loathed enough to earn a spot on this list. From February to June 2013, our weekdays were plagued with an afternoon block hosted by forgettable teenagers –which includes behind-the-scenes activities with Nick stars and allegedly “funny” little sketches aimed for the pre-teen demographic. However, the studio content had no real structure, making all the activities into a loud, unpleasant mess; and their attempts at skits… left a poor taste in viewers’ mouths. Worst of all, they frequently interrupted any GOOD Nick program with random clips … just because they could. Thankfully, the block was pulled that summer, and Nickelodeon watchers rejoiced.
#2: “Fanboy & Chum Chum” (2009-14)
Adding to the Network’s plentiful list of dynamic duos are Fanboy and Chum Chum – two 5th grade comic book geeks whose everyday antics include sipping Frosty Freezy Freezes, pining over arctic-themed superheroes, or just being a nuisance to everyone around them. While the show does sneak in the occasional pop culture reference or movie spoof, those are tragically overshadowed by the unsightly, over-the-top visuals and annoyingly loud characters, and topped off with gross-out humor and dated jokes. What’s even more shocking, it’s rumored that Nickelodeon picked THIS show over “Adventure Time,” which ended up going to Cartoon Network. Well… we’ve all made mistakes.
#1: “Fred: The Show” (2012)
We apologize in advance for your bleeding ears. For unknown reasons, someone granted Lucas Cruikshank's YouTube character, Fred Figglehorn, three TV movies AND a TV series. Based on the web series, the show is just as you’d expect – Fred engaging in wacky hijinks, and screeching at the top of his high-pitched lungs. Unsurprisingly, few could stand his aggravating attitude or bloodcurdling voice; the show was pulled from the airwaves after a few months, and the Fred character was retired. Once again, we can appreciate Nickelodeon giving web content creators such a big opportunity, but at what cost?
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