Top 10 Darkest Nickelodeon Episodes

When Plankton makes no attempt to steal the Krabby Patty secret recipe, Mr. Krabs becomes increasingly suspicious of everyone around him and slowly descends into madness. He even goes so far as to ban paying customers from the restaurant and filling patties with dangerous objects. The episode ends in good fun, with a party to celebrate the one year anniversary of when Plankton first attempted to steal the secret recipe. However, watching Mr. Krabs’ mental state erode to the point where his every thought is of Plankton is pretty concerning, and it reminds viewers of the mentally consuming nature of perpetual competition.

Based on the classic Christmas movie “It’s a Wonderful Life,” this episode delves into Chuckie’s mind as a guardian angel shows him what the world would be like had he not been born. Chuckie, who initially believes that he’s unwelcome at home, soon realizes how disastrous his family would be without him and how much his family really treasures him. This episode has wholesome undertones, but Chuckie’s initial feelings of worthlessness and dejection indicate a sad truth that many do not know they are loved and appreciated by those around them. Thankfully, Chuckie is ultimately reunited with his family.

Nothing good can come from wandering around a cemetery late at night, but things get exceptionally spooky when Gerald tells his friends the tale of the murderous ghost bride. The gang uses this story to prank each other, first with Helga pretending to be the ghost bride and then with Curly pretending to be her. However, the darkest part of this episode occurs near the end, when everyone decides to cruelly get back at Curly by locking him in a tomb and leaving him in the cemetery. The thought of being trapped alone in a cemetery at night is enough to make anyone scared, but imagine being trapped there by your own friends.

For the most part, “iCarly” focused on the fun and shenanigans associated with running a web show with your best friends, but “iPsycho” was a rare foray into the dangers of putting yourself out there on the internet. When Carly, Sam, and Freddie, meet a lonely fan named Nora Dershlit during her 16th birthday party, all seems to be normal until she locks them in a basement. While they eventually manage to escape with Gibby’s help, the episode touches on the dangers of parasocial relationships and the difficulties associated with online popularity. With the rise of influencer culture and YouTube fandom, this issue is more relevant than ever.

Jealousy and resentment are never a good combination which is why, when Stimpy shoots to stardom and Ren gets left in the dust, their relationship becomes increasingly strained. What’s worse is that Ren gets appointed the president of Stimpy’s fan club and is forced to read and reply to Stimpy’s fan letters. This is psychological torture for Ren as he develops insomnia and goes so far as to consider murdering Stimpy. He only refrains from doing so when he imagines burning in hell for his actions. This episode is bound to make viewers shudder, from hellish imagery to destroyed friendships to envy-induced madness.

Difficult themes don’t always constitute a dark episode, but this episode certainly made viewers do some serious thinking. When Heffer chokes on a chicken bone, he falls down to heck where he’s greeted by a reaper-like figure named Peaches. While this episode is infused with humour, it depicts the importance of reflecting on one’s behaviour. Heffer only realizes how gluttonous he is once he’s forced to confront the repercussions of his habits in heck, where it feels as though it’s too late for him to change his behaviour. Thankfully, Heffer realizes that heck was just a dream and that he still has time to rectify his gluttony.

When you think of your worst enemy, who do you think of? In this episode, Danny discovers that he may be both his own and society’s greatest enemy when he sees a glimpse into his future. Danny learns that his future self is a menace who not only wreaks havoc on strangers, but also on his loved ones. This episode taps into a fear that many of us have, in which we worry about what we may become and whether or not succumbing to the worst version of ourselves is inevitable.

“Spongebob” is Nickelodeon’s longest-running show, and during this time, it’s had its fair share of dark episodes such as “Are You Happy Now?” and the aforementioned “Plankton Paranoia,” but “Nasty Patty” reigns as one of the darkest episodes of all time. When a health inspector visits, Mr.Krabs and Spongebob are desperate to impress. However, they become convinced that he’s a fraud and serve him a disgusting burger. To their horror, they realize that he’s innocent but it’s already too late. The blase manner in which Mr. Krabs and Spongebob deal with the inspector is concerning, to say the least, and it reveals just how far Mr. Krabs is willing to go to maintain his business.

How far would you go to fit in? In this harrowing episode, Zim proves that he’s willing to go to extreme lengths to hide his alien nature. He does so by harvesting his classmates’ organs and replacing them with various objects in order to appear more human. The act of harvesting children’s organs is horrifying enough, but the casual manner in which Zim steals his classmates' organs makes the whole ordeal even more upsetting. This show was definitely meant for older kids but, even so, people of any age would find this episode disturbing.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“Angelica's Worst Nightmare”
“Rugrats” (1991-2004)

“Buried Secrets”
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (2012-17)

“Moochmaster P”
“Mr. Meaty” (2005-09)

“The Return of Raggedy Android”
“My Life as a Teenage Robot” (2003-09)

“It's A Wishful Life”
“The Fairly OddParents” (2001-17)

If thinking about blood makes you squeamish, you might find it difficult to get through this episode of “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” Katara meets Hama, an old innkeeper who has mastered the art of water bending. However, Katara soon learns that water is everywhere, including the human body, and that Hama is performing blood-bending on civilians. Katara is eventually forced to use blood-bending herself, as it’s the only way to defeat Hama and save her friends. While the blood-bending aspect is horrifying in and of itself, Katara’s psychological distress as a result of the dark side of her powers makes this episode truly gut-wrenching.