Nostalgia is a powerful drug, as we've previously discussed in this space -- and, as any child of the ‘90s who has been compelled by some unseen force to click on literally any Buzzfeed-like list of "things only children of the ‘90s understand" can attest to, it's a powerful selling tool as well. It doesn't matter if your remake of a beloved movie is absolutely terrible: People are gonna go see it.
You know what's easier than rebooting a popular franchise or building a whole new one around a perennially popular throwback brand? Just plain giving the people what they want: Reruns of classic Nickelodeon shows from the ‘90s. Around the clock. On a multi-platform channel/alternative universe in which 9/11 hasn't happened yet, no one has cell phones, and those precious hours between the end of the school day and dinnertime stretch before you like so many lazy, possibility-filled fields of responsibility-free gold.
Yes, it's The Splat, a new programming block from Nickelodeon that consists of all your favorite throwback shows: All That, The Angry Beavers, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, CatDog, Clarissa Explains It All, Hey Arnold!, Hey Dude, Kenan & Kel, The Ren & Stimpy Show, Legends of the Hidden Temple, Rocko’s Modern Life, Rugrats, Salute Your Shorts, and The Wild Thornberrys.
Said nostalgia-fest will take over TeenNick from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. every night starting Oct. 5, and will also be online at TheSplat.com, which is good, because not a single ‘90s kid we know actually has a regular TV. There will also be an "emoji keyboard," so get ready for text-images of Melissa Joan Hart in wacky outfits, I guess?
