When most people talk about television in the 90’s, the usually focus on the big trio of Friends, Seinfeld and The Simpsons. At the same time, a tv channel, aimed mostly at teens, deserves to stand alongside those other cultural touchstones. Of course, we’re talking about Nickelodeon. While the channel existed throughout the 80’s, the next decade was it’s heyday. That juggernaut that captured the attention of kids, teens and even parents alike, created several shows which, if they haven’t stood the test of time, at least still have massive cult following. So it makes sense that there would be a documentary covering its formative years and the impact it left. Enter this trailer for the upcoming The Orange Years. Have a look.
Aside from an overuse of slight-zooms, this has just about everything you could want. Past the sheer nostalgia factor, Nickelodeon’s rise is important in the history. Today the company has 4 off-shoot channels. One of which was spun-off from the Nick At Night TV. Or how SNICK was the channel’s answer to ABC’s TGIF, yet convinced kids to stay in, on a Saturday night. Heck, the Kids Choice Awards are still an annual event, roping in big Hollywood names to show up. The programing may have been what everyone focused on, but the business itself has thrived probably longer than anyone could have imagined.
From the looks of things, The Orange Years managed to gather a great collection of talking head individuals, to shed light on the rise of Nickelodeon, as well as share a few fun details. There’s something welcoming about seeing Mark Summers excited to talk about Double Dare. Or, for those who we unaware of his existence before 2003, seeing Kenan Thompson talk something non-SNL is welcome (sheesh, he’s been on there for 16 seasons now). Clips from All That, Pete & Pete, Salute Your Shorts, You Can’t Do That On Television, and Clarissa Explains It All, all make appearances. What we see here is likely just the tip of the iceberg. It’ll be interesting to see how things shake out.
The Orange Years came together due to a successful crowdfunding campaigns and is normally the case there, doesn’t appear to have a regular release schedule lined up. Currently it’s slated to have it’s appear on November 15, at a documentary festival in New York. If it proves to be a hit, you can expect for one of the streaming giants (Prime, Netflix, Hulu) to pony up some money. Wherever it does land, we’ll make sure to update you. This may be the rare case where the nostalgia factor is the driving force and in a good way. Now excuse us while we go purchase large quantities of GAK, that our parents would strongly disprove of.
