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''All That'' is an American
sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and i ...
television series created by
Brian Robbins Brian Levine (born November 22, 1963), known professionally as Brian Robbins, is an American film executive, actor, and filmmaker who is the current President and Chief Executive Officer of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon. He also serves as Ch ...
and
Mike Tollin Michael Tollin is an American film and television producer/director who served as executive producer of the Emmy award-winning ''The Last Dance'', a 10-part documentary series on Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls dynasty. The series received ...
. The series originally aired on
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. Its ...
from April 16, 1994, to October 22, 2005, lasting ten seasons, and was produced by Tollin/Robbins Productions and by Schneider's Bakery in season ten. The
pilot episode A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distr ...
was originally shown as a special "sneak peek" on April 16, 1994, with the show officially debuting as a regular series on December 24 the same year. The series features original short comedic sketches and weekly musical guests aimed toward a young audience. Its sketches parody contemporary culture and are performed by a large and varying cast of child and teen actors. Early episodes were taped at
Nickelodeon Studios Nickelodeon Studios was a production studio and theme park attraction run by the television network Nickelodeon at Universal Studios Florida. Opening on June 7, 1990, as ''The First World Headquarters for Kids'', the studio attracted young tou ...
at
Universal Orlando Resort Universal Orlando Resort, commonly known as Universal Orlando or simply Universal, formerly Universal Studios Escape, is an American theme park and entertainment resort complex based in Orlando, Florida. The resort is operated by Universal P ...
and then moved to
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...
at the Nickelodeon on Sunset theatre, where other Nickelodeon shows such as ''
The Amanda Show ''The Amanda Show'' is an American live action sketch comedy and variety show television series created by Dan Schneider that aired on Nickelodeon from October 16, 1999 to September 21, 2002. It starred Amanda Bynes, Drake Bell, and Nancy Sulli ...
'', '' Kenan & Kel'', and '' Drake & Josh'' were taped. ''All That'' went on to become a fixture on Nickelodeon for over a decade, and has received acclaim for its diverse cast and impact on
children's television Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run during the early evenin ...
. The series has spun off several members of the cast in their own Nickelodeon television series with varying levels of success. It has been marketed in other ways, including an
audio recording Sound recording and reproduction is the electrical, mechanical, electronic, or digital inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording t ...
, books, a feature film, festival tour, and numerous reunions and specials celebrating the legacy of ''All That''. In 2019, Robbins, the current president of Nickelodeon and co-creator of the original series, announced a revival of the series with original cast member Kenan Thompson serving as executive producer, with
Kel Mitchell Kel Johari Rice Mitchell (born August 25, 1978) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He was an original cast member of the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series '' All That'' for its first five seasons (1994–1999), where he was often paired ...
later confirmed in the same role. The eleventh season premiered on June 15, 2019, with musical guests
The Jonas Brothers The Jonas Brothers () are an American pop rock band. Formed in 2005, they gained popularity from their appearances on the Disney Channel television network. They consist of three brothers: Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Nick Jonas. Raised in Wyc ...
. Original cast members
Lori Beth Denberg Lori Beth Denberg (born February 2, 1976) is an American actress and comedian. She is best known for her work as an original cast member of the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series ''All That'' and for her role as Lydia Liza Gutman on The WB sitcom ...
and Josh Server each appeared, and would make sporadic appearances throughout the season. The last episode of the series aired on December 17, 2020, after production was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


History


Development

Brian Robbins and Michael Tollin created the show, and the
head writer A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits. In fictional comedy o ...
was
Dan Schneider Daniel James Schneider (born January 14, 1966) is an American television producer, screenwriter, and actor. After appearing in mostly supporting roles in a number of 1980s and 1990s films and TV shows, Schneider devoted himself to behind-the-s ...
who also became the showrunner of the series in the third season. ''All That'' marked the beginning of Schneider's prolific career in creating and writing hit television series for young audiences. '' The New York Times'', in separate articles, referred to Schneider as "the
Norman Lear Norman Milton Lear (born July 27, 1922) is an American producer and screenwriter, who has produced, written, created, or developed over 100 shows. Lear is known for many popular 1970s sitcoms, including the multi-award winning ''All in the Famil ...
of children's television" and "the master of a television genre". In 1986, Robbins and Schneider met while working on the
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
sitcom ''
Head of the Class ''Head of the Class'' is an American sitcom television series that ran from 1986 to 1991 on the ABC television network. The series follows a group of gifted students in the Individualized Honors Program (IHP) at the fictional Millard Fillmo ...
''. Becoming close friends, the two performers both shared a mutual interest in writing, eventually coming together to write and then pitch an episode to the show's producers just to see if they could do it. To their amazement, the producers liked their idea and bought it. Their episode ("Will the Real Arvid Engen Please Stand Up") later aired during the show's second season. Following the success of ''Head of the Class'', Robbins and Schneider were asked to co-host the second annual
Kids Choice Awards The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards (also known as the KCAs or Kids' Choice) is an annual American children's awards ceremony show that is produced by Nickelodeon. Usually held on a Saturday night in late March or early April, the show honors ...
in
1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicentenn ...
alongside
Tony Danza Tony Danza (born Anthony Salvatore Iadanza; April 21, 1951) is an American actor. He is known for co-starring in the television series ''Taxi'' (1978–1983) and '' Who's the Boss?'' (1984–1992), for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award a ...
and
Debbie Gibson Deborah Ann Gibson (born August 31, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Gibson released her debut album '' Out of the Blue'' in 1987, which spawned several international hits, later being certified triple plati ...
. Although they were unaware of the fledgling
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. Its ...
cable channel Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with broadc ...
, the two agreed to participate. The award ceremony that year was produced by
Albie Hecht Albie Hecht is a film and television producer and media executive. In 1997, Hecht was the president of film and TV entertainment for Nickelodeon before becoming president of the television channel Spike TV in 2003. In 2005, he founded and was C ...
, with whom Robbins and Schneider quickly struck up a friendship. Their friendship continued after the awards, and Hecht suggested they develop something for Nickelodeon. Robbins and Schneider declined his offer, as they were still under contract with ABC. By 1991, ''Head of the Class'' ended its run and Robbins started a production company with producer friend Mike Tollin, aptly named Tollin/Robbins Productions. The company originally produced several small budget sport documentaries. Hecht, now Head of Development for Nickelodeon, contacted them and asked them to tape a project for the network. The half-hour documentary they made featured the network's game show hosts Phil Moore ('' Nick Arcade'') and
Mike O'Malley Michael Edward O'Malley (born October 31, 1966) is an American actor, writer and producer. Born in Boston and raised in New Hampshire, O'Malley hosted the early 1990s children's game show '' Nickelodeon Guts'' before moving to Los Angeles late ...
('' Get the Picture'' and '' Nickelodeon GUTS'') as co-hosts of a comedy tour as they drove around to different cities to perform. Since their schedule only permitted for two days of taping, Tollin/Robbins had to make the entire show appear as if they had toured around the country. Impressed with the final product, Hecht later met with Robbins to discuss developing something; asking Robbins if there was any type of show that he would be interested in making. Robbins pitched an idea of creating a kid-friendly version of '' Saturday Night Live''. He brought Tollin and Schneider (as head writer) along to help develop the show. The three were influenced by classic sketch shows such as ''
The Carol Burnett Show ''The Carol Burnett Show'' is an American variety/sketch comedy television show that originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 279 episodes, and again with nine episodes in fall 1991. It starred Carol Burnett, Harve ...
'', ''
You Can't Do That on Television ''You Can't Do That on Television'' is a Canadian sketch comedy television series that first aired locally in 1979 before airing in the United States in 1981. It featured pre-teen and teenage actors in a sketch comedy format similar to that of ...
'' and ''
Laugh In ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' (often simply referred to as ''Laugh-In'') is an American sketch comedy television program that ran for 140 episodes from January 22, 1968, to March 12, 1973, on the NBC television network, hosted by comedians Dan ...
'', and began to flesh out a rough idea of the show's format. Schneider decided against writing the
pilot episode A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distr ...
and instead chose to compile the cast first. Usually, in television, the pilot is written first and the cast is assembled later. However, the three believed it was crucial to find the right actors first and then tailor to their strengths. A nationwide talent search for child and teen actors was launched that would last for several months. Eventually, Angelique Bates,
Lori Beth Denberg Lori Beth Denberg (born February 2, 1976) is an American actress and comedian. She is best known for her work as an original cast member of the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series ''All That'' and for her role as Lydia Liza Gutman on The WB sitcom ...
, Katrina Johnson,
Kel Mitchell Kel Johari Rice Mitchell (born August 25, 1978) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He was an original cast member of the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series '' All That'' for its first five seasons (1994–1999), where he was often paired ...
,
Alisa Reyes Alisa Adriana Reyes is an American actress, best known for three seasons that she appeared on Nickelodeon's ''All That'' (1994–97) and providing the voice of LaCienega Boulevardez in the Disney Channel original series, ''The Proud Family'' (200 ...
, Josh Server, and Kenan Thompson were hired.


Original series (1994–2000)

With the cast intact, writing began. The basic concept for the series was a half-hour show that featured a
cold open A cold open (also called a teaser sequence) is a narrative technique used in television and films. It is the practice of jumping directly into a story at the beginning of the show before the title sequence or opening credits are shown. In Amer ...
(which featured the cast participating in varying juvenile acts in a green room or around the studio before the show starts), several different sketches; including "runners" (short little sketches), and then a musical performance to close out the episode. The main staple was the ''Vital Information'' sketch which would go on to be featured in every show through the end of the sixth season (some people compared it to the ''SNL'' longest running sketch
Weekend Update ''Weekend Update'' is a ''Saturday Night Live'' sketch and satirical news program that comments on and parodies current events. It is the show's longest-running recurring sketch, having been on since the show's first broadcast, and is typica ...
). Cast and crew flew out to
Nickelodeon Studios Nickelodeon Studios was a production studio and theme park attraction run by the television network Nickelodeon at Universal Studios Florida. Opening on June 7, 1990, as ''The First World Headquarters for Kids'', the studio attracted young tou ...
at Universal Orlando to shoot the pilot in front of a studio audience on January 17, 1994. After taping was completed, the pilot was shelved as screenings did not test well with the focus groups, consisting of children, both boys and girls in different age groups, that Nickelodeon used. The scores showed that "Kids probably wouldn't like this new sketch comedy show for kids". Regardless of the negative response,
Geraldine Laybourne Geraldine Laybourne (''née'' Bond; born May 19, 1947) is an American entrepreneur and former TV executive. She worked at Nickelodeon from 1980 until 1996, when she became the president of Disney-ABC Cable Networks (including Disney Channel). She ...
(then President of Nickelodeon) decided to pick the series up. During the first season, writing partners
Kevin Kopelow and Heath Seifert Kevin M. Kopelow (born June 28, 1963 in Los Angeles, California) and Heath Seifert (born 1968Date of birth per Intelius search in Los Angeles, California) are an American television writing and producing team. They have written and produced ' ...
were brought on as producers and continued working in that capacity through the third season. They continued their relationship with Thompson and Mitchell by co-executive producing and head writing the spin-off series '' Kenan & Kel'' and eventually writing the feature film ''Good Burger'' (1997) with Schneider. After production on the second season wrapped in 1996, the show moved out of the old Nickelodeon Studios at Universal Orlando Resort in Florida. The network, interested in moving production of their live-action series to the West Coast began scouting sound stages in California. Production for the third season was completed at the Paramount Pictures studio before Nickelodeon obtained a lease for the 6230 Sunset Boulevard facility. During this period, Bates left the show and was replaced by
Amanda Bynes Amanda Laura Bynes (born April 3, 1986) is an American actress, known for her work in television and film throughout the 1990s and 2000s. Bynes began her career as a child actress, working on the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series ''All That'' ( ...
. A Nickelodeon producer discovered Amanda while she attended a children's comedy camp at LA's
Laugh Factory Laugh Factory is a chain of comedy clubs in the United States. The chain is owned by Laugh Factory Inc., and the founder and current chief executive is Jamie Masada. Endurance record The Laugh Factory keeps track of an endurance record ...
. At the end of the third season, Johnson and Reyes left the show. In 1997, the Sunset Boulevard property was acquired and branded as Nickelodeon on Sunset (formerly The Earl Carrol Theater).All That Fresh Out The Box''All That: Fresh Out the Box'', Steve Holland, Pocket Books, 1998 Production for the series would remain here until the end of the tenth season in 2005. The fourth season began with the additions of Leon Frierson,
Christy Knowings Christy Lorraine Knowings (born February 25, 1980) is an American actress and comedienne who served three seasons on the Nickelodeon sketch-comedy series ''All That'' (where she replaced Alisa Reyes in 1997 and was replaced by Giovonnie Samuel ...
, and
Danny Tamberelli Daniel Joseph Tamberelli (born February 8, 1982) is an American actor, comedian and musician. He is known for his portrayal of Little Pete in ''The Adventures of Pete & Pete'' from 1989 to 1995, as the voice and actor of Jimmy De Santa in the 2013 ...
to the cast. Knowings and Tamberelli were known to Nickelodeon producers having both participated in other projects for the network; Knowings was discovered while taping a pilot for a show called ''And Now This''; Tamberelli was the star of ''
The Adventures of Pete & Pete ''The Adventures of Pete & Pete'' is an American comedy television series created by Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi for Nickelodeon. It centers around two brothers, both named Pete Wrigley, and their humorous and surreal adventures in suburbia ...
'', and guest starred on the Nickelodeon game show ''
Figure It Out ''Figure It Out'' is an American children's panel game show that aired on Nickelodeon. The original series, hosted by Summer Sanders, ran for four seasons from July 7, 1997, to December 12, 1999. The show was revived in 2012, with Jeff Sutphen ...
'' where he befriended fellow guest star Kopelow. At the end of the fourth season, Denberg and Schneider left the show. Schneider initially left the series to create his own sitcom, and later took over a fledgling pilot for Bynes that would become ''
The Amanda Show ''The Amanda Show'' is an American live action sketch comedy and variety show television series created by Dan Schneider that aired on Nickelodeon from October 16, 1999 to September 21, 2002. It starred Amanda Bynes, Drake Bell, and Nancy Sulli ...
''. For the fifth season, Kopelow and Seifert took over Schneider's responsibilities as head writers and co-executive producers; Tamberelli succeeded Denberg as the new ''Vital Information'' anchor; added to the cast were Nick Cannon and Mark Saul. Although a teenager at the time, Cannon previously worked as the audience warm up and writer for the show before joining the cast. On March 13, 1999, Nickelodeon celebrated the series in an hour long show dubbed ''All That Live'' in honor of the show's "100th episode” (although it was chronologically the 86th episode to be aired on the network). The episode was the first, and only occurrence in the show's history done entirely live in front of a studio audience. The 100th episode featured several celebrities: Melissa Joan Hart ('' Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' and Nickelodeon's ''
Clarissa Explains It All ''Clarissa Explains It All'' is an American teen sitcom created by Mitchell Kriegman for Nickelodeon. In the series, Clarissa Darling (Melissa Joan Hart), is a teenager who addresses the audience directly to explain the things that are happenin ...
''),
Larisa Oleynik Larisa Romanovna Oleynik (; born June 7, 1981) is an American actress who became a teen idol in the 1990s. Born in Santa Clara and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, Oleynik began her career as a child actor, first appearing ...
(Nickelodeon's ''
The Secret World of Alex Mack ''The Secret World of Alex Mack'' is an American television series that ran from October 8, 1994 to January 15, 1998, on Nickelodeon (part of the SNICK line-up). The series was co-created by Ken Lipman and Thomas W. Lynch and was produced by Lyn ...
''),
Robert Ri'chard Robert Andrew Ri'chard (born January 7, 1983) is an American television and film actor, known for his roles as Arnaz Ballard on the UPN sitcom '' One on One'' and Bobby Walker on the Nickelodeon sitcom '' Cousin Skeeter''. Early life Ri'chard wa ...
(Nickelodeon's ''
Cousin Skeeter ''Cousin Skeeter'' is an American children's sitcom, that originally aired on Nickelodeon from 1998 to 2001. It starred Robert Ri'chard as Bobby, a young boy whose life changed when his strange cousin Skeeter came to live with his family. With S ...
''), and
Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
(in a taped video appearance; Spears was originally supposed to perform in person but had to back out due to a knee injury and
Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. She is often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, as well as being one of the most influential musicians of her generation. ...
took her place) all made appearances; with Bates, Denberg, Johnson and Reyes appearing as well. After the 100th episode, the show won the
Kids' Choice Award The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards (also known as the KCAs or Kids' Choice) is an annual American children's awards ceremony show that is produced by Nickelodeon. Usually held on a Saturday night in late March or early April, the show honors ...
for Favorite TV Show on May 1, 1999. The fifth season ended with the departures of Mitchell and Thompson. Stand-up comedian
Gabriel Iglesias Gabriel Jesús Iglesias (born July 15, 1976), also known as Fluffy, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He has produced a number of stand-up specials for television outlets such as Comedy Central and Netflix, including ''I'm Not Fat… I ...
was hired to replace the two for the following season. The abbreviated sixth season was followed by a nationwide summer tour titled ''All That Music and More Festival'' hosted by the cast and featured musical guests. Kopelow, Seifert and the entire cast left the series soon after. In their absence, Schneider returned as showrunner.


Relaunch series (2002–2005)

In 2000, ''All That'' was put on hiatus to be relaunched with a new cast. During the hiatus, Nickelodeon ran a series of specials. Production for the seventh season started back up a year later after an extensive nationwide talent search for child and teen actors. Ultimately hired were Chelsea Brummet,
Jack DeSena John Patrick De Sena (born December 6, 1987), better known by his stage name Jack DeSena, is an American actor. He is best known for his work on the sketch comedy series '' All That'', for the voice work of Sokka on the Nickelodeon series '' Ava ...
, Lisa Foiles, Bryan Hearne,
Shane Lyons Shane Lyons (born February 18, 1988) is an American chef, restaurateur and actor. He and partner Nick Lovvachini opened their New York restaurant in June 2013. Lyons was also a contestant on the 4th season of the Food Network Food Network ...
,
Giovonnie Samuels Giovonnie Lavette Samuels (born November 13, 1985) is an American actress and voice artist best known for her role as Nia Moseby in ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody'' and for being a series regular on ''All That'' (where she was replaced by Kiann ...
, and
Kyle Sullivan Kyle Russell Sullivan (born September 24, 1988) is an American former actor, known for appearing on the TV series ''All That'' and the Fox sitcom '' The War at Home''. Sullivan was born in Los Angeles, California. He played the recurring chara ...
. The format of the series remained roughly the same as the original seasons, but episodes now featured a weekly host who would appear alongside the cast in sketches (the weekly host was gradually phased out of the show later on). ''Vital Information'' was also dropped, and replaced with a new segment called ''Know Your Stars'' which would appear regularly. The first episode of the "new" ''All That'' featured special guests
Frankie Muniz Francisco Muniz IV (; born December 5, 1985) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the title character in the Fox sitcom ''Malcolm in the Middle'' (2000–2006), which earned him an Emmy Award nomination and two Golden Globe Award n ...
and
Aaron Carter Aaron Charles Carter (December 7, 1987November 5, 2022) was an American singer and rapper. He came to fame as a teen pop singer in the late 1990s, establishing himself as a star among preteen and teenage audiences during the first years of the ...
and debuted on January 19, 2002. The eighth season opened with the addition of
Jamie Lynn Spears Jamie Lynn Marie Spears (born April 4, 1991) is an American actress and singer. From 2005 to 2008, Spears played Zoey Brooks on the Nickelodeon teen sitcom ''Zoey 101''. She is the younger sister of singer Britney Spears. Beginning in December ...
to the cast and marked the beginning of ''All That'' cast members attempting dares on the
SNICK SNICK (short for Saturday Night Nickelodeon) was a two-hour programming block on the American cable television network Nickelodeon, geared toward older (preteen to teen) audiences, that ran from August 15, 1992 until January 29, 2005. It was ai ...
program '' Snick On-Air Dare''. Occasionally, On Air Dares had special guests from other shows. Hearne left the series just as Nickelodeon advertised a competition called '' R U All That?: Nickelodeon's Search for the Funniest Kid in America''. The grand prize of the competition was an opportunity to become a cast member. After this contest ended in 2003, the finals aired on July 26, 2003. The contest picked five finalists, and all of them performed a sketch with the current cast. The winner was Christina Kirkman who would officially join the cast in ninth season. The competition's runner-up Ryan Coleman would join the cast later that year. At the end of the ninth season, Lyons, Samuels, and Spears departed the series. Spears left to focus on a new Nickelodeon show created by Dan Schneider called '' Zoey 101''. In 2005, the tenth season began with a celebration of the show's tenth anniversary. Nickelodeon celebrated the anniversary of ''All That'' by airing episodes from the first six seasons in the week leading up to a "reunion special" on April 23, 2005, hosted by Muniz and featuring Ashanti and Bow Wow as the musical guests. The special featured the cast from the original series and relaunch performing in sketches together. And, after a hiatus, the ''Vital Information'' sketch was brought back with BET's ''Coming to the Stage'' winner
Lil' JJ James Charles Lewis, III (born October 31, 1990), known professionally as Lil' JJ and Big JJ, is an American actor and stand-up comedian, best known for his role as Jordan on the Nickelodeon television series '' Just Jordan'' and doing Vital Info ...
as the anchor. The special also introduced Kianna Underwood and
Denzel Whitaker Denzel Dominique Whitaker (born June 15, 1990) is an American actor. Beginning his career as a child actor, he acted in the films ''Training Day'' (2001) and ''The Ant Bully'' (2006) before portraying James Farmer Jr. in '' The Great Debaters'' ...
as new cast members. Approximately 6.2 million total viewers watched the special on both its April 23 and 24 airings, making it the top cable or
broadcast Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began wi ...
program for the 2–11, 6–11, and 9–14 age
demographics Demography () is the statistical study of populations, especially human beings. Demographic analysis examines and measures the dimensions and dynamics of populations; it can cover whole societies or groups defined by criteria such as ed ...
, and TV.com gave it a rating of 8.7/10. Chronologically, the anniversary special and season were taped in the fall of 2004, then Nickelodeon came to air them the following year. After the anniversary, the new season began airing a week later. The tenth season would mark the end of the relaunch era of the show as Foiles announced the show's cancellation in September 2005 via social media. The entire cast and Schneider moved on from the series. Schneider would go on to have a successful career creating television programs for the Nickelodeon network.


Revival series (2019–2020)

In the fall of 2018, Brian Robbins, co-creator of the series, was formally announced as the new president of Nickelodeon. Now in charge of the company's programming unit, Robbins expressed interest in a revival of the show, saying, in an interview with the ''Hollywood Reporter'', that: The show's revival was announced as part of Nickelodeon's 2019 content slate on February 14, 2019. On May 14, 2019, it was announced that the show would premiere on June 15, 2019, with Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell serving as executive producers; Kevin Kopelow and Heath Seifert returning as consulting producers; and the involvement of former cast members in sketches. However, Dan Schneider, former executive producer of the series, would not be involved with the second relaunch as Nickelodeon had cut ties with Schneider in 2018. By 2017, Nickelodeon had ceased all operations at the Nickelodeon on Sunset lot and the property was later sold. Production for the revival series was done at The Burbank Studios (formerly known as NBC Studios) in Burbank, California. The new cast was officially revealed on ''
Today with Hoda & Jenna ''Today with Hoda & Jenna '' (also known as the fourth hour of ''Today'' or simply ''Hoda & Jenna'') is an American daytime television talk show on NBC, hosted by Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager. The program airs as the fourth hour of NBC's '' ...
'' on May 29, 2019. The cast included Ryan Alessi, Reece Caddell, Kate Godfrey, Gabrielle Green, Nathan Janak, Lex Lumpkin, and Chinguun Sergelen. An expanded episode order, adding 13 episodes to the initial 13, was announced in October 2019, along with Aria Brooks being added to the cast starting with episode 14. An additional ten episodes were ordered in February 2020, with eight of them being completed before production was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. However, despite the postponement, production did not resume. The format of the series remained roughly the same as the original era and the relaunch era. Minor changes to the format included the traditional cold open (which featured the cast in a green room or around the studio before the show started) occasionally appearing later in an episode rather than at the beginning; ''Vital Information'', now sporadically appearing, was kept on with Caddell as anchor; and ''Know Your Stars'' was dropped for the revival. The revival series featured the involvement of former cast members appearing regularly with the new cast in sketches. Numerous classic characters from the previous eras were revived as well. Besides Mitchell and Thompson; Lori Beth Denberg, Lisa Foiles, Alisa Reyes, Mark Saul, Josh Server, and Jamie Lynn Spears all returned to cameo. In celebration of the show's return to Nickelodeon, a Good Burger pop-up location opened to fans in Santa Monica, California. With the purchase of a ticket, guests have access to a menu inspired by the sketch and film, a small arcade, and memorabilia and set pieces.


Cast

The sketches of ''All That'' are performed by a large and varying cast of child, teen, and young adult actors. The following is a list of the main cast and featured performer from the 2019 revival (a complete cast list can be found in the link above):


Musical guests

Each episode of ''All That'' features a musical guest that closes out the show. Later seasons featured a weekly host who would appear alongside the cast in sketches (the weekly host was gradually phased out of the show later on).


Episodes


Sketches

''All That'' features original short comedic sketches that parody contemporary culture. Although the show had a team of writers, the cast was encouraged to help contribute their own ideas for characters and other segments. Improv and ad-libbing were used to help the cast and writers find the right tone for a certain skit. The following is a short list of some notable sketches that aired during the show's tenure.


Impact and legacy

''All That'' is highly regarded for its large diverse cast both in terms of ethnicity and gender. The show was praised in '' The Atlantic'' for breaking the classical norms set in children's TV with its cast, irreverent and unapologetic humor, and kid characters played by actual kids. When ''All That'' debuted in 1994, television was still primarily segregated by race as shown by popular sitcoms like '' Seinfeld'' (where the cast is completely white) or '' Martin'' (where the cast is entirely black); even '' Saturday Night Live'' was dominated by white male comedians. Robbins, Schneider and Tollin wanted the show to reflect its audience and also sought out varying musical acts (alternative, hip hop and R&B among others) to embrace the diversity


Awards and nominations


Reunion events

In 2011, Lisa Foiles joined forces with
Comikaze Expo L.A. Comic Con is a three-day multi-genre convention"Comic-Con vs. ...
, planning the first ever ''All That'' reunion with Comikaze Expo CEO Regina Carpinelli. The reunion featured a roundtable discussion, where the cast reflected on their tenure on the show and received questions from the audience. Angelique Bates, Lori Beth Denberg, Foiles, Leon Frierson, Katrina Johnson, Kevin Kopelow, Kel Mitchell, Alisa Reyes, Giovonnie Samuels, Mark Saul, Josh Server all participated in the event. Also in 2011, Bates, Johnson, and Reyes appeared together at '' Zooey Magazine''s One Year Anniversary Special Event held in Hollywood. The anniversary launched the Love Is Louder campaign which speaks out against bullying and hate messages. In the 2011 special "
iParty with Victorious ''iParty with Victorious'' is a 2011 television movie that acts as a crossover of the television series ''iCarly'' and ''Victorious''. It premiered on Nickelodeon June 11, 2011. The crossover's theme song mash-up, "Leave It All to Shine", pre ...
" (a crossover between '' iCarly and
Victorious ''Victorious'' (stylized as ''VICTORiOUS'') is an American sitcom created by Dan Schneider that originally aired on Nickelodeon, debuting on March 27, 2010, and concluding on February 2, 2013 after four seasons. The series revolves around aspi ...
''), when Carly Shay (portrayed by
Miranda Cosgrove Miranda Taylor Cosgrove (born May 14, 1993) is an American actress and singer. She was the highest-paid child actor in 2012 and was included on ''Forbes'' magazine's " 30 Under 30" list in 2022. She is known for her career on television, parti ...
) asks Kenan Thompson for a favor, he jokingly complains that everyone wants to borrow money from him, including
Andy Samberg Andy Samberg (born David A. J. Samberg; August 18, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, musician, producer and screenwriter. He is a member of the comedy music group The Lonely Island and was a cast member on '' Saturday Night Live'' from 200 ...
(Thompson's '' Saturday Night Live'' co-star) and half of the original cast of ''All That''. In 2015, Mitchell and Thompson reunited on ''
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incarna ...
'' where they performed a special ''Good Burger'' sketch. Dan Schneider returned to write the sketch for the show. In 2015, Comikaze Expo held the second ''All That'' reunion. Angelique Bates, Chelsea Brummet, Ryan Coleman, Lori Beth Denberg, Jack DeSena, Lisa Foiles, Bryan Hearne, Katrina Johnson, Christina Kirkman, Christy Knowings, Kel Mitchell, Alisa Reyes, Giovonnie Samuels, Mark Saul, Josh Server, and Danny Tamberelli all participated in the event. On April 22, 2016, Nickelodeon aired a reunion special consisting of new 3–4 minute shorts with most of the original cast, including Kenan and Kel. In 2018, Lori Beth Denberg, Kel Mitchell, Josh Server, and Kenan Thompson appeared together on an episode of Nick Cannon's MTV series '' Wild 'n Out''.


Spin-offs


''Kenan & Kel''

''Kenan & Kel'' is an American teen comedy sitcom created by Kim Bass for
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. Its ...
. It starred then-''All That'' cast members Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell. Sixty-five episodes and a
made-for-TV movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
were produced over four seasons. The first two seasons were taped at
Nickelodeon Studios Nickelodeon Studios was a production studio and theme park attraction run by the television network Nickelodeon at Universal Studios Florida. Opening on June 7, 1990, as ''The First World Headquarters for Kids'', the studio attracted young tou ...
in Orlando, Florida, and the remaining two were taped at the Nick on Sunset theater in
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...
.


''The Amanda Show''

''The Amanda Show'' is an American live action
sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and i ...
and
variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a comp� ...
that aired on
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. Its ...
from October 16, 1999, to September 21, 2002. It starred Amanda Bynes, Drake Bell, and Nancy Sullivan, along with several performing artists who came and left at different points.


''The Nick Cannon Show''

The premise of the semi-scripted show was that its star, Nick Cannon, a former cast member on ''All That'', would come across a situation he thought needed changing and then "take over" to make things better, or at least funnier.


In other media


''Good Burger''

''All That'' made one effort in developing a popular sketch into a feature-length film with ''Good Burger.'' Co-creator Mike Tollin said: The movie was released into theaters on July 25, 1997, with a budget of roughly $10 million. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 32% based on reviews from 38 critics. Most praise came to Kel Mitchell and Kenan Thompson's performances. Although the film received mixed to negative reviews from critics, it received positive reviews from fans and it was a financial success.


''All That: The Album''

On November 26, 1996, Nickelodeon released an ''All That'' CD titled '' All That: The Album''. It contains ''All That'' dialogues from the show, and songs sung by musical guests (i.e.
Faith Evans Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American singer and actress. Born in Lakeland, Florida, and raised in New Jersey, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 for a career in the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al ...
,
Coolio Artis Leon Ivey Jr. (August 1, 1963 – September 28, 2022), known professionally as Coolio, was an American rapper. First rising to fame as a member of the gangsta rap group WC and the Maad Circle, Coolio achieved mainstream success as a solo ...
, Brandy, Naughty By Nature, etc.). ''All That''s theme opening and outro theme were released on this CD. Music from the CD is mainly inspired by the show.


''All That: Fresh out the Box''

On October 1, 1998, Nickelodeon released a 112-page book of ''All That'' called '' All That: Fresh out the Box'' by Steve Holland. The book contains information of the show's sketches, cast members and notable points of the show. It also contains different character information as well.


Live tour

On June 30, 2000, Nickelodeon gave ''All That'' a promotional summer tour titled ''
All That! Music and More Festival ''All That'' is an American sketch comedy television series created by Brian Robbins and Mike Tollin. The series originally aired on Nickelodeon from April 16, 1994, to October 22, 2005, lasting ten seasons, and was produced by Tollin/Robbins P ...
'', which traveled all over the United States and was hosted by the cast of ''All That''. The tour began after Season 6 and lasted until September 3, 2000. The tour mainly featured the cast members of ''All That'' and a musical guest. Many of the musical guests joined and performed during the tour. Also while the tour went on, the cast members did numerous live sketches. There was also a ticket contest the year before the festival began. On July 29, 2000, Nickelodeon broadcast the highlights and events that happened during the entire festival.


iTunes

On August 15, 2011, the iTunes Store released ''All That: Volume 1'' with the first seven episodes from season two. On November 29, 2011, the ''iTunes Store'' released ''All That: Volume 2'' with seven more episodes from season two. ''All That: Volume 3'' was released in 2012 with seven episodes from season two. Just like ''
The '90s Are All That NickRewind (formerly The '90s Are All That, The Splat, and NickSplat) was an American late night programming block that broadcast nightly over the channel space of TeenNick. The block showed reruns of mid-late 1980s, 1990s, and early-mid 2000 ...
'' airings, the musical guest performances are omitted and the end credits are re-done as generic white text on black. ''All That Volume 4'', with episodes from the start of season 3, was released on iTunes August 13, 2012; however, episodes 40 and 43 are excluded for unknown reasons with episodes 45 and 46 included instead. On June 24, 2013, the iTunes Store released ''All That: Retro Essentials'' with four episodes from season two. The episodes are 217, 220, 228, 237. Episodes 217, 220 and 228 were re-released with the musical guest performances. Episode 237 has the musical guest edited out.


Reruns/syndication

''All That'' ran on
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. Its ...
from 1994 until 2005. ''All That'' aired on
Nick at Nite Nick at Nite (stylized as nick@nite) is an American nighttime basic cable television channel that broadcasts over the channel space of Nickelodeon. It typically broadcasts Mondays to Thursday nights from 9 p.m. - 6:30 a.m. ET/ PT, Friday nights fr ...
on Mondays to Thursdays at 8:00 pm from June 25, 2012, until July 12, 2012, alongside '' Kenan & Kel'' at 8:30 p.m. EST. The Nick at Nite airings, had the musical performances edited out. ''All That'' ran in reruns on
The N The N (standing for Noggin) was a nighttime programming block on the Noggin television channel, aimed at preteens and teenagers. It was launched on April 1, 2002, by Viacom and Sesame Workshop. Before the block's introduction, Noggin's daytime ...
(during its daytime block of
TEENick TeenNick is an American pay-TV channel that is operated by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Aimed primarily at teens and tweens, its programming includes a variety of live-action series inherited from sister channel Nic ...
shows) from March 12, 2008, to September 15, 2008. On July 25, 2011, TeenNick debuted a block named after the show, "
The '90s Are All That NickRewind (formerly The '90s Are All That, The Splat, and NickSplat) was an American late night programming block that broadcast nightly over the channel space of TeenNick. The block showed reruns of mid-late 1980s, 1990s, and early-mid 2000 ...
." ''All That'' aired as part of the block from its launch until December 27, 2012, then again from March 4, 2013, to June 1, 2014. ''The '90s Are All That'' airings, however, also have the musical guest performances edited out, along with their introduction sketches (presumably for time and the high cost of obtaining music distribution rights). It initially only aired episodes from seasons 2 and 3, later adding seasons 4 and 5 into the rotation. However, the reruns on The N in 2008 aired seasons 3 and 5 uncut and retained the musical guest performances (with the exception of the
K-Ci Cedric Renard Hailey (born September 2, 1969), known professionally as K-Ci (formerly Little Cedric as a member of Little Cedric and the Hailey Singers), is an American singer, songwriter and member of K-Ci & JoJo and Jodeci. Although Hailey i ...
&
JoJo Jojo, JoJo or Jo Jo is a given name, surname, nickname or stage name used by several people and fictional characters, including: People with the given name, nickname or stage name Musicians *JoJo (singer) (born 1990), American R&B singer, songwri ...
episode). The final rotation of these reruns included seasons 6 and 7.


Streaming

Seasons two through five and season eleven are available to stream on Paramount+. On May 24, 2022, Netflix announced that select seasons of ''All That'', ''Kenan & Kel'', and ''
Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide ''Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide'' (sometimes shortened to ''Ned's Declassified'') is an American live action sitcom on Nickelodeon that debuted on the Nickelodeon Sunday night TEENick scheduling block on September 12, 2004. The serie ...
'' would be available to stream starting June 21.


References


External links

* *
IMDB's All That 100th episode
{{Former Nickelodeon original series 1990s American satirical television series 1990s American sketch comedy television series 1990s American variety television series 1994 American television series debuts 2000s American satirical television series 2000s American sketch comedy television series 2000s American variety television series 2000 American television series endings 2002 American television series debuts 2005 American television series endings 2019 American television series debuts 2020 American television series endings 2010s American satirical television series 2010s American sketch comedy television series 2010s American variety television series 2020s American satirical television series 2020s American sketch comedy television series 2020s American variety television series 1990s Nickelodeon original programming 2000s Nickelodeon original programming 2010s Nickelodeon original programming 2020s Nickelodeon original programming English-language television shows Television shows filmed in Florida Television shows filmed in California American television series revived after cancellation Television series about television Television series by Schneider's Bakery Television series by Tollin/Robbins Productions Cross-dressing in television Television series created by Dan Schneider Children's sketch comedy 1990s American children's television series 2000s American children's television series 2010s American children's television series 2020s American children's television series