''Big Nate'' is an American

computer-animated Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes ( still images) and dynamic images (moving images), while computer animation refe ...

streaming television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air aer ...

series developed by Mitch Watson and based on the comic strip and book series of the same name by

Lincoln Peirce Lincoln Peirce (born October 23, 1963) (pronounced "purse") is an American cartoonist and animator, best known as the creator of the successful '' Big Nate'' comic strip and as the author/illustrator of a series of ''Big Nate'' novels for youn ...

. It follows the adventures of the titular protagonist, alongside his friends, in sixth grade. The executive producers are Mitch Watson and John Cohen. Peirce is also collaborating with the producers for the show. It premiered on

Paramount+ Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

on February 17, 2022. In March 2022, the series was renewed for a second season.

Premise

''Big Nate'' follows the adventures and misadventures of Nate Wright, a semi-incompetent, spirited, and rebellious sixth-grader. His friend group includes Francis, Teddy, Chad, and Dee Dee. Nate hates social studies teacher Mrs. Godfrey, whom he considers his nemesis and calls her names like "the school's Godzilla", and tends to run afoul of her, the firm Principal Nichols, and the ageing science teacher Mr. Galvin. At home, Nate lives with his single father Martin and girly older sister Ellen.

Characters

* Nate Wright (voiced by

Ben Giroux Ben Giroux (born October 24, 1984) is an American actor and director best known for portraying the Toddler in '' Henry Danger'', ''The Adventures of Kid Danger'', and ''Danger Force'' on Nickelodeon, Mikey Munroe in ''Bunsen Is a Beast'' on Nickel ...

) * Ellen Wright (voiced by

Dove Cameron Dove Olivia Cameron (born Chloe Celeste Hosterman; January 15, 1996) is an American singer and actress. She became famous for her double role of the eponymous characters in the Disney Channel comedy series ''Liv and Maddie'', for which she won ...

) * Martin Wright (voiced by

Rob Delaney Rob Delaney (born January 19, 1977) is an American comedian, actor, writer, and activist. He was the co-star and co-writer of the TV show ''Catastrophe'', and has appeared in comedy films such as ''Deadpool 2'' (2018) and ''Tom & Jerry'' (2021). ...

) * Teddy Ortiz (voiced by

Arnie Pantoja Arnie Pantoja is an American actor. He graduated from East Lake High School in Tarpon Springs, Florida in 2003. After attending Florida State University for a year, he moved to Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), ...

) * Chad Applewhite (voiced by

Charlie Schlatter Charles Thomas "Charlie" Schlatter (born May 1, 1966) is an American actor who has appeared in several films and television series. He is perhaps best known for playing Dr. Jesse Travis, the resident student of Dr. Mark Sloan (played by Dick Van ...

) * Principal Nichols (voiced by

Kevin Michael Richardson Kevin Michael Richardson (born October 25, 1964) is an American actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, he has mostly voiced villainous characters in animation and video games. In film, Richardson voiced Goro in ''Mortal Kombat'' (1995) ...

) * Mrs. Godfrey (voiced by

Carolyn Hennesy Carolyn Lee Hennesy (born June 10, 1962) is an American actress, author and animal advocate. Hennesy's early work consisted of guest appearances and roles in shows and television movies, including '' Dark Justice'' and in '' Deadly Invasion: Th ...

) * Francis Pope (voiced by Daniel MK Cohen) * Dee Dee Holloway (voiced by Bryce Charles)

Release

The series was originally planned to premiere on

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...

in September 2021. However, in December 2021, with the casting, it was announced that it would premiere on

in early 2022, later specified as February 17. On August 3, 2022, it was announced that nine new episodes would release on Paramount+ on August 19, 2022. The series began airing on Nickelodeon on September 5, 2022.

Production

In 1991, the first year the ''Big Nate'' comic was published, ''Peanuts'' executive producer

Lee Mendelson Leland Maurice Mendelson (March 24, 1933 – December 25, 2019) was an American animation producer and the executive producer of the many ''Peanuts'' animated specials. Biography Mendelson was born in San Francisco and grew up in San Mateo gra ...

purchased the option from Lincoln Peirce to make an animated ''Big Nate'' television series for

Saturday-morning cartoon "Saturday-morning cartoon" is a colloquial term for the original animated series programming that was typically scheduled on Saturday and Sunday mornings in the United States on the "Big Three" television networks. The genre's popularity had a br ...

s at

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

; Peirce "was paid $5,000 to write a quote-on-quote

bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

describing the characters and outlining a few story ideas". However, the day after this deal was finalized, all NBC Saturday-morning cartoons were cancelled, sending the series into

development hell Development hell, development purgatory, and development limbo are media and software industry jargon for a project, concept, or idea that remains in development for an especially long time, often moving between different crews, scripts, game engi ...

. On February 19, 2020,

announced an animated ''Big Nate'' series. Nickelodeon's executive vice president of animation production and development,

Ramsey Ann Naito Ramsey Ann Naito (born 1974) is an American producer of animated films who currently serves as the president of Nickelodeon Animation and Paramount Animation (both subsidiaries of Paramount Global). She is best known for her 2017 production ''T ...

, stated that she had wanted to adapt the ''Big Nate'' book series into an animated series for a long time. On March 24, 2022, the series was renewed for a second season of 10 episodes. On August 3, 2022, it was announced that 10 additional episodes were ordered for the second season, with the season set to release in 2023.

Episodes

Shorts

Reception

Critical response

Ashley Moulton from

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

gave the series three-out-of-five stars, stating "like the book series the show is based on, the TV show is likely to be loved by kids and to divide parents."

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

*
''Big Nate''
on

* {{Paramount+ American children's animated comedy television series American computer-animated television series 2020s American animated television series Paramount+ original programming Nicktoons 2022 American television series debuts Television shows based on comic strips Animated television series about children Animated television series about families English-language television shows Big Nate Paramount+ children's programming