''Special Delivery'' is an American
anthology series
An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a dif ...
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. It ...
, broadcast during weekend afternoons from 1980 until 1993, when the network's original programming output was deemed sufficient to discontinue the block. ''Special Delivery'' mainly carried a variety of productions for children purchased by Nickelodeon, including both live-action and animated programming. Much of this programming was made up of children-focused
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 ...
s produced in Canada in the 1970s and 80s, short films originally made for the ''
ABC Afterschool Special'' and ''
CBS Schoolbreak Special
''CBS Schoolbreak Special'' is an American anthology series for teenagers that aired on CBS from December 1978 to January 1996. The series began under the title ''CBS Afternoon Playhouse'', and was changed during the 1984–85 season. The concept ...
'' anthology series, sports specials (often
with the time purchased from Nickelodeon by the event's distributors), and some unsold
television pilot
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 ...
s adapted to an hour-long timeslot.
From 1987 to 1989, ''16 Cinema'', which aired specials targeted towards teenagers, aired an hour after ''Special Delivery'' on Sundays. Several half-hour ''Special Delivery'' episodes plus new specials aired on weekdays as ''Nickelodeon Lunch Break Theater'' (in the summer of 1992), ''Nick Jr. Lunchbreak Theater'' (from late 1992 to April 1993), and ''Nick Jr. Storytime'' (from April 1993 to June 1995).
Overview
Presentations on ''Special Delivery'' were varied in focus and origin. A May 1984 issue of ''
Boys' Life
''Scout Life'' (formerly ''Boys' Life'') is the monthly magazine of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Its target readers are boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 18. The magazine‘s headquarters are in Irving, Texas.
''Scout Life'' is pu ...
'' referred to the programs shown on ''Special Delivery'' as "fill-in shows" compared to the rest of Nickelodeon's lineup.
Most programs were aimed at family audiences, but in an attempt to emulate the success of sister network
MTV, Nickelodeon occasionally aired rock-and-roll concerts as part of the block.
The earliest known ''Special Delivery'' broadcast was a
Rick Derringer
Rick Derringer (born Richard Dean Zehringer; August 5, 1947) is an American guitarist, vocalist, producer and songwriter. He came to prominence in the 1960s as founding member of his band, the McCoys. Their debut single, "Hang on Sloopy", was ...
concert aired in April 1980.
According to a March 1983 interview with Nickelodeon's acquisitions manager Eileen Opatut, potential acquisitions for the series were tested in schools before being chosen to air.
Episodes
16 Cinema
Nickelodeon/Nick Jr. Lunchbreak Theater/Nick Jr. Storytime
See also
*
History of Nickelodeon
References
{{Former Nickelodeon original series
1980s American children's television series
1990s American children's television series
1980s American anthology television series
1990s American anthology television series
1980 American television series debuts
1993 American television series endings
1980s Nickelodeon original programming
1990s Nickelodeon original programming
English-language television shows