''Big Nate'' is an American animated television series developed by Mitch Watson and based on the comic strip and book series of the same name by

Lincoln Peirce Lincoln Peirce (pronounced "purse", born October 23, 1963) 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 young r ...

. 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. The show premiered on

Paramount+ Paramount+ (formerly known as CBS All Access in the United States and 10 All Access in Australia) is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, stream ...

on February 17, 2022. In March 2022, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on July 7, 2023. The show received mixed reviews from audiences who criticized its gross-out humor although the animation and voice acting were praised. On March 28, 2024, the series was removed from Paramount+ as part of a "strategic decision to focus on content with mass global appeal". Production on the series ended on July 25, 2024. Despite the removal from Paramount+, most episodes of the show are still available to purchase on digital platforms. On August 26, 2024, every season two episode, including all of the previously unreleased episodes of the season, were put on

Apple TV Apple TV is a digital media player and a microconsole developed and marketed by Apple. It is a small piece of networking hardware that sends received media data such as video and audio to a TV or external display. Its media services include ...

and

Amazon Prime Amazon Prime (styled as prime) is a paid subscription service of Amazon which is available in many countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services inclu ...

for purchase.

Premise

''Big Nate'' follows the adventures and misadventures of Nate Wright, a semi-incompetent, spirited, and rebellious sixth-grader. His friend group includes Francis, Dee Dee, Teddy, and Chad. 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 aging science teacher Mr. Galvin. At home, Nate lives with his single father Martin and older sister Ellen.

Characters

* Nate Wright (voiced by Ben Giroux), a semi-incompetent, spirited, rebellious 11-year old sixth-grader, who loves to pull pranks and draw cartoons. * Ellen Wright (voiced by Dove Cameron), Nate's girly antagonistic older sister who is responsible and mature. * Martin Wright (voiced by

Rob Delaney Rob Delaney (born January 19, 1977) is an American comedian, actor, writer, and activist. He is best known for co-creating and starring as Rob Norris in the sitcom '' Catastrophe'' (2015–2019), and Peter Wisdom in the superhero films ''Deadp ...

), the clueless single father of Nate and Ellen. * Francis Pope (voiced by Daniel MK Cohen), one of Nate's friends in his friend group, who is smart and intelligent. * Dee Dee Holloway (voiced by Bryce Charles), one of Nate's friends in his friend group and the president of the school's drama club. Unlike the comic strip, she is a lesbian. * Teddy Ortiz (voiced by Arnie Pantoja), one of Nate's friends in his friend group who is comedic and loves to tell jokes and annoy Nate. He is half-

Mexican-American Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the United State ...

, and half- Puerto-Rican. * Chad Applewhite (voiced by

Charlie Schlatter Charlie Schlatter is an American actor who has appeared in several films and television series. He is best known for his role as Dr. Jesse Travis, the resident student of Dr. Mark Sloan (played by Dick Van Dyke) on the CBS series '' Diagnosis: ...

), one of Nate's friends in his friend group, who is a red-headed chubby kid who loves food. * 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) ...

), the principal at P.S. 38. * Mrs. Godfrey (voiced by

Carolyn Hennesy Carolyn Hennesy (born June 10, 1962) is an American actress, writer, 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: The Ki ...

), Nate's social studies teacher and arch-nemesis. * Amy (voiced by Ali Stroker), a character specifically created for the TV series, she is one of Nate's friends in his friend group from New York, who is Dee Dee’s girlfriend, and uses an electric wheelchair like her actress. She first appeared in the episode: "Sixtween Candles".

Release

The series was originally planned to premiere on

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

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 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 and live-action programming that was typically scheduled on Saturday and Sunday mornings in the United States on the "Big Three" television networks. The genre was a ...

s at

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

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

bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

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, also known as development purgatory or development limbo, is media and software industry jargon for a project, concept, or idea that remains in a stage of early development for a long time because of legal, technical, or artistic ...

. On February 19, 2020,

announced an animated ''Big Nate'' series. Nickelodeon's executive vice president of animation production and development, Ramsey Ann Naito, 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. On June 22, 2023, it was announced that the second season would premiere on July 7, 2023.

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2022)

Season 2 (2023-24)

Shorts

Reception

Critical response

Ashley Moulton from

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an American nonprofit 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

* * * {{Paramount+ 2020s American animated television series 2022 American television series debuts 2024 American television series endings 2022 animated television series debuts 2024 animated television series endings American children's animated comedy television series American computer-animated television series American English-language television shows American television shows based on children's books Animated television series about children Television shows set in Maine Animated television series about families Big Nate Nicktoons Paramount+ children's programming Paramount+ original programming Television shows based on comic strips Television shows based on American comics