'SpongeBob SquarePants' spinoffs are in development at Nickelodeon

In an effort to win back some of its younger viewers, Nickelodeon has revealed their plans to bring back some classic shows while creating spinoffs of others. One of these shows is our beloved SpongeBob SquarePants, which could end up with a spinoff sooner than we think.

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Nickelodeon is well aware that we currently live in a world where their target audience is more likely to be watching video on YouTube and Netflix. In a world of tablets and smart phones, it’s not as likely that kids will sit down in front of a TV to watch their favorite shows.

“There are definitely headwinds, and for all of linear television. In many ways, the kids’ business has been more affected by it,” Nickelodeon president Brian Robbins tells Variety.  “If you make content and shows that kids want to watch, they will show up for it.”

This big change in viewing habits has not gone unnoticed by Nick as they plan to adjust to their audience.

“The cable model was a rinse-and-repeat model. Today we live in a binge-viewing world. Give me a fresh show. Give me another fresh show. I want to watch it, eat it up and go on to the next show,” Robbins says.

“What used to be OK was having one or two hits, then making a zillion episodes of them, and then repeating them. That was enough to satisfy the kid audience because they didn’t have choice. I think today we need to make a volume of quality franchises, but not necessarily feed a million episodes of those shows. We need to keep a constant number of new shows coming, and not necessarily make one show with 80 episodes.”

Cue the idea for a SpongeBob SquarePants spinoff.

The series has been a Nickelodeon classic since 1999, thus being able to pull in a large generation of fans.

“That’s our Marvel Universe,” Robbins said. “You have this amazing show that’s run for almost twenty years.”

But fear not, Robbins pledged that the network would still continue to make our favorite yellow sponge. They’re simply looking to expand on the idea.

As far as spinoff options go, Robbins states they may be looking to “tell an original story about SpongeBob and Patrick, or maybe tell a Sandy Cheeks stand-alone story, or can Plankton have his own? I think the fans are clamoring for it.”

Would you watch a spinoff of SpongeBob? Sound off in the comments below!

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