Following in the footsteps of Charlie Brown and Snoopy, Garfield, Huey and Riley Freeman, and Dilbert, among others, Lincoln Wright's comic-strip (and subsequent best-selling book series) Big Nate is heading to television in his own animated series. The new series follows the misadventures of Nate Wright (voiced by Ben Giroux), an ambitious but ever-mischievous sixth-grader, who along with his best friends Francis (voiced by Daniel MK Cohen) and Teddy (voiced by Arnie Pantoja) finds himself in all kinds of wacky situations, which typically land him in detention. The series has a wide range of characters voiced by various recognizable names including Rob Delaney as Nate's single dad Martin, Dove Cameron as Nate's disgruntled teenage sister Ellen, Kevin Michael Richardson as Principal Nichols, and Carolyn Hennesy as Nate's arch-nemesis and social studies teacher Mrs. Godfrey.
The series was initially set to debut on Nickelodeon, but like with many other recent Nicktoons such as the 2021 Rugrats revival, the SpongeBob SquarePants spin-off Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years, and the animated Star Trek: Prodigy, Big Nate will instead be finding his home, at least initially, on Paramount+. With its unique stop-motion-inspired animation style and bringing the popular comic strip/book series to life, the platform may just be the best way to get more eyes on the show.
A Big Nate television series has been in development for decades. In the early days of its comic-strip run in the early nineties, Lee Mendelson, an executive producer for the Peanuts holiday specials, purchased the option to make a 2D Saturday Morning Cartoon on NBC. The series never got too far into development as a day after the deal was finalized, NBC halted production on all of its Saturday Morning Cartoons and the series never came to be... until now.
Here's the Official Trailer for Big Nate
The first official trailer for Big Nate was posted on Paramount+'s YouTube page on January 11, 2022, giving fans their first official look at the overall feel and style of the series. With tigers, evil robots run amok, vomit, young love, a Mad Max inspired fantasy sequence, mysterious pizza slices, and of course a seemingly endless supply of mischief, the new series looks like it is certainly going to deliver on some high energy and hyperactive entertainment for audiences who are young of age and young at heart.
Paramount+ and Nickelodeon have been going all-in on marketing the series as they have been posting several animated shorts online, including one featuring the titular Nate being cast as a Seagull in his friend Dee Dee's play, as well as another featuring Nate trying to appear 'ripped' in order to pass Gym class. These shorts give the audience a good glimpse at the upcoming show's sense of humor.
Is Big Nate Available to Stream Online?
Following in the footsteps of other recent Nicktoons, Big Nate will first be premiering on Paramount+. Starting on February 17, 2022, fans will be able to view the first eight episodes of the animated series. In order to watch the series, be sure to sign in to your Paramount+ account. Here's the link to the series' landing page, so you'll know exactly where to go when the series drops on February 17.
If you're not too keen to just stream on your computer screen, you're in luck as the Paramount+ is available to download on various devices! The app is readily available on Amazon Fire devices, Roku, Apple TV, most Smart TV devices, iPhone, Android, Xbox One and the Xbox Series X, and the Playstation 4. So be sure to have the app downloaded and ready by the time Big Nate hits Paramount+.
Can You Watch Big Nate Without a Paramount+ Subscription?
As of right now, there is no set date for Big Nate to air on Nickelodeon, and it seems that it will be available exclusively on the ViacomCBS owned streaming service. That being said other Nicktoons such as Rugrats (2021), Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years, and Star Trek: Prodigy all ended up airing on the kids' cable channel a few months after it first debuted on the streamer. There is no reason to assume that Big Nate would not follow that same kind of release strategy. Thankfully Paramount+ is a relatively cheap service, the ad-supported 'essential' plan is available for $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year. The commercial-free 'premium' plan is available for $9.99 a month or $99.99 for a year. These prices make Paramount+ one of the cheaper premium streaming services out there.
Will Big Nate Be Leaving Paramount+?
Most likely not. Like other major streaming services, the original programming made for Paramount+, very rarely if ever, leaves the platform. So if you are interested in watching Big Nate, but aren't in a rush to see it, there will still be plenty of time to watch it. If you have yet to ever subscribe to Paramount+, you are in luck as first-time subscribers get the first 7 days of their subscription for free of charge and can cancel their plan at any time, but with all the content on the service, you may be tempted to stick around.
What Other Nickelodeon Shows are Available to Stream on Paramount+?
Paramount+ offers up a vast catalog of Nicktoons both old and new. From 12 iconic seasons of the ever-popular hit SpongeBob SquarePants as well as the CGI prequel spin-off series Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years. Paramount+ also features newer, more modern Nicktoons such as the hit series The Loud House as well as the spin-off The Casagrandes and the live-action TV movie A Loud House Christmas.
Paramount+ also has plenty of your childhood favorites from Nickelodeon, both live-action and animated. The entire collection of episodes for hit series such as The Fairly Odd Parents, The Adventures Of Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend Of Korra, Drake & Josh, iCarly, Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, Victorious, Danny Phantom, and Hey Arnold, among many, many others are all available to stream on the app.