Big Nate (TV series)

Big Nate is an animated series for American television, created by Mitch Watson and adapted from Lincoln Peirce’s comic strip and book series. The show centers on Nate Wright, a spirited and rebellious sixth-grader who is often incompetent, and his group of friends. It debuted on Paramount+ on February 17, 2022, and was picked up for a second season that began on July 7, 2023. On March 28, 2024, the series was taken off Paramount+ due to a company strategy to prioritize content with broad global appeal. Production wrapped on July 25, 2024. Though removed from the streaming service, most episodes remain available for digital purchase. On August 26, 2024, all season two episodes, including those previously unreleased, were made available for purchase on Apple TV and Amazon Prime. The story follows Nate Wright, an 11-year-old sixth-grader who loves pulling pranks and drawing cartoons, often clashing with his social studies teacher Mrs. Godfrey, whom he calls “the school’s Godzilla.” He also runs afoul of Principal Nichols and aging science teacher Mr. Galvin. At home, Nate lives with his single father Martin and his older sister Ellen. His friend group includes Francis, Dee Dee, Teddy, Chad, and Amy—a character created for the series who uses an electric wheelchair and is Dee Dee’s girlfriend. Dee Dee, unlike in the comic strip, is a lesbian. The cast features Ben Giroux as Nate, Dove Cameron as Ellen, Rob Delaney as Martin, Daniel MK Cohen as Francis, Bryce Charles as Dee Dee, Arnie Pantoja as Teddy, Charlie Schlatter as Chad, Kevin Michael Richardson as Principal Nichols, Carolyn Hennesy as Mrs. Godfrey, and Ali Stroker as Amy. The series was initially slated for a Nickelodeon premiere in September 2021, but in December 2021, it was moved to Paramount+ for a February 17, 2022 launch. Nine additional episodes arrived on August 19, 2022, and the show began airing on Nickelodeon on September 5, 2022. A second season of 10 episodes was ordered on March 24, 2022, with 10 more added on August 3, 2022; it premiered on July 7, 2023. The concept for an animated Big Nate series dates back to 1991, when Peanuts executive producer Lee Mendelson bought an option from Lincoln Peirce to develop a Saturday-morning cartoon for NBC. Peirce was paid $5,000 to write a series bible, but the project was scrapped the next day when NBC canceled all its Saturday-morning cartoons. On February 19, 2020, Nickelodeon announced a new animated series, with executive vice president Ramsey Ann Naito saying she had long wanted to adapt the books.