The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story (2020).

1. (The Plot)

The Orange Years is a documentary film about the formative years of the Nickelodeon network. It covers the creation and legacy of every show that you either grew up watching or that influenced the shows you grew up watching.

2. (The Good)

I’m always a bit apprehensive when it comes to documentaries covering those things that I grew up with. I’m worried that scandals will be uncovered or that people that I used to love weren’t great people. Luckily, this documentary doesn’t go for shock value or what I’d call “cheap heat”. It’s just authentic people talking about the creations that they poured their hearts into, and not a stone is left unturned.

I grew up during the “Orange Years”. I remember Doug airing for the first time. I remember watching The Adventures of Pete & Pete and thinking to myself, “This is really weird, and I don’t really know what’s happening, but i like it.” I remember wishing that I could be slimed. I remember wanting to be on Double Dare, trying to dig a flag out of a giant nose so that I could win a trip to Space Camp or at the very least, a year’s supply of Hershey’s syrup (although today I realize that a year’s supply of Hershey’s syrup is really just Costco sized bottle). It’s great to be able to go back and step behind the curtain a bit to see what had to happen to get these shows on the air. So many people are here to tell their sides of the story, from those behind the scenes to those in front of the camera.

To feed that nostalgia, not only are there clips from the show, but there are also the old commercial bumpers which brought back a ton of memories. “Ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-niiiiiick…Nickelodeon.” (If you know, you know.)

3. (The Bad)

Honestly, I just wanted more. I wanted more on some of those shows with a smaller fan following, some of those underrated shows. Luckily, I’ll be covering that on the Force Five Podcast very soon with some very special filmmakers (hint: it’s these filmmakers) because it’s impossible to give every show over the span of years their due when you’ve got to cram it into a sub-two hour package.

Oh, and they didn’t get Brad from Hey, Dude on camera. I’d love to see what she’s up to these days.

4. (The Ugly)

There was nothing ugly about this film on behalf of the filmmakers, but holy shit, I forgot how nightmarish the visuals from Pinwheel were. Imagine watching that show on mushrooms.

5. (The End)

This is a lighthearted walk down memory lane with the people who paved the road in the first place. It’s chock full of stories and laughs, and sometimes you want a documentary that does just that. I laughed, literally cried (which I did not expect - there’s footage from a segment featuring an athlete on Nick News and it fucking destroyed me), and I loved every minute. I highly recommend this.