Nickelodeon brings back 90s hits ‘Clarissa Explains it All,’ ‘Kenan and Kel’ and more

This week TeenNick, an affiliated network with Nickelodeon, is rebroadcasting old series from the 1990s that are considered classics by young adults.

Due to the high demand from former viewers via Facebook groups about the shows, the channel will be airing the reruns between midnight and 4 a.m. under the title, “The ‘90s were All That,” in reference to one of Nickelodeon’s most popular shows of that decade, “All That.”  Similar to the prime-time and overnight programming block that made its debut on the main Nickelodeon channel “Nick at Nite,” in 1985, TeenNick’s ’90s throw-back block will air sitcoms such as “Clarissa Explains It All,” “Kenan and Kel” and the cartoon “Doug.”

The channel says programming will largely depend on Facebook feedback as to what shows it will rotate into the block.

Cyma Zarghami, the channel’s president, said in an interview last week that viewers’ interest in the reruns had been “bubbling up” for the last five years, now largely in response to the flux of nostalgia through YouTube videos and blog posts that recall one of Nickelodeon’s past heyday eras.

Zarghami notes that there is very little risk involved with the channel’s new move.  Research has convinced Nickelodeon executives that the recycled shows will help bolster viewership for a low-rated time of day for TeenNick.

A statement released by Nickelodeon recently shows TV ratings skyrocketing.  Nickelodeon said that the first day of the company’s rebroadcast of the 1990s shows on TeenNick doubled the channel’s prior ratings.

Nickelodeon said in a recent news release that its Facebook page for “The 90s were All That” also doubled in fans overnight by 100,000, and that the channel dominated Twitter’s constant list of refreshed trending topics.

New York Times’ Brian Stelter notes that “the new data suggests that the old shows are finding a new audience as well as a nostalgic one.”

Photo Courtesy of ryanar1993 via Flickr