The first trailer for the upcoming documentary The Orange Years has been released online. The film chronicles the origins and success of the cable channel Nickelodeon in the 1990s, featuring interviews with the stars and creators of the content that dominated the childhoods of those coming of age two decades ago. Shows like All That, The Adventures of Pete & Pete, and Clarissa Explains It All served to speak directly to kids without pandering, and they did so while also countering the more younger-skewing programming on Disney Channel. This trailer finds the stars and writers of those shows not only discussing the popularity of Nickelodeon, but how the guiding vision of Geraldine Laybourne allowed these series to traverse more mature content. It was precisely this mix of kid-friendly shows with a smidge of rebellion that made Nickelodeon so popular throughout the 90s.
This trailer makes this film a must-watch for someone like me, who grew up on a steady diet of Nickelodeon programming. Directed by Scott Barber and Adam Sweeney, the film is due to premiere on November 15th at DOC NYC at the SVA Theater in New York City (click here to buy tickets), but doesn’t yet have a release date. One imagines someone like Netflix could pick this up to great success. Here’s hoping we get to see it sooner rather than later.
Check out the Orange Years trailer below.