‘SpongeBob’ Spinoffs in the Works at Nickelodeon

A SpongeBob SquarePants spinoff in the works at Nickelodeon, as the network is making an effort to bring in younger viewers.

According to Variety, Nickelodeon’s new president Brian Robbins has made it a priority to fill up the channel’s programming with shows that captive a young audiences, and the SpongeBob spinoff is one of the first things he greenlit.

At this time, there is no word on which characters the spin-off will focus on.

“The cable model was a rinse-and-repeat model. Today we live in a binge-viewing world. Give me a fresh show. Give me another fresh show. I want to watch it, eat it up and go on to the next show,” Robbins said of how intends to approach running the network.

“What used to be OK was having one or two hits, then making a zillion episodes of them, and then repeating them. That was enough to satisfy the kid audience because they didn’t have choice,” he added. “I think today we need to make a volume of quality franchises, but not necessarily feed a million episodes of those shows. We need to keep a constant number of new shows coming, and not necessarily make one show with 80 episodes.”

Sadly, SpongeBob SquarePants creator Stephen Hillenburg will not be a part of the spinoff as he tragically passed away in November after a battle with ALS.

“We are sad to share the news of the passing of Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of SpongeBob SquarePants,” Nickelodeon said in a statement following Hillenburg’s death. “Today, we are observing a moment of silence to honor his life and work.”

Many of Hillenburg’s fans, friends, and co-workers shared messages of sympathy over his passing, including Clancy Brown, who is the voice of Mr. Krabs on SpongeBob SquarePants.

“My moment of silence had to be at least a whole day. Steve’s passing is so very sad but ALS is brutal, unrelenting. He was a sweet, humble dude. Happy. Funny. In love with his family. A faithful friend. A pure heart,” he wrote. “He is also a legitimate genius. He never thought so, but I do.”

“I owe so much to him, personally speaking. He never thought so. But I do,” Brown later added. “Thanks, Steve. Keep smiling’ & surfin’ dude….”

The planned SpongeBob SquarePants spinoff does not yet appear to have an announced release date.