Nickelodeon continues to be a staple in family programming, giving generations of children characters who stick with them for life. In today’s times, the network still keeps pace with new content, all while revisiting older shows too. But if you really want to keep people’s attention, you have to have a podcast, right? Who doesn’t want to talk about those SpongeBob SquarePants episodes that inspire memes today? Or dig into the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender and its characters? This is exactly what Nickelodeon is doing via a collaboration with iHeartRadio for not one, but two new podcasts about Avatar: The Last Airbender and SpongeBob SquarePants.
Courtesy of Nickelodeon/iHeartRadio
According to a press release, Avatar voice actors Janet Varney (a.k.a. Korra) and Dante Basco (a.k.a. Prince Zuko) will host Avatar: Braving the Elements. The original podcast will launch on June 22 and span a whopping 40 episodes. Varney and Basco will rewatch all the episodes and talk about the show’s themes and behind-the-scenes happenings. Special guests and producers will make appearances to talk about this universe and its creation. Think of it as the perfect excuse to see the series again and learn something new.
Varney expressed her excitement over working with Basco and diving into Avatar: The Last Airbender again. “It’s very rare to get to work on something that is so deeply rewarding, rich, and ongoing as the Avatar-verse,” said Varney. “I am so excited to be doing this new podcast with my wonderful friend Dante Basco where we’re going to be talking about all things Avatar-verse, starting with Season 1 of The Last Airbender, episode 1. We can’t wait to have everybody listen. It’s going to be a really fun ride.”
Courtesy of Nickelodeon/iHeartRadio
The SpongeBob SquarePants podcast will have two fan hosts anchoring its ship. Who, you might ask? Frankie Grande from Henry Danger and Hector Navarro of Nerdist Book Club and Geek & Sundry fame. SpongeBob BingePants (giggle) will recap all the show’s episodes with its hosts diving into the secrets of Bikini Bottom.
Their commentary will be hilarious because 1) they are funny and 2) there’s endless hilarity in SpongeBob’s universe. Right now, there’s no premiere date, but it will last 40 episodes as well. Navarro spoke about the upcoming podcast and his excitement over diving into one of his childhood staples.
“Like millions of fans around the world, I grew up with SpongeBob SquarePants and it didn’t take me long to realize he was *THE* cartoon icon of our time!” said Navarro. “It was an honor to get to host the Nick Animation Podcast and now I am beyond thrilled I get to co-host this amazing show all about revisiting Bikini Bottom, from the very beginning! ARE YA READY, KIDS???”
We are beyond ready, Hector. The Avatar: The Last Airbender and SpongeBob SquarePants podcasts will be available via iHeartRadio as well as other podcast platforms.