Is the All That reboot really all that?

One of Nickelodeon’s most beloved 90s sketch shows is making a comeback. All That has a brand new cast of young actors.

Original Show

Before we talk about the reboot, let’s take a trip down memory lane.

All That season 1 premiered on April 16, 1994. The show was a response to the popular adult sketch comedy show SNL.

Fave comedy staples include Kenan Thompson’s Ishboo, Kel Mitchell’s Coach Kreeton and Ed from ‘Good Burger’ and RepairMan-Man-Man-Man, Lori Beth Denberg’s ‘Vital Information’.

We all remember our favorite guest stars on the original All That show like Tyra Banks, Brittney Spears, and twins, Tia & Tamera. The show also introduced us to a long list of stars like Amanda Bynes, Jamie Spears, Nick Cannon and Kenan Thompson who went on to star on SNL.

During what is arguably Nickelodeon’s most popular time, the 90s saw cult classic favorites such as The Amanda Show, AAAHH!!! Real Monsters, Rocko’s Modern Life CatDog, Doug, Kenan & Kel, The Angry Beavers, and The Wild Thornberrys.

Nick is also reviving a bunch of original shows including, Rugrats, Rocko’s Modern Life and Clarissa Explains It All.

The Reboot

The All That reboot pays homage to the original show with sketches with the original cast. In the premiere episode, Lori Beth Denberg gives some advice to Danny and Reece about getting loud. Dernberg also passes on the mantel of ‘Vital Information’ to Reece.

Kel Mitchell plays Ed again in a ‘Good Burger’ sketch which might’ve been the best part of the premiere. Josh Server teaches the kids how to do a spit take. Kel Mitchell shows the kids how to convincingly make fake pain funny.

And Kevin Kopelow opens the show running around trying to find the new cast. This intro mirrors the original first show. The reboot also listed Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell as executive producers.

The show chose to keep the original theme song by TLC. TLC was also the first musical guests on the original All That premiere.

With psychedelic name cards for the new cast consisting of Nathan Janak, Kate Godfrey, Lex Lumpkin, Chinguun Sergelen, Reece Caddell, Ryan Alessi, and Gabrielle Nevaeh Green. The musical guest stars The Jonas Brothers.

Original sketches included ‘Masked Video Game Dancer Celebrity Edition,’ where the kids dressed up as celebrities judging other ‘masked’ celebrities’ dance moves. Lex Lumpkin played host Nick Canon another original All That alum.

Marie Kiddo was another original sketch. Kate Godfrey plays ‘Marie Kiddo’ a Marie Kondo type that will ‘help you get rid of your stuff.’ Nathan Janak hosts his own segment called ‘Canceled with Nathan’ where the host tells us what acts and behaviors have been officially canceled.

Is the reboot really all that?

The new cast is on the less diverse side compared to much of the original cast of All That. The original show was a trailblazer for progressive child and teen programming.

With diverse performers who were actual kids and teens not conventionally attractive 20 somethings playing them. When it came to family-friendly content, All That did not concern itself with keeping parents happy but was a show written for and often by kids. Will the reboot be able to be all that?

Still, watching the cameos of performers who starred in the original All That is priceless childhood nostalgia.

Perhaps the reboot needs some time to grow before we can compare it to the beloved original.  But if you’re craving some old Nick nostalgia check out Nicksplat, Nickelodeon’s streaming service that’s filled with original 90s shows.

The All That reboot is set to air Saturdays at 8:30 PM.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Buj3zSHWfSY

There are fewer things in the world purer than the melody to the theme song of Nickelodeon’s All That.

Sang by the legendary R&B group TLC, that unmistakable high falsettoed “Oh, oh, oh / This is All That / This is All That! /”  made you stop whatever you were doing to run in front of the television. Even now, playing it back sends chills fo nostalgia down my spine.

Coming on to the scene in the 90s, the live-action sketch comedy-show which starred a teenage cast and was targeted at younger viewers was the most popping thing for young adults at the time.

It was like a kids version of In Living Color or SNL and with characters like Baggin’ Saggin’ Barry, Super Dude, and the misfit fast food employees of Good Burger, the quality of talent matched, too.

Today, according to reports from Variety, Nickelodeon is bringing back the legendary program with it’s original and first cast member, who is also SNL’s all-time longest-tenured member, Kenan Thompson as executive producer.

Co-creator and an executive producer of the original run of the series, Brian Robbins, tells Variety that the show has managed to “stay in the zeitgeist for many years” and that “people really like it”, but more importantly, could be the key to what’s next long term.

“We think there’s a great opportunity to find the next pool of stars,” said Robbins.

“We want to bring the show back in a real fun way. This summer, we are going to bring back a lot of the original cast and the cast through the years, and let them introduce the new cast of ‘All That’ to the world.” He also suggested the program would be “a sort of mash-up of some of the old sketches and a lot of new sketches.”

Robbins was the eye that found Thompson, Kel Mitchell, Amanda Bynes, Nick Cannon, Jamie Spears, and others. A lot of them went on to star in other major Nickelodeon series, such as The Amanda Show, Kenan and Kel, and Drake and Josh.

For Thompson, it was an easy decision. After being pitched the idea from Robbins it was reported that he didn’t hesitate to comply. The two had remained close after their first stint at Nickelodeon and both are fond of each other’s work. However, Thompson plans on staying at SNL.

“If I’m not at the table read, I’ll be on the phone during the table read,’ he tells Variety. “I’ll be around.” He hopes the program will have a similar role at the Viacom-owned kids’ outlet. “I think it should be a staple show for Nickelodeon,” he said.

With some of the original minds around this project, it’s exciting to see how they’re going to tap in into the modern culture with a classic twist.

The youth could use more positive examples of people like them doing constructive good and All That can fill that void. The show can also be an opportunity for kids to get shine and to go on to the next level of talent.

The official air times have not been released.