Nickelodeon's Hey Arnold! In Talks For Revival, According To Producer

Published Aug 18, 2026, 2:31 PM EDT Jeff Dodge (he/him), a published author and graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena. Fun Fact: he’s been to every single Idol Live! Tour. The animated Nickelodeon series Hey Arnold! might be revived on TV, according to one of the show's writers and producers. Hey Arnold! debuted in 1996 and aired for five seasons. The titular character is an elementary school student with a football-shaped head who hangs out with his friends and gets tormented by Helga Pataki (who secretly loves him). His grandparents, whom he lives with, have quirky personalities, with Grandpa Phil taking Arnold under his wing and doling out wise advice. It's been 22 years since Hey Arnold! went off the air, but according to writer and producer Joe Purdy during an interview with The Direct, Paramount is considering ordering a revival. "Absolutely. Yes, yes, yes," he revealed, adding that the "ever-changing environment of the business and people who are making decisions," like Paramount and Skydance's 2025 merger, have had an impact on the situation. Despite those factors, there are discussions currently underway. Joe Purdy: "Absolutely. Yes, yes, yes. There is an ever-changing environment of the business and people who are making decisions. It's the cliché story... But be sure we are [having conversations]." As far as what Hey Arnold! would look like in a potential revival, the producer explained that they would probably only age up the characters by "a year or two" since they're already "so beloved" at the ages they've always been. Since Arnold is in fourth grade, that would mean he'd be in either fifth or sixth grade if the show came back; he would not suddenly be attending high school. Hey Arnold!'s time period has always been sort of fluid, despite being in the '90s. While the characters have stayed the same age, the technology has evolved over the years (including in the most recent movie), which Purdy acknowledged would still be the case in a revival. "I think it's just to add some technology also. It'd be a little strange, if not. So that would definitely be a huge difference," he said. Purdy has "many ideas and storylines" at the ready should Paramount give him the green light. "We're sort of ready to go," he exclaimed. Joe Purdy: "Absolutely, good question. We're asked that a lot. Would they be much older? Probably not. I think a year or two older. They're so beloved. "I don't know still in the ['90s]. I think it's just to add some technology, also. It'd be a little strange, if not. So, that would definitely be a huge difference. We have many, many ideas and storylines, so we're sort of ready to go. But I don't think it would be an abrupt, 'They're in high school.'" Craig Bartlett, who created Hey Arnold!, echoed Purdy's sentiment on showing the evolution of technology and society while remaining an evergreen series. "Technology keeps changing. That's the biggest change is technology," he explained. "And when we made The Jungle Movie in 2017, we gave Rhonda a cell phone, but all the other kids didn't have one." In a revival, the producers and writers would likely have a discussion about whether to give all the characters their own phones. Despite the possibility of including newer technology, a Hey Arnold! revival would not dive into politics. He said, "You had to be careful not to be too topical, is kind of the main point...A '90s cartoon can play perfectly well now because we had an eye towards that." Craig Bartlett: "Yeah, we probably would still not be political... You had to be careful not to be too topical, is kind of the main point, because cartoons are supposed to be evergreen. A '90s cartoon can play perfectly well now because we had an eye toward that. And technology keeps changing. That's the biggest change is technology. And when we made The Jungle Movie in 2017, we gave Rhonda a cell phone, but all the other kids didn't have one. I think they'd all have to have smartphones now, I'm afraid. And maybe that would be one of the things we'd talk about. Attention spans getting frayed by having a little computer in your hand all day long." Now is the perfect time for Hey Arnold! to come back because "people are so nostalgic for the '90s, and for good reason," Bartlett added. Fashion choices from the '90s have become popular vintage wear for Gen Z, and multiple TV shows in recent years have taken place in the '90s. Craig Bartlett: "So, we talk about the '90s, which is really the conversation, because people are so nostalgic for the '90s, and for good reason. There's a lot going on. It was really booming. It was boom times. When we got the chance to make The Jungle Movie, that came out in 2017. So already, almost 20 years had gone by, and so the question was, 'What's happened to Arnold's neighborhood?' And we had some gentrification going on. So, I would continue that gentrification thing, and... If you think about, I always like Brooklyn as a model, because Brooklyn has been gentrified like crazy in my lifetime, and it's kind of good and bad, and I think that would be kind of the interesting story: what's good about the changes and the progress, and what's been lost?" Aside from the original TV show, there have also been two Hey Arnold! films. The first one was released in theaters in June 2002 and grossed $15.2 million. Critics widely panned Hey Arnold!: The Movie, giving it a 29% on Rotten Tomatoes. The franchise redeemed itself 15 years later with Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie, which aired on Nickelodeon in 2017 and earned a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score. It won Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation at the Emmys. Paramount has not officially greenlit a Hey Arnold! revival just yet, but Purdy's most recent comments indicate that an announcement could be on the way in the future. It's possible that Paramount's current acquisition of Warner Bros., which has gotten mired in legal battles, could dictate when or whether the project gets off the ground. Release Date 1996 - 2004-00-00 Directors Tuck Tucker, Steve Socki, Larry Leichliter, Jamie Mitchell Writers Craig Bartlett, Steve Viksten, Joe Ansolabehere Franchise(s) Hey Arnold! Creator(s) Craig Bartlett Main Genre Comedy Seasons 5 Streaming Service(s) Hulu, Paramount Plus