Showing posts with label APAHM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label APAHM. Show all posts

Friday, May 08, 2026

What's New on Paramount+ in May 2026 | Streaming Release Schedule

Here's your guide to what's new on Paramount+ in May 2026! Try Paramount+ at ParamountPlus.com!

What's New on Paramount+ in May 2026 | Streaming Release Schedule

This article is for Paramount+ in the U.S.

Paramount has announced the lineup of movies, TV shows, and live sports coming to Paramount+ in May. The Paramount Plus May 2026 schedule includes Dutton Ranch, RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 11, Tyler Perry’s Zatima Season 4, Couples Therapy Season 5, and SkyMed Season 4.

Get kitted out for Spring with the latest ranges at ParamountShop.com!

Subscribers can also look forward to the final season of The Chi, Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 19, and more – including a wave of CBS finales, among them the Survivor 50 Season finale and the historic series finale of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Thursday, May 21.

Dutton Ranch

Subscribers can also access marquee live programming and top‑tier sports, including the American Music Awards hosted by Queen Latifah on Monday, May 25, alongside UFC 328: Chimaev vs. Strickland, three UFC Fight Night events, Zuffa Boxing, PGA Championship, and the return of the UEFA Champions League altcast Beckham & Friends Live for the UCL Semifinals and Final.

Paramount+ also expands its sci‑fi library with the most comprehensive Battlestar Galactica offering, available to stream Friday, May 1. In honor of AAPI Heritage Month, the refreshed Watch Us Rise Collection spotlights stories that celebrate resilience, creativity, and cultural impact across film, television, and documentary programming.

Paramount Plus May 2026 - RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars
RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars

Younger viewers can also look forward to two Nickelodeon specials, PAW Patrol: Air Rescue on Wednesday, May 6, and Blaze Video Game Land: A Monster Machine Super Special on Wednesday, May 20, along with Nickelodeon Movies Harriet the Spy and Nacho Libre from Friday, May 1.

PARAMOUNT+ MAY 2026 HIGHLIGHTS

Scroll down to learn more about these titles in the “Only on Paramount+” section below.

May 1 - Doin’ It - Paramount+ Exclusive* / Streaming Debut

May 2 - UFC FIGHT NIGHT: Della Maddalena vs. Prates

May 5-6 - UEFA Champions League Semifinals - Beckham & Friends Live Alt-cast (CBS Sports)

May 8 - RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 11 - NEW season Paramount+ Original Series

May 8 - RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars: Untucked Season 8 - NEW season, Paramount+ Original Series

May 9 - UFC 328: Chimaev vs Strickland

May 10 - Zuffa Boxing 06: Mosley Jr. vs. Bohachuk

May 12 - Tyler Perry’s Zatima Season 4 - NEW episodes, Paramount+ Original Series

May 15 - Dutton Ranch - NEW Paramount+ Original Series

May 15 - Couples Therapy* Season 5 - NEW season, Showtime Original Docuseries

May 16 - UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Costa

May 16-17 - PGA Championship*

May 21 - SkyMed Season 4 - NEW season, Paramount+ Original Series

May 22 - The Chi* Season 8 - FINAL season, Showtime Original Series

May 25 - American Music Awards** Live Special (CBS)

May 28 - Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 19 - NEW season, Paramount+ Original Series

May 30 - UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Figueiredo

May 30 - UEFA Champions League Final - Beckham & Friends Live Alt-cast (CBS Sports)

NEW EPISODES WEEKLY

Wednesdays: Tyler Perry’s Divorced Sistas: Season 1 (season finale May 27)

PARAMOUNT+ MAY PROGRAMMING

May 1

Battlestar Galactica: The Miniseries (Season 1)

Battlestar Galactica (Season 1-4)

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan

Caprica (Season 1)

Friday Night Lights (Season 1-5)

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

Ali

American Son

Before We Vanish

Beverly Hills Cop

Beverly Hills Cop II

Beverly Hills Cop III

Blue Chips

Bride & Prejudice

Bruce Lee, The Legend

Crocodile Dundee

Crocodile Dundee II

Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles

Dinner For Schmucks

Distant Thunder

Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story

Elf

Enemy at the Gates

Face/Off

Flags of Our Fathers

Flight Of The Intruder

Gasoline Alley

Good Mourning*

Grudge Match

Hamburger Hill

Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle


Holes

In & Out

Instant Family

Kate & Leopold

Killerman

Losing Isaiah

Memories of Murder

Most Wanted

Mother's Day


Open Season

Pootie Tang

Quantum of Solace*

Rules of Engagement

Run & Gun

Sahara

Scary Movie 4

Scary Movie V

School of Rock

Searching

Seven Psychopaths

Shaolin Soccer

Snag

Snake Eyes

Stepping Out

Stop-Loss

Super*

Swingers

Texas Rangers

The Adventures Of Sharkboy and Lavagirl

The Boss Baby 2: Family Business

The Corrupted

The Dictator

The Fan

The General's Daughter

The Guilt Trip

The Hunt for Red October

The Hurricane

The Mechanic

The Presidio

The Shootist

The Tin Star

The Tuxedo

Uncommon Valor

Unhook the Stars

Venom

Waking Up In Reno

We Were Soldiers

Wishful Thinking

World Trade Center

May 3

Watson** (series finale)

May 5

NCIS: Origins** (season 2 finale)

May 6

PAW Patrol: Air Rescue (new special)

May 8

RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars (Season 11) | Paramount+ Original Series

RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars: Untucked (Season 8) | Paramount+ Original Series

May 11

DMV** (series finale)

The Neighborhood** (series finale)

May 12

NCIS** (season 23 finale)

NCIS: Sydney** (season 3 finale)

Tyler Perry’s Zatima (Season 4 - New Episodes) | Paramount+ Original Series

May 13

America’s Culinary Cup** (season 1 finale)

Boomerang (Season 1-2)

Comic View (Season 2)

Gabrielle Union: My Journey to 50 (Season 1)

Gen Zone (Season 1)

I Got a Story to Tell (Season 1)

The Impact Atlanta (Season 1-3)

In Love & Toxic: Blue Therapy (Season 1)

Kingdom Business (Season 1-2)

Love You To Death (Season 1)

Perimeter (Season 1)

The Porter (Season 1)

Queen Boss (Season 1)

Real Husbands of Hollywood: More Kevin More Problems (Season 1)

Tales (Season 1-3)

May 15

Couples Therapy* (Season 5) | Showtime Original DocuSeries

Dutton Ranch | Paramount+ Original Series

May 16

48 Hours** (season 39 finale)

May 17

60 Minutes* (season 58 finale)

May 18

CIA** (season 1 finale)

FBI** (season 8 finale)

May 20


Survivor 50** (season finale)

May 21

Elsbeth** (season 3 finale)


Ghosts** (season 5 finale)


SkyMed Season 4 | Paramount+ Original Series

May 22

Boston Blue** (season 1 finale)

The Chi* Season 8 | Showtime Original Series

Fire Country** (season 4 finale)

Sheriff Country** (season 1 finale)

May 24

Marshals** (season 1 finale)

Tracker** (season 3 finale)

May 25

American Music Awards** (live special)

The Ultimate Fighter (Season 1-5, 7, 10, 14, 17, 21, 31-33)

May 27

Hollywood Squares** (season 2 finale)

Tyler Perry’s Divorced Sistas | Season 1 Finale | Paramount+ Original Series

May 28

Criminal Minds: Evolution (Season 19) | Paramount+ Original Series

ONLY ON PARAMOUNT+

RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars | Season 11 | Unscripted Series
Premieres: May 8, 2026
Logline: As Zac and Fatima navigate major personal milestones, mounting pressure from those around them tests their relationship and resilience. Shifting loyalties, complicated emotions, and unexpected challenges force their circle to confront difficult truths, as new opportunities and past tensions collide—raising the stakes and setting the stage for lasting consequences.
Format: Unscripted Series | 2x Then Weekly

RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars: Untucked | Season 8 | Unscripted Series
Premieres: May 8, 2026
Logline: RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars: Untucked returns! Step inside the Untucked Lounge as 18 legendary Queens take a break from the Tournament of All Stars. Secrets are spilled, alliances are tested, and drama runs high as the Queens battle for the crown.
Format: Unscripted Series | 2x Then Weekly

Tyler Perry’s Zatima (Season 4 – New Episodes)
Premieres: May 12, 2026
Logline: As Zac and Fatima navigate major personal milestones, mounting pressure from those around them tests their relationship and resilience. Shifting loyalties, complicated emotions, and unexpected challenges force their circle to confront difficult truths, as new opportunities and past tensions collide—raising the stakes and setting the stage for lasting consequences.
Format: Scripted Series | 2x Then Weekly

Dutton Ranch
Premieres: May 15, 2026
Logline: As Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler fight to build a future together – far from the ghosts of Yellowstone – they collide with brutal new realities and a ruthless rival ranch that will stop at nothing to protect its empire. In South Texas, blood runs deeper, forgiveness is fleeting, and the cost of survival might just be your soul.
Format: Scripted Series | 2x Then Weekly

Couples Therapy* (Season 5)
Premieres: May 15, 2026
Logline: Acclaimed psychoanalyst Dr. Orna Guralnik counsels four new couples in crisis, navigating stark political differences fueling daily fights in a volatile marriage; a discovery of secret, paid cuddling sessions that blindside a couple; two people on the brink of moving in together who get derailed by an autism diagnosis; and teenage sweethearts who, twenty years later, wonder if they’ve outgrown the relationship.
Format: Docuseries | Full Series Release

SkyMed (Season 4)
Premieres: May 21, 2026
Logline: SkyMed Season 4 comes in hot with new stories, new drama, and new characters flying air ambulances in the remote Canadian North. When Chief Pilot Wheezer and Chief Nurse Hayley welcome a new wave of rookie pilots and nurses to the team, it creates all-new conflicts, chemistry, and chaos, as the returning crew must navigate a whole new vibe on the plane and in the crew house. Exciting rescues and dangerous calls will put them all to the test as they race to save their patients – and each other.
Format: Scripted Series | Full Series Release

The Chi* (Season 8 – Series Finale)
Premieres: May 22, 2026
Logline: As The Chi enters its eighth and final season and its coldest winter ever, life or death choices must be made. The question becomes, who is willing to make them? Legacy, conflict, joy, and pain. It all collides in the biggest, most emotionally riveting way ever seen this season on The Chi.
Format: Scripted Series | New Episodes Weekly

Criminal Minds: Evolution (Season 19)
Premieres: May 28, 2026
Logline: As new, terrifying predators across the U.S. challenge the BAU, the newly convicted “Sicarius Killer” Elias Voit wrestles with an unwanted celebrity that arouses the bloodlust of a fledgling serial killer.
Format: Scripted Series | 2x Then Weekly

SPORTS

May 2 - UFC FIGHT NIGHT: Della Maddalena vs. Prates

May 2 - Atlanta Pickleball Championships*

May 2 - EFL Championship - Final Matchday

May 2 - UEFA Women’s Champions League Semifinal Leg 2 - OL Lyonnes vs. Arsenal

May 2 - Serie A - Como vs. Napoli

May 2-3 - PGA Tour - Cadillac Championship (Third and Fourth Round Coverage)*

May 3 - UEFA Women’s Champions League Semifinal Leg 2 - Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich

May 3 - Hankook Berlin E-Prix*

May 3 - LPGA - Mexico Riviera Maya Open (Final Round Coverage)*

May 5 - UEFA Champions League Semifinal Leg 2 - Arsenal vs. Atlético Madrid

May 5 - Beckham and Friends Live

May 6 - UEFA Champions League Semifinal Leg 2 - Bayern Munich vs. PSG

May 6 - Beckham and Friends Live

May 7 - UEFA Europa League Semifinals Leg 2 - Crystal Palace vs. Shakhtar Donetsk; Strasbourg vs. Rayo Vallecano

May 7 - UEFA Conference League Semifinals Leg 2 - Aston Villa vs. Nottingham Forest; Freiburg vs. Braga

May 8-9: EFL Championship Playoff Semifinal Leg 1

May 9 - Enel Rio Sail Grand Prix*

May 9 - UFC 328: Chimaev vs Strickland

May 9 - EFL League One Playoff Semifinal Leg 1

May 9-10 - PGA Tour - Truist Championship (Third and Final Round Coverage)*

May 10 - EFL League Two Playoff Semifinal Leg 1

May 10 - Zuffa Boxing 06 - Mosley Jr. vs. Bohachuk

May 10 - PBR Road to the Finals*

May 10 - LPGA - Mizuho Americas Open (Final Round Coverage)*

May 11-12 - EFL Championship Playoff Semifinal Leg 2

May 13 - Coppa Italia Final

May 13-14 - EFL League One Playoff Semifinal Leg 2

May 15 - EFL League Two Playoff Semifinal Leg 2

May 16 - We Need to Talk*

May 16 - UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Costa

May 16-17 - PGA Championship (Third and Final Round Coverage)*

May 17 - PBR Road to the Gold Buckle*

May 20 - UEFA Europa League Final

May 20 - Concacaf W Champions Cup Semifinals

May 23 - Concacaf W Champions Cup Final

May 23 - UEFA Women’s Champions League Final

May 23 - WNBA - Minnesota Lynx @ Chicago Sky*

May 23 - WNBA - Los Angeles Sparks @ Las Vegas Aces*

May 23 - EFL Championship Playoff Final

May 23-24 - PGA Tour - THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson (Third and Final Round Coverage)*

May 24 - NWSL - Kansas City Current vs. Portland Thorns FC*

May 24 - Serie A Final Matchday

May 24 - EFL League One Playoff Final

May 25 - EFL League Two Playoff Final

May 27 - UEFA Conference League Final

May 30 - UEFA Champions League Final

May 30 - Beckham and Friends Live

May 30 - UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Figueiredo

May 30-31 - PGA Tour - Charles Schwab Challenge (Third and Final Round Coverage)*

May 31 - AVP Beach Volleyball*

Throughout May - Serie A competition

Throughout May - Scottish Professional Football League competition

UFC 328: Chimaev vs Strickland
Premieres: May 9, 2026; live from Prudential Center, Newark, NJ
Details: UFC 328 features a pair of intriguing championship fights. The main event pits undefeated middleweight champ Khamzat Chimaev against contentious foe and former champ Sean Strickland.

Also on the card, UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van attempts to defend his title versus Japan’s Tatsuro Taira. Early prelims begin at 5 PM ET with the prelims card starting at 7 PM ET. The five-fight main card begins at 9 PM ET. The entire night of fights will stream live on Paramount+.

###

*Title is available to Paramount+ Premium subscribers.

**All Paramount+ Premium subscribers can live stream CBS titles via the live feed on Paramount+. Those titles will be available to stream on-demand to all subscribers the day after they air live.

Dates for library titles are subject to change.

Key: [N] - Nickelodeon Show; [ATV] = AwesomenessTV; [NM] - Nickelodeon Movie.

Paramount Plus May 2026.- Tyler Perry's Zatima
Tyler Perry’s Zatima

Paramount Plus May 2026 - Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica

Couples Therapy
Couples Therapy

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars
RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars

Tyler Perry's Zatima
Tyler Perry’s Zatima

Dutton Ranch
Dutton Ranch

SkyMed
SkyMed

Criminal Minds: Evolution
Criminal Minds: Evolution

Dutton Ranch
Dutton Ranch

The Chi
The Chi

Stream a mountain of entertainment with Paramount+! Try it FREE at ParamountPlus.com!

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Originally published: April 23, 2026 at 23:56 BST.

What's New on Paramount+ in May 2026 | Streaming Release Schedule
Paramount+ May 2026 Movies, TV Shows, and Sports

Additional source and imagery: Vital Thrills.

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Tuesday, August 09, 2022

Nickelodeon Originally Rejected Hey Arnold's Emotional Vietnam Episode

Hey Arnold! writer and producer Joe Ansolabehere reveals why the show’s memorable Vietnam war episode was originally rejected by Nickelodeon.


The producer of Hey Arnold! reveals that the show’s emotional Vietnam episode was originally rejected by Nickelodeon. The iconic animated series was a touchstone for many in the 1990s, centering on a fourth-grader named Arnold who lived with his grandparents. Although many Hey Arnold! episodes focused on the titular character’s experiences and problems, several would actually turn over the spotlight to other major and even minor figures in the series. This has become a fairly standard approach for prestige dramas and comedies, which often turn over the spotlight to supporting players, but Hey Arnold! made a success of it back when it wasn’t such a common trend.

One of the show’s most enduring examples of this shift in focus was “Arnold’s Christmas”. Aired in December 1996, it offered a close look at Mr. Hyunh, a recurring character who lived in the same boarding house as Arnold, and depicted the 1975 fall of Saigon in Vietnam. In particular, the episode examined how a young Vietnamese girl named Mai was forcibly separated from her father Mr. Hyunh. The plot itself was sweetly simple, however, as it showed Arnold trying to find the right gift for his neighbor and ultimately understanding him much better as a result.


In an interview with /Film, writer and producer Joe Ansolabehere discussed how the Hey Arnold! episode happened and why it almost didn’t. As the producer tells it, there had always been an interest in including a flashback to Vietnam from the moment the character of Mr. Hyunh was introduced but Nickelodeon kept saying no. Ansolabehere said that the network’s main worry was that kids wouldn’t care about the story. An executive at Nickelodeon, who had the final say over whether the episode could continue being animated, showed it to her son. Her son’s reaction, Ansolabehere says, was the turning point. You can read the quote below.

“She popped it in and her son, who was like nine, was sitting there and watched it. And it got to the end of the Vietnam thing, where he’s holding the baby up and the helicopter guys take the baby and everything… And the little boy turned to his mom and said, ‘Mom, is that what Vietnam was all about?’”

Hey Arnold! gives Mai and Mr. Hyunh a happy ending, as they two are reunited at the episode’s conclusion. But it also features the gutting flashback that shows Mr. Hyunh handing off his baby daughter to an American helicopter pilot with the hopes she would grow up and find a better life. In the decades since the Christmas episode debuted, it’s been credited as one of the first times the Vietnamese community was presented in pop culture through an honest and open lens.

Hey Arnold! creator Craig Bartlett has reflected on the story’s impact, as well. He’s explained that in an era before social media, it took him some time to appreciate how the story of Mr. Hyunh and Mai resonated. It wasn’t really until Asian Americans, who’d grown up watching the series, began sharing its significance. It’s undoubtedly a good thing that Nickelodeon moved past its reluctance.

Stream all your favorite Nickelodeon shows old and new on Paramount+. Try it FREE at ParamountPlus.com!


Originally published: August 09, 2022.

Original source: ScreenRant.

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Friday, May 13, 2022

Celebrate Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders Month! w/ Blue's Clues & Bubble Guppies | Nick Jr.

Celebrate Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders Month! w/ Blue's Clues & Bubble Guppies | Nick Jr.


Nick Jr. is celebrating Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Heritage month with Oona from the Bubble Guppies and Josh from Blue's Clues & You! 

Visit https://www.nickhelps.com/be-inclusive/ for more information and resources.

#AAPI #AAPIMonth #BluesCluesAndYou #BubbleGuppies


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Thursday, May 05, 2022

Nickelodeon to Host 'Remolding the Industry: Journeys Into Animation' Panel at 38th Annual Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival on May 7

Nickelodeon will host a panel discussion titled "Remolding the Industry: Journeys Into Animation" on Saturday, May 7 at the Director’s Guild of America's DGA Theater, as part of the 38th Annual Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival's (LAAPFF) C3 Programming (Conference for Creative Content) program. The panel discussion is free to attend and tickets are available here.


Nickelodeon: Remolding the Industry: Journeys Into Animation

A moderated discussion centered on personal career journeys in the animation industry. From getting their start, to advocating for themselves, and how the industry landscape has changed, panelists from Nickelodeon Animation and Paramount Animation Studios will share their career paths. Additionally, panelists will discuss representation in the industry behind the scenes and on the screen. This panel will be at 4PM at the DGA Theater.     

The 38th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, presented by Visual Communications, runs from May 5 – 13, 2022  as a hybrid event, taking place virtually and in person at select cinemas in the Los Angeles area. LAAPFF is the largest festival of its kind in Southern California and a proud Academy Award-qualifying film festival for the Short Film Awards. For more information about the festival, visit https://vcmedia.org/festival.


Original source: GlobalGrind.

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Friday, April 15, 2022

Feelin' Filipino! 🇵🇭 🎵 Sing Along w/ Josh & Lola for AAPI Heritage Month | Blue's Clues & You!

Feelin' Filipino! 🇵🇭 🎵 Sing Along w/ Josh & Lola for AAPI Heritage Month | Blue's Clues & You!


May is Asian-American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Sing and dance along with Josh and Lola as they celebrate their Filipino identity and spend quality time together! Can you spot the national flag of the Philippines in this video? 

#AAPIHeritageMonth #AsianAmerican #Filipino #Celebrate #SongsForKids #AAPI



Stream Blue's CluesBlue's RoomBlue's Clues & You! and Bubble Guppies on Paramount+ and Noggin! Try Paramount+ for FREE at ParamountPlus.com!

Subscribe to the official Blue’s Clues & You! YouTube channel! Subscribe today at https://at.nick.com/BCYSubscribe!


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Saturday, April 09, 2022

🔴 LIVE: Blue & Josh Celebrate Asian American & Pacific Islanders Month! | Blue's Clues & You!

🔴 LIVE: Blue & Josh Celebrate Asian American & Pacific Islanders Month! | Blue's Clues & You!


Happy Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Join Josh and his Lola as they celebrate Filipino culture and traditions with Blue, Magenta, and more friends! Sing songs, make delicious foods, and celebrate the AAPI community!

#AAPIHeritageMonth #Celebrate #BluesCluesandYou #Live #Marathon


Stream Blue's CluesBlue's RoomBlue's Clues & You! and Bubble Guppies on Paramount+ and Noggin! Try Paramount+ for FREE at ParamountPlus.com!

Subscribe to the official Blue’s Clues & You! YouTube channel! Subscribe today at https://at.nick.com/BCYSubscribe!


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Thursday, November 11, 2021

Nickelodeon's Alex Kwan Named as a Participant in CAPE's Inaugural Animation Directors Accelerator Program

Nick News Brief: CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) has announced Alex Kwan, a episodic director at Nickelodeon as one of the six participants of the organization's inaugural CAPE Animation Directors Accelerator (CADA) powered by Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) program, which aims to equip animators on-the-cusp of leadership positions with the skills, mentorship, and professional network needed to break the ceiling in feature film and episodic animation. The first edition of the program will take place virtually with the selected animation directors and leaders honing their artistic and leadership skills through a series of panels, workshops, and masterclasses from high-level executives, producers, and creatives in the animation industry. Kwan will be mentored by Arthur Fong & Wira Winata (Wish Dragon). Additionally, Jason McConnell, director of animation development at Nickelodeon, will be a speaker at the event.


The Fellowship is co-chaired by Justinian Huang (Sony Pictures Animation, VP, creative,) and Michelle Wong (producer, Vivo).

Additional information is available here.



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Sunday, July 11, 2021

The Story Behind the Iconic Vietnam Episode of Nickelodeon's 'Hey Arnold!'

For the 25th anniversary of the Hey Arnold! pilot, show creator Craig Bartlett talked about the the storyline surrounding Mr. Hyunh, a Vietnamese refugee.


On a December night in 1996, Hey Arnold! fans tuned in to the beloved Nickelodeon kids show for what was a particularly heavy, emotion-driven episode. It depicted the 1975 fall of Saigon, in Vietnam, and the forced separation of a young Vietnamese girl, Mai, from her father, Mr. Hyunh, a Vietnamese refugee who lived in the same boarding house as main character Arnold.

The episode, entitled “Arnold’s Christmas,” was the first in-depth look into the world of Mr. Hyunh, a recurring character on the show. It also served, for many Asian American kids in the 1990s, as one of the only times a piece of their history was recognized in mainstream pop culture. To this day, it remains a compelling television moment for a community whose stories have long been distorted, overlooked or flattened.

For the 25th anniversary of the pilot of Hey Arnold! on Saturday, July 10, show creator Craig Bartlett talked to NBC Asian America about the storyline that a generation of Asian Americans considers ahead of its time.

Bartlett said since there was no social media reaction at the time, it wasn’t until many of the show’s Asian American fans grew up and talked about their emotions about it that he learned of the episode’s impact.

“It's so gratifying that it's received as such a positive,” Bartlett said.

In the episode, the show’s very first Christmas special, Mr. Hyunh tells Arnold about his past. He revealed how the war in his home country had forced him to find a way to flee his city. While atop the U.S. Embassy, Mr. Hyunh, with his infant daughter, Mai, in his arms, made the decision to leave her with a soldier, knowing it would be the only way to ensure her safety.

“As the helicopter left, the soldier called out the name of a city. This city. He said he would bring her here,” Mr. Hyunh said in the episode. “It took me 20 years before I could finally get out of the country. That’s why I came to this city.”


Bartlett said the storyline is the brainchild of late writer Steve Viksten, who was known for coming up with edgier ideas for the show (he also voiced Oskar Kokoshka in the series). He pitched the idea of exploring Mr. Hyunh’s backstory through the classic Christmas game Secret Santa. While Bartlett was already on board, he brought the idea to voice actor Baoan Coleman, himself a Vietnamese refugee, during a recording session.

“And he said, ‘You know what, I was there,’” Bartlett said. “That made a big difference. I was like, ‘Wow, we really have to tell this story. This is going to be so resonant and so cool.’ And from there, I had that conviction.”

Such firm faith in the pitch was necessary, as the process to get the episode approved was “an uphill battle,” the creator recalled.

“The anguish of Mr. Hyunh having to give up his infant daughter sounded so heavy to the network execs, and also even calling up a specific war,” Bartlett said. “You'll notice, he says, ‘There was a war in my country,’ and so we don't even say ‘Vietnam War.’”

Mr. Hyunh, voiced by Baoan Coleman, holds up his daughter, Mai, to a U.S. soldier in a helicopter. YouTube/Nickelodeon Cartoon Universe

Due to the sensitive nature of the material, Bartlett said he included Coleman in the process, showing him the first draft of the episode, talking through the script prior to the first recording session. While the exact historical event was never mentioned by name, Bartlett said the team was committed to alluding to the war in a “poetic” way through an illustrative animation sequence that was accompanied by a dramatic guitar in the background, composed by Jim Lang.

“That one session, we had Baoan do his whole monologue about giving up Mai,” Bartlett said. “I just remember kind of huddling down and getting smaller and shutting my eyes and listening to it. And, we cried and cried. … Man, I was a wreck.”

Mr. Hyunh, voiced by Baoan Coleman, hugs his long-lost daughter, Mai. YouTube/Nickelodeon Cartoon Universe

There were, of course, Christmas aspects to the episode. Arnold enlists his best friend Gerald’s help in finding Mai and successfully orchestrates a reunion with Mr. Hyunh by the end. While not much is shown about how Arnold manages to pull it off, Bartlett said the series of coincidences that occur are an ode to Christmas film It’s a Wonderful Life.

"Magic happens constantly, and at the end Gerald just says, 'Hey man, it’s a miracle. Deal with it,'" Bartlett laughed.

Bao Nguyen, a Vietnamese American director who remembers feeling emotional about the episode as a kid, explained that too often, stories of the Vietnam War are told through the lens of a “loss of American innocence.”

“It's always, ‘What did America lose?’” he said. "Vietnam, for half the country, they lost their homeland. And it's never told in that perspective. It turns into a sort of American mythology, the demise of American exceptionalism."

Mr. Hyunh, voiced by Baoan Coleman, holds his baby daughter, Mai. YouTube/Nickelodeon Cartoon Universe

For years, the standard for Vietnam War depictions was Stanley Kubrick’s 1987 film Full Metal Jacket, which did little to show the Vietnamese experience aside from fetishize its women, said Nancy Wang Yuen, a sociologist and author of Reel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism.

The special, however, marked a sharp departure from the narratives that Americans were so accustomed to seeing regarding the war, Nguyen said. What’s more, the character felt as though he was on the same level as the others in the cast.

“This was really the first time where I felt like the Vietnam War story was completely centered around the Vietnamese perspective. It wasn't diluted in a way to cater for a white audience. It was unapologetically the Vietnam perspective,” Nguyen said.

Among the most poignant aspects of the episode, and Mr. Hyunh’s character in general, was his accent. Many have remarked on how authentic Mr. Hyunh’s accent and manner of speaking was, which was due to Coleman's similar background to the character. Bartlett revealed that in the recording process, he would rewrite any lines that felt uncomfortable for Coleman to say, editing them on the spot if there were any that the voice actor felt were difficult.

At the time, most of the Asian accents on television served as punchlines, and many animated characters were voiced by white actors, like the Indian character Apu from The Simpsons, who was voiced by Hank Azaria, Yuen said. Azaria has since apologized and stepped down from the role.

Many accents were also imprecise and inauthentic, Yuen added.

“There were some in The Joy Luck Club, but that was different because they had Asian American source material, an Asian American director and Asian American actors,” Yuen said. “Hey Arnold! is pretty special, because they did have that. They didn't necessarily have all the creators and source material; the director had to create that. And the fact that he did decide to do things more authentically is actually ahead of time.”

Even more compelling was that Mr. Hyunh had the agency to tell his own story, Nguyen said. To do so in an authentic accent spoke to a strength that the refugee and many others like him have.

“There's a softness and tenderness in someone speaking about their trauma in a language that isn't their native language,” Nguyen said. “There's courage in that.”

Yuen said she felt the show was effective in showing children some truths about the Vietnam War and those it impacted while keeping the subject matter appropriate for its audiences.

“They didn't talk about the violence. They didn’t talk about the politics. But they humanized the Vietnamese American character,” she said. “In my study of television, the characters that the audiences relate to — the regulars that are the most complex — have to have familial relationships or romantic relationships.”


Mr. Hyunh, voiced by Baoan Coleman, tells Arnold the story of his long-lost daughter, Mai.YouTube/Nickelodeon Cartoon Universe

Yuen said familial relationships immediately humanize characters, as they’re given development beyond a two-dimensional laundromat worker or nail salon trope.

“It wasn't just showing him, that he had a daughter. It was showing this very gripping story of him having to be separated from his daughter because of the Vietnam War,” Yuen said. “I think it would cause maybe children to ask questions, and certainly it would make them feel like, ‘Oh, he has a daughter and that daughter looks just like me,’ or, ‘The daughter could have been me. What would it feel like for me to be separated from my dad?’”

For kids in immigrant households in particular, the separation aspect of the storyline is universal, and Yuen said it likely looked familiar to many Asian Americans.

“Being able to see that through Hey Arnold! even if we're not actually refugees who had that experience, it still resonates,” Yuen said. “Because coming to this country means some sort of separation from the people you love.”

As heavy as the Christmas special was, the episode was still part of the show’s brand. Over the years, Hey Arnold! — which explored complicated family dynamics, the immigrant experience and the struggles of the working class, among other controversial topics at the time — has been lauded for exposing children to bits of a harsh world in a way they could understand while also preserving the beauty and wonder that came with being a kid.

Bartlett said his work was largely inspired by A Charlie Brown Christmas, which came out when he was Arnold’s age.

“It was really emotional and it was melancholy. It was about ‘Christmas is here, and I'm depressed.’ And that seemed really revolutionary,” he said. “When I got the chance to make Hey Arnold! I wanted to do that. I was like, ‘Let's do stuff that's about how childhood is sad and kind of messed up and as a child you don't have any power and you’re just kind of trying your best.’”

“You can't fix things,” he said, “but we make them a little bit better.”

Hey Arnold! is available to stream on Paramount+.


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Monday, May 24, 2021

"Shine a Light" on Asian/Pacific Americans in Hollywood 🔆 | AAPI Heritage Month | Nickelodeon

"Shine a Light" on Asian/Pacific Americans in Hollywood 🔆 | AAPI Heritage Month | Nickelodeon


May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, so let’s "Shine a Light" on these icons paving the way for true representation in Hollywood, from classic stars like Anna May Wong to today's biggest actors like Steven Yeun!

More Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month: http://nickalive.blogspot.com/search/label/APAHM


#AAPI #ShineALight #Nickelodeon


Originally published: Wednesday, May 19, 2021.

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Monday, May 17, 2021

What's On Nick | Nickelodeon Premiere Highlights | Week 20

Your guide to What's New on Nickelodeon for the week of Monday, May 17 - Sunday, May 23, 2021!



For Nickelodeon's full highlights for May 2021 highlights, click here.

All times ET/PT.


Friday, May 21, 2021

11:00 a.m. - Blue's Clues & You! - Blue's Big Neighborhood Adventure: Josh and Blue are Neighborhood Heroes, helping everyone they meet as they explore our neighborhood. We play Blue’s Clues to figure out where Blue wants to go in the neighborhood and make very important stop to make pizza with Mr. Oregano! (#215)

12:30 p.m. - Baby Shark's Big Show! Shorts - Chore Song: For the Shark family, chores are a musical waiting to happen. (#107)

7:00 p.m. - The Loud House - Director's Rut/Friday Night Fights: Luan turns to her ventriloquist dummy Mr. Coconuts for help after she struggles to direct the school's play. / Lisa joins Lynn's football team as an analytics coach to prove that math will always beat out heart. (#515) [promos]

7:30 p.m. - The Barbarian and the Troll - Mapmaker, Mapmaker, Make Me a Map: In need of a unique custom map for their next quest, Brendar and the group attempt to wine and dine the only mapmaker in Gothmoria capable of creating the map they need. (#108) [promos]

8:00 p.m. on NICK JR. CHANNEL - Peppa Pig - Strawberries/Pizza! Pizza!/Grandpa Pig's Birthday/Pancakes /Teddy's Day Out: Grandpa and Granny Pig have been growing strawberries / Peppa and family make pizzas. / Peppa and her family celebrate Grandpa Pig's birthday. / Daddy Pig thinks he's an expert pancake maker. / Peppa loses Teddy at a picnic. (#166)

8:30 p.m. on NICK JR. CHANNEL - The Adventures of Paddington - Paddington Gets Fit: It's time for the annual fun run in Windsor Gardens Park, but Paddington is not very fit; Mrs. Bird decides to train him. (#205A)

8:00 p.m. - See Us Unite for Change: In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a coalition of partners including the Ford and MacArthur Foundations have partnered with MTV Entertainment Studios to produce See Us Unite for Change, a first-of-its-kind special hosted by Ken Jeong and featuring notable AAPI celebrities and allies. Hosted by Ken Jeong.

The event will air on Friday, May 21st at 8PM EDT and will be simulcast nationally and worldwide across the platforms of the MTV Entertainment portfolio (MTV, Comedy Central, Paramount Network, Smithsonian Channel, Pop TV, VH1, CMT, TV Land and Logo) as well as BET and Nickelodeon and stream exclusively on Facebook Watch.

Saturday, May 22, 2021

8:00 p.m. - Side Hustle - Extra Crunchy: Munchy becomes the new school mascot, Luna the Tuna; his debut will take place at the halftime show of a major school basketball game and will end with an epic dunk. (#122) [promo]

8:30 p.m. - Drama Club - Stress Rehearsal / The Show Might Go On: The club has trouble getting through the final dress rehearsal before Bench drops some big news. / The drama club’s performance of Minnesota: The Musical is finally ready to hit the stage, but just about everything that can go wrong, does. (#109/10; #999; series finale)


Originally published: Monday, May 17, 2021.

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