There were concerns among executives at Nickelodeon." Hillenburg resigned as the series' showrunner, and appointed Paul Tibbitt, who previously served as the show's supervising producer, writer, director, and storyboard artist, to overtake the role.
Hillenburg said "Well, there was concern when we did the movie that the show had peaked.
Once the film was completed, Hillenburg wanted to end the series "so the show wouldn't jump the shark," but Nickelodeon wanted to do more episodes. " The Sponge Who Could Fly" first aired during a two-hour "Sponge"-a-thon, while the other eight were broadcast subsequently. During the break, Nickelodeon expanded the programming for the third season to cover the delay, however, according to Nickelodeon executive Eric Coleman, "there certainly was a delay and a built-up demand." Nickelodeon announced nine "as-yet-unaired" (full) episodes would be shown. As a result, the show went into a "self-imposed" two-year hiatus on television. In 2002, Hillenburg and the show's staff members decided to stop making episodes to work on the 2004 film The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, after completing production of the third season. It premiered more than a year later, on October 5, 2001. During production of the previous season, Nickelodeon already picked up a third season for SpongeBob SquarePants on September 20, 2000, due to the show's high ratings across basic cable television. The season's executive producer was series creator Stephen Hillenburg, who also functioned as the showrunner. The season aired on Nickelodeon, which is owned by Viacom, and was produced by United Plankton Pictures and Nickelodeon. The SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete 3rd Season DVD was released in Region 1 on September 27, 2005, Region 2 on December 3, 2007, and Region 4 on November 8, 2007. Several compilation DVDs that contained episodes from the season were released. Dre, and Mike Myers-have been reported to be fans of the show. Celebrities-including Justin Timberlake, Kelly Osbourne, Britney Spears, Bruce Willis, Noel Gallagher, rapper Dr. It won the 2003 Kids' Choice Awards for Favorite Cartoon, and also won the following year's Kids' Choice Award for the same category. The season was also the first time the show received a nomination at the Kids' Choice Awards and won. The episodes "New Student Starfish" and "Clams" were nominated for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour) category, while the entry "SpongeBob B.C. The show received several recognitions, including its nomination at the Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Children's Program. During its run, SpongeBob SquarePants became (and remains) the highest rated children's show on cable, with over 50 million viewers a month. The season received critical acclaim from media critics and fans. Season 3 was originally set to end the series after the release of the film, but the success prevented the series from ending, leading to a fourth season. After production on the film, Hillenburg resigned from the show as its showrunner, and appointed staff writer Paul Tibbitt to overtake the position. Hillenburg halted production on the show to work on the 2004 film adaptation of the series, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. The season was executive produced by series creator Hillenburg, who also acted as the showrunner. The series chronicles the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom. The realization that the episodes are no longer airing finally caught on and fans are reminiscing one of the funniest episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants to ever air.The third season of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants, created by Stephen Hillenburg, aired on Nickelodeon from Octoto October 11, 2004, and consists of 20 episodes (37 segments). That episode hasn’t been in rotation since 2018 because some story elements were not kid-appropriate, according to a Nickelodeon spokesperson. Krabs feel young again by breaking into a woman’s house to steal her underwear. The second episode being pulled from streaming services is the fan-favorite episode, “Mid-Life Crustacean,” where SpongeBob and Patrick try to make Mr. Reportedly, the episode never aired due to sensitivities surrounding the global, real-world pandemic, a spokesperson for Nickelodeon told CNN Business. In the episode the health inspector quarantines patrons, while those who are assumed to have the virus are shunned and tossed in a freezer. CNN recently reported that an episode from the show’s 12th season, “Kwarantined Crab,” in which a health inspector comes to the Krusty Krab and finds a case of the “Clam Flu,” will not air.