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Nick at Nite Moves Up One Hour to 8 PM, Giving Families an Added Hour of Great Prime-Time Programming With Addition of Malcolm in the Middle Beginning Sunday, July 5

Posted on: Monday, 8 June 2009, 10:23 CDT

Twentieth Television's Complete Seven-Season Library of Award-Winning Series Joins Top-Rated Lineup of George Lopez, The Nanny and Everybody Hates Chris

NEW YORK, June 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Numerous research studies indicate that American families today are staying home more frequently and more than ever are looking for entertainment they can watch together. In response, beginning Sunday, July 5, Nickelodeon will permanently move the 9 p.m. start time of its Nick at Nite block to 8 pm (Sundays-Thursdays, ET/PT), providing contemporary families an additional hour of great programming. Marking the change, the award-winning series Malcolm in the Middle will join the Nick at Nite schedule on July 5 at 8 p.m. Nickelodeon has acquired the complete seven-season library (151 episodes) of the series from Twentieth Television.

"We have conducted a great deal of research with kids and families and two things that we hear continuously are that they want to spend more time together and that watching television is one of their favorite ways of making that happen," said Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group. "By starting Nick at Nite at 8 p.m., and adding another terrific comedy series like Malcolm in the Middle, we will serve them further and build upon the great success we've had with contemporary family comedies."

Malcolm in the Middle, which centers on teen genius Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) and his dysfunctional family, will join Nick at Nite's roster of hit family favorites such as George Lopez, Everybody Hates Chris (beginning in September), Home Improvement and The Nanny. Malcolm in the Middle originally ran from 2000 to 2006 on Fox and has garnered numerous accolades including five Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award and a Peabody Award.

In addition to these contemporary off-network comedies, Nick at Nite this summer will add the new stop-motion animated original series Glenn Martin, DDS, from Michael Eisner's Tornante Company. The series, starring Kevin Nealon, Catherine O'Hara and Judy Greer, follows a beleaguered dentist and his family who trade in the suburbs for a life on the road. Crisscrossing the country, the Martins are beset by an array of colorful locals and crazy situations, ranging from Las Vegas to Amish Country and beyond.

Year-to-date, Nick at Nite is the number-one ranked cable network in total day among both Adults 18-49 and Women 18-49 and is on track to be the number-one ranked cable network with Women 18-49 for the sixth consecutive year. In 2009, Nick at Nite is delivering year-over-year double-digit growth of 14% among Women 18-49. (Source: Nielsen Media Research 12/29/08-5/31/09 (Live+7 through 5/17/09, Live+Same day 5/18/09-5/31/09).

Additionally, Nick at Nite finished May as the number-one basic cable network among Women 18-49 and the number-two network among Adults 18-49, only behind TNT (source: NMR, 4/27/09-5/31/09).

About Malcolm in the Middle

Created and executive produced by Emmy Award-winning writer Linwood Boomer (Writer, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Night Court, Silver Spoons; Actor, Little House on the Prairie), this inventive half-hour series is seen through the eyes of Malcolm (Muniz), a regular kid trying to navigate his way through life despite the various obstacles thrown in his way -- a complete misunderstanding of girls, an eclectic group of classmates and the constant burden of masterminding plans to get himself and his brothers either into or out of trouble.

Although Malcolm has a genius IQ, he cannot seem to make any sense of the opposite sex, much less his embarrassing family. Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) is the outspoken, opinionated Mom, and her creative punishments and tough-as-nails approach always prevent the boys from slipping one past her. Hal (Bryan Cranston), a dad who is a certified legend in his own mind, is perfectly content to let Lois "wear the pants," but often finds himself creating more chaos than his four boys combined. Reese (Justin Berfield) has mastered the art of a perfect blank stare, but has made up for his lack of intelligence with deviance. Francis (Christopher Kennedy Masterson), Malcolm's oldest and favorite brother, has grown accustomed to life away from the family, whether it's at a military academy or a dude ranch. And then there's Dewey (Erik Per Sullivan), who just doesn't know any better than to look up to his brothers. Hopefully, he'll catch on before it's too late.

Malcolm in the Middle is a Regency Television production, and is distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution.

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon, now in its 30th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 98 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 14 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

SOURCE Nickelodeon

Source: PR Newswire

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