SpongeBob SquarePants (Seasons 9-11) Retrospective: The “Revival” Era

Right around the time these three seasons came out, there was a whole generation of the SpongeBob fandom that had basically given up on this show. Whether it’s because of the inconsistent to poor quality of the later seasons or that they just got too old for the show, there was a significant group that had basically stopped watching SpongeBob SquarePants entirely. This was around this time where the show had to basically go through an awkward transaction phase from one era to the next if it were to continue for the foreseeable future. Now that the kids of the 1990s and 2000s had grown up and moved on, Nickelodeon had to find a way to appeal to the kids of the 2010s. And I guess Nickeldeon thought that the best way to get these kids to care about SpongeBob is by going back to what made the original seasons so good while also adding a new identity with itself to make this era feel incredibly distinctive of itself and compared to the rest of the other seasons.

This include the likes of new and stylish animation, bringing back characters, callbacks, and references to the original three seasons, and the biggest one of all, bringing back the creative folks that helped make SpongeBob SquarePants an icon in the first, most notably the original writers and the show creator himself, Stephen Hillenburg. In a way, Seasons 9-11 felt like a revival series for SpongeBob SquarePants without technically being a revival series. This felt like the show wanting to usher in a new generations of SpongeBob fans while still appealing to the ones that grew up with the show and we’re still watching it to this very day. It might have been a trickly balance act but for the most part, it paid off about as well as it could have.

Seasons 9-11 not only acted as easily the best era of SpongeBob SquarePants since the original, it was genuine proof that the show still had plenty of life left in it, even over 12 years later. It might have had some rough spots here and there and certainly consisted with particular animation styles that would certainly not being everyone’s cup in tea, but for the first time in a long time, it felt like there was genuine love and passion for our favorite yellow sponge. SpongeBob no longer felt like a corporate product for Nickelodeon, he just felt like……SpongeBob.

Season 9

Okay, I’m not gonna lie. I was REALLY questioning whether or not to put this as part of the “other good” era of SpongeBob that we are discussing this month. Mostly because, the first half of the season was not so great. It contained a handful of some of the most infamous episodes through the show’s history such as Squid Baby, Little Yellow Book, and the absolute ABSYMAL “special” that was SpongeBob, You’re Fired!. After Season 8 ended on an incredibly promising note with Hello Bikini Bottom! and It’s A SpongeBob Christmas, it seems like it was back to the “same old, same old” with SpongeBob, barley hanging on life support with Nickelodeon refusing to put their cash cow to sleep. It was definitely not all bad with also a handful of legit good episodes mixed in (My personal favorite being Plankton’s Pet!) but the bad ones were legit awful, being up there among the absolute worst episodes in SpongeBob’s history.

It is worth mentioning that this season alone went on for about FIVE years, starting in July 2012 and not ending until February 2017. I was still in high school by time this season started and by the time it ended, I was in my second year of community college. A large part of that likely had to do with Nickelodeon’s annoying habit of airing the episodes of a show out of it’s original order and airing them literally whenever the heck they wanted to. Another part of that had to do with the fact that in between Seasons 9 and 10, Nickelodeon along with the cast and crew of the show put the majority of the focus on the next SpongeBob movie, Sponge Out of Water. Needless to say, this season was just…..all over the place.

Thankfully, the second half of Season 9 was much more consistent and was the positive shift in quality that many were hoping for after Season 8. Some of the best episodes include Lost in Bikini Bottom, Tutor Sauce, Squid Plus One, Two Thumbs Down, Bulletin Board, Pineapple Invasion, along with plenty of others. It was able to cut down on the flaws that plagued the previous seasons such as the mean spirted tone, the characters one known trait being cranked up to 11, and all of that Squidward Torture Porn. Instead, the episodes felt more heartfelt, genuine, and earnest, while recapturing the style of humor and animation that made the original three seasons stand out as well as it did. Even with the somewhat bumpy first half, the second half was able to be much stronger and consistent, giving the series another lease on life.

While Season 9 turned out to be a pleasant surprise, I’m sure there were plenty of fans if Nick would be able to keep up with that consistent level of quality for Season 10 and onwards. Between this and Sponge Out of Water, there were encouraging signs to SpongeBob but it still felt like it needed that consistent voice that can guide the series forward without these constant sudden dips in quality. So what did Nickelodeon after this season? They bought back a handful of the writers of the first three seasons, including the creator and showrunner of the first three seasons of the show, Stephen Hillenburg. Needless to say, after all of that was confirmed, the vibes could NOT have been more positive for the future for our favorite yellow sponge.

Season 10

To say that Season 10 was a return to form for the series would be an understatement. This is when SpongeBob SquarePants finally just felt 100% right. While that is likely due to Stephen Hillenburg returning to the show with a role greater than a creative consultant that checked into office every now or then, the show has not felt so joyful and genuine since perhaps the first SpongeBob movie.

This is a season that everyone from the cast and crew seemed like they brought things back to basic, almost acting like this is a soft reboot of the franchise. The cast felt looser and more locked in with their performances than ever before, there was a newer and slicker animation style that felt like a progression from the prior seasons, and you can just see the handfuls of story ideas and slapstick comedy just bursting on the screen at every given moment.

Season 10 was also the season had put more focus on the overall continuity of the show. There were plenty of one-off supporting characters and jokes that are given more time to shine throughout the season, most notably with the likes of Bubble Bass, Nosferatu, and even the “MY LEGS!” guy. That’s not to say it introduced a bunch of plot threads that would be followed upon later on down the road or introduce new story elements to the canon but it was just a reminder that the crew that returned to the show did not forget their achievements from back in the day.

One other main element of Season 10 was how this was when the show put quite an emphasis on revisiting ideas from their past but doing new things with it. The most positive example of this is with Mimic Madness. That was an episode that took ideas and cues from the infamous Face Freeze episode but they were able to make it work WONDERFULLY here. That episode in of itself is how this entire season operated in a nutshell. Taking a handful of ideas from the past, throwing in new elements with the newer style of animation, and make into something worthwhile that can stand on it’s own. Mimic Madness alone best represents the style of animation, humor, slapstick, ideas, and creativity that Season 10 would have.

Other standout episodes include Code Yellow, House Warming, The Getaway, Patrick’s Coupon, Burst Your Bubble, and Feral Friends. It was a season that was able to combine ideas old and new and still finding ways to make them fresh, funny, and entertaining. In a way, Season 10 basically played like a special revival series, similar to the likes of X-Men 97 and even a handful of revival movies that Nickelodeon took time our of their day to make with their old classic shows. It was able to act as a modern update of the show while still be able to capture that joyful and silly wonder that SpongeBob SquarePants had during the show’s original prime.

That’s not to say the season was perfect by any means. As I mentioned, there were plenty of episodes that reused ideas from the past and, even if many of them executed better than it did in the past, it does become noticeable the more episodes you watch during this season. This was also the beginning of introducing the new crazy, wacky, and just plain “out there” animation that the show basically used as a staple from here on out. While it does help to give this era it’s own unique personality and charm, there are times where the animation can become WAY too “in your face”. So much so that I honestly wouldn’t blame anyone that couldn’t get into these newer episodes because of it.

What’s most shocking about Season 10 was that this was the shortest season of the show by quite a bit. It only consisted of 11 episodes total with just 22 episodes, with no half hour long episodes or holiday episodes to go along with it. While that is likely due to the focus that Nick had on Sponge Out of Water at the time, it does make Season 10 feel a bit like a protype for Season 11 and onwards. And this was even before the trend where each new show would only consisted of six to ten episodes top per season.

Even so, while brief, Season 10 brought some much needed energy and spark to a long-running show that was starting to lose it’s steam big time. While plenty would still argue that SpongeBob didn’t need to keep going for this long, if the show HAD to keep going, at least it seemed like the cast and crew were putting the same love and effort that they have done with the past. And it’s that same kind of love and effort that was able to carry itself into Season 11.

Season 11

While I’m not sure I would say Season 11 is objectively the best season of the show, it is most certainly the most creative, unique, and inventive season of the entire show. I stand by that statement completely! I can’t recall a season of SpongeBob SquarePants that felt like it was trying to get every single creative inch that it could scratch and give the show it’s own unique voice to it. The animation is at it’s peak, the story found a perfect blend of comedy and stakes while being told in a functional structure, each characters no matter how big or small would get a moment and/or episode to themselves, the world building brought a brand new side to the Bikini Bottom we had yet to see, the ideas for each episode have never been explored further, and all the characters just felt totally in form with very little sense of unlikability and mean sprit to them.

Season 11 was non-stop hit after hit, classic episode after classic episode. Just off the top of my head! Spot Returns, Karen’s Virus, Man Ray Returns, The Legend of Boo-kini Bottom, Squid Noir, My Leg, Mustard O’ Mine, No Pictures Please, Bottle Burglars, Plankton Paranoia, Creature Feature, Moving Bubble Bass, and Scavenger Pants. These are all episodes that is not only good enough to fit wonderfully with the first three seasons but it was show that SpongeBob still had plenty of creative bones left in his body, standing firmly on it’s own two feet without feeling the need to change the past. Even the ideas and characters from previous episodes that are brought back here have enough fresh and new elements added to them that it almost feels like you are seeing them for the very first time.

Season 11 is when the show was arguable as it’s most energy-filled and feels so alive. It’s expansion on the worlds, characters, and lore of SpongeBob SquarePants was so fun and refreshing to see. I love the attention to detail, I love seeing the new roles that certain characters was able to play as, I love that it brought it’s own sense of humor and slapstick, I love seeing this universe being expanded upon further than ever before, and I just love the fact that I can say that I adored a new season of SpongeBob without feeling ashamed or having reservations for it. This really felt like this show as back in absolute peak form. Yes, there might have been one or two duds in here, most infamously Pink Lemonade, but those are much easier to ignore or accept because the rest of what Season 11 had to offer was just so good.

The main thing that I got from Season 11 was this was when the cast and crew that returned to the show felt fully at home here. They knew that in order for the show to keep going in a positive way, they would have to remember what worked so well about the original run of the show while also bringing in fresh and new elements of it’s own to make this season and era of SpongeBob stand out more than just trying to recapture that magical lightning in a bottle. While I’m sure everyone has their own thoughts about Season 11 and this era as a whole, I say they succeeded greatly.

If there was any season that showed there was zero contrast between pre-movie SpongeBob and post-movie SpongeBob that would be this. When it comes to quality, there is no pre-movie SpongeBob and post-movie SpongeBob to me. In my eyes, there’s just good SpongeBob and bad SpongeBob. And Season 11 was some darn good SpongeBob. This wasn’t just the best that SpongeBob SquarePants has been in ages. This was SpongeBob SquarePants reaching a new level of peak. That kind of peak that everything afterwards have yet to replicate.

There will undoubtedly some hater that will read this post and think I’m being a weirdo for gushing over a season from the “modern” SpongeBob era but I don’t care. For a SpongeBob season to be as good as it is considering how long the show has gotten is a miracle. Whether it’s because of the old blood that returned to the show or the new blood that came into the show around this time, Season 11 of SpongeBob SquarePants just rocked.

In Conclusion

They say it could never be done but at long last, SpongeBob SquarePants had finally had a consistently good era once again. You can debate on whether or not it compared to the first three seasons of the show but no doubt, Seasons 9-11 were able to stand strong on their own, no matter what you compare it to. There are some flaws to be found such as the constant reusing of old ideas and the new animation style will either really work for you or put you off entirely but it’s so nice to be able to talk about SpongeBob in such a positive light again. This era was so good that I didn’t need to bend over backwards to defend it like I do with Seasons 4-5, it’s just good in it’s own right.

It really just goes to show how anything is possible and you should always learn to never say never. This era of SpongeBob SquarePants should be proof that long-running franchises can reach greatness even after it’s peak. If you have the right cast and crew that are 100% committed to what they do, they can achieve anything. With all the momentum on this show’s side at long last, would they still be able to keep up that quality for the foreseeable future? Well…..just tune in next time.

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