Nickelodeon will not be moving forward with a popular animated series that has run on the network for three seasons. The news comes amid the much-contested Skydance merger, a roughly $110 billion deal that folded Nickelodeon, MTV, CBS, Paramount+, and Warner Bros.' brands into a single company called Skydance, causing a major shakeup at the famous networks. Cost-cutting and restructuring have already resulted in the cancellation of series like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Mayor of Kingstown, and Dexter: Original Sin, and now a fan-favorite Nickelodeon cartoon is taking a hit.
Animated series Rock Paper Scissors is officially done at Nickelodeon, with co-creator Josh Lehrman confirming the news on X, much to the disappointment of viewers who enjoyed the fun comedy show. A disheartened Lehrman revealed that Season 3 will be the show's last. The Halloween-themed episode "The Watching/Nightmares," produced as the season's opener but held back as its finale, aired on Nickelodeon on Monday, October 12, and now serves as the official send-off. This comes despite Lehrman planning for at least one more season "to wrap up Paper and Pencil's relationship, Rock's modeling journey, and Scissors' eventual arc toward self-acceptance." He thanked the cast, crew, and fans, adding that he was "proud of this show":
"Sad news for people who like ROCK PAPER SCISSORS: Nickelodeon has decided not to pick up our show at this time. Obviously, I'm bummed. I was hoping for one more season to wrap up Paper and Pencil's relationship, Rock's modeling journey, and Scissors' eventual arc toward self-acceptance. (Also, he was going to date someone off and on next season that would've been SO fun.) Nevertheless, I'm extremely proud of this show, and I'm grateful to have had this opportunity. Our cast and crew were wonderful, it was a good repository for episode ideas I've had for years (I must've pitched versions of "Glitter Bomb" on at least two other shows), and Nickelodeon allowed Kyle and me to make the show we wanted to make. Thank you to everyone who watched it. When I was feeling down, I'd come on Twitter and look at your comments and drawings, and it never failed to boost my spirits. You guys are the best."
Rock Paper Scissors premiered in February 2024, riding the momentum of Nickelodeon's kid-friendly alternate broadcast of Super Bowl LVIII, which drew 1.2 million viewers on its own. The series debuted as the number-one new animated series among Kids 2-11 and Kids 6-11 when it launched.
The show followed three roommates, Rock, an aspiring fashion model voiced by Ron Funches; Paper, an inventor and the trio's voice of reason voiced by Thomas Lennon; and Scissors, an insecure schemer voiced by Carlos Alazraqui. Melissa Villaseñor voiced their neighbor Pencil, and Eddie Pepitone played Lou, the trio's perpetually angry landlord, who is also a garbage can.
Critics and awards voters responded well to the series, which earned nominations at the Annie Awards, the Children's & Family Emmy Awards, and the NAMIC Vision Awards.
Nickelodeon has yet to give an official reason why the series will not continue, but the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger finalized on October 6 seems the likeliest culprit. The unprecedented deal saddled the combined company with roughly $80 billion in debt and a target of more than $6 billion in cost savings.
Skydance CEO David Ellison and co-CEO Ynon Kreiz told employees in a memo that integration would bring "difficult decisions that affect our workforce." An August report from Los Angeles County also estimated that the merger could eliminate around 4,500 film and TV jobs in Los Angeles over three years. But even before this deal closed, Paramount's programming strategy was already shifting.
Last year, Paramount's TV Media chair George Cheeks revealed that the cable brands would pivot toward a "more curated slate," with focus placed on proven franchises like SpongeBob SquarePants and PAW Patrol. Amid this change in strategy, Nickelodeon canceled Dora and Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in November 2025. Rock Paper Scissors is merely a late casualty.
This turbulence at Skydance makes one wonder which animated shows could follow Rock Paper Scissors out the door, and which ones have a genuine chance of surviving on Nickelodeon.
Ongoing Nickelodeon Animated Series and Their Chances of Survival
SpongeBob SquarePants
If there is one animated series Skydance won't want to let go of, it's SpongeBob SquarePants. Nickelodeon renewed the flagship series for Seasons 18 and 19, totaling 26 half-hour episodes. Season 18 is primed to premiere in the fourth quarter of 2026, meaning new episodes should land sometime between October and December, while Season 19 is set for 2027. Nickelodeon revealed that SpongeBob is the number-one cross-platform franchise of 2026 to date among Kids 6-11, and the studio's leadership has named it a priority franchise. This show isn't going anywhere.
The Patrick Star Show
The enduring legacy of SpongeBob SquarePants spawned a spinoff in The Patrick Star Show. It centers on Patrick hosting his own variety show from home and has been running on Nickelodeon since 2021. The spinoff earned the same vote of confidence as its parent show, scoring renewals for Seasons 6 and 7. Season 6 premieres late this year, while Season 7 follows in 2027.
The Loud House
Moving away from the SpongeBob universe, other long-running comedies sit in murkier territory. The Loud House kicked off its 11th season on February 27, 2026, becoming only the second Nicktoon after SpongeBob to reach that mark, and episodes are still rolling out, but Nickelodeon hasn't confirmed a Season 12. The show remains one of Nick's most valuable properties, with multiple movies spinning off from it. Networks are largely numbers-driven, and The Loud House should be safe for a 12th season.
Max & the Midknights
Max & the Midknights, a medieval adventure based on the books by Big Nate creator Lincoln Peirce, is currently premiering Season 4 episodes, which Paramount confirmed earlier this year. There's no word on a Season 5, and there are some signs it may not happen. Assistant director Chris Perry, whose departure post first sparked cancellation fears, left the series to pursue other projects.
Wylde Pak
Wylde Pak, the second series born from the Intergalactic Shorts Program, wrapped Season 2 in April 2026. Nickelodeon still hasn't announced a Season 3, and the silence sparked cancellation fears strong enough for fans to launch a Change.org petition for a renewal. Given what just happened to its fellow shorts-program graduate, Rock Paper Scissors, those fears now look justified.
Geraldo Amartey is a writer at The Direct. He joined the team in 2025, bringing with him four years of experience covering entertainment news, pop culture, and fan-favorite franchises for sites like YEN, Briefly and Tuko.
