Nickelodeon is ordering more Sanjay and Craig.
The cable network has renewed the animated comedy series featuring voice stars Maulik Pancholy (30 Rock, Weeds) and Chris Hardwick (Talking Bad, The Talking Dead) for a 20-episode second season, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively. The sophomore run is expected to kick off in 2014.
The announcement comes days before the half-hour series, which debuted with back-to-back episodes May 25 to 3.6 million viewers, returns for the final eight installments of its freshman run Sept. 14 after a two-month break. (THR debuts an exclusive clip from the return episode below.)
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Created by Jim Dirschberger, Jay Howell and Andreas Trolf, Sanjay and Craig follows the misadventures of Sanjay (Pancholy), an excitable and irreverent 12-year-old boy, and his best friend Craig (Hardwick), a smooth-talking snake and master of disguise. Linda Cardellini, Matt Jones, Tony Hale, Grey DeLisle and Sandy Dickson round out the voice cast.
Sanjay and Craig is Nickelodeon's top new show of the year in the kid demographics, with the first season averaging three million viewers.
“Sanjay and Craig is a proven hit with our audience and we are excited to continue the journey with a talented creative team who tell engaging stories filled with outrageous adventures and relatable characters,” said Russell Hicks, president content development and production at Nickelodeon. “Our burgeoning slate of animated properties is a testament to our legacy and our continued commitment to deliver creator-driven content that fuels the Nickelodeon Animation Studio.”
Sanjay and Craig premieres on Nickelodeon's international channels this fall.
Dirschberger, Howell and Thurop Van Norman serve as co-executive producers, with Chris Viscardi and Will McRobb executive producing.
In July, Nickelodeon doubled down on live-action comedy series Sam & Cat, starring Jennette McCurdy and Ariana Grande, ordering 20 more episodes to bring the season one episode total to 40.
E-mail: Philiana.Ng@THR.com
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