Nickelodeon Sets Linear Adventure For Newest Nicktoon 'Max & the Midknights'
It’s going to be a very medieval Halloween at Nickelodeon. The network announced today that their CG-animated series Max & the Midnights will make its linear television debut on Wednesday, October 30 at 7 PM, and that it will keep that timeslot for at least the immediate future.
It’s the television premiere as the premiere episode “Welcome to Byjovia”, was already released in June, completely intentionally on the Nicktoons YouTube channel. It saw Max, a medieval girl who dreams of becoming a knight and battling dragons having to instead roam the countryside as an apprentice troubadour with her Uncle Budrick. After coming upon a thief in her journey, Max and Uncle Budrick travel to the medieval kingdom of Byjovia, soon discovering that the town is nothing like Uncle Budrick remembers. The series promises to be full of original songs as Max leads the rest of the Midknights on challenging quests. After King Gastley seizes the throne and enacts tyranny on the Kingdom of Byjovia, it is Max who must save the day with her friends and uncle by her side, armed with a courageous, persevering spirit.
While the cast could found in the credits of the first episode when it was posted to YouTube, today’s official announcement brings with it character descriptions to best summarize who they are. Max is a brave and determined girl ready to take on any challenge headed her way, voiced by nonbinary Blu del Barrio, best known as Star Trek: Discovery’s Adira Tal. Her Midknights teammates are Millie, a wacky yet super positive girl who brings the literal magic to the team voiced by Saturday Night Live alum Melissa Villaseñor, who also stars on Rock Paper Scissors. Millie’s companion Simon is described as street-savvy and sometimes sarcastic, and voiced by Zeno Robinson, one of the newer ubiquitous figures of voice acting across anime and western cartoons. Caleb Yen, who can be heard in the latest Beyblade series, Beyblade X, voices Kevyn, the bookish genius with a photographic memory.
King Gastley is the nefarious ruler of Byjovia, willing to do whatever it takes to maintain his throne, voiced by The Loud House’s Brian Stepanek, while Uncle Budrick is Max’s lovably silly parental figure and professional troubadour and he’s voiced by Jeremy Rowley, best known as iCarly’s Lewbert and Bunsen on Bunsen is a Beast. Two more characters were not set up in the first episode but were important enough to be mentioned in the release were Mumblin, a famous retired magician who helps guide the Midknights on their quests voiced by Gary Anthony Williams, and Fendra, King Gastley’s right-hand dark sorceress voiced by India de Beaufort, who did voice an angry villager in the premiere.
Max & the Midknights is the second Nicktoon based on Lincoln Peirce’s work. The first was Big Nate, which was a Paramount+-original Nicktoon that was disappeared at the end of this past March with a bunch of other originals of the streamer and library Nickelodeon titles. The series did manage to have a wrap party, and the full series is now available on digital marketplaces. Rowley’s casting here pairs with Ben Giroux voicing lead Nate Wright on the Big Nate series, as he voiced Mikey on Bunsen, which means between both shows Peirce got both of the friend duo. Both series share Peirce’s art style in his books, but Max & the Midknights more faithfully brings it to their show. Peirce executive produces with Jane Startz, while Amy McKenna produces. Sharon Flynn and David Skelly serve as co-executive producers and showrunners, and are credited as developers. Flynn was also story editor. Nathan Schram, the Director of Development at Nickelodeon Animation, oversaw development. Taylor Bradbury and Tanya Melendez serve as associate producers, and the staff writers include Lindsay Katai, also of the recently-premiered The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish, Gavin Laing, and Alec Schwimmer. The show will begin rolling out internationally on Nickelodeon on October 10.
Source: Animation Magazine