Nick at Nite (stylized as [1]) is the evening programming block broadcast over Nickelodeon Sundays through Thursdays from 8:00 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., and Fridays and Saturdays from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Eastern and Pacific Time. Nickelodeon is known for its children's shows during the day, while Nick at Nite appeals to adult and/or adolescent audiences with a lineup of live-action sitcoms.

History

Nick at Nite debuted at 8 p.m. on July 1, 1985 as a block on Nickelodeon. MTV Networks President Bob Pittman had asked Nickelodeon General Manager Gerry Laybourne to develop programming to fill the time vacated by A&E Network (which occupied the former Alpha Repertory Television Service time slot), to take better advantage of precious satellite time. After futile attempts at original program development, she asked programming and branding consultants Alan Goodman and Fred Seibert of Fred/Alan Inc. (successful as the original MTV branders, and Nickelodeon's explosive rebranding) to come up with programming. After being presented with over 200 episodes of The Donna Reed Show (which Laybourne despised), Goodman and Seibert conceived the idea of the "first oldies TV network." They modeled the new evening and overnight programming block on the successful oldies radio format, "The Greatest Hits of All Time," and branded the block with their next evolution of MTV- and Nickelodeon-style imagery and bumpers. Head programmer Debby Beece led the team to the name "Nick-at-Nite," and Fred/Alan developed the original logo with Tom Corey and Scott Nash of Corey McPherson Nash, Boston, creators of the well-recognized Nickelodeon orange logo.