The epic third season of the hit series AVATAR and Bill Cosby's half-hour animated children's series LITTLE BILL will both return in Nickelodeon's fall lineup, the top-rated children's network announced.
AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER, from creators Mike DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, will premiere Friday, Sept. 21, at 8:30 pm (ET/PT). In support of this premiere, Nicktoons Networks will air mini-marathons of AVATAR seasons one and two from Monday, Sept. 17, at 2:00 pm (ET) through Thursday, September 20. New episodes of AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER will continue to premiere with new episodes in its regular timeslot on Fridays at 8:30 pm (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon.
In the season three premiere of AVATAR, "The Awakening," Aang wakes up to find himself aboard a captured Fire Nation ship after sustaining serious injuries at the end of season two. Katara, Sokka, and their father are with him and they recount the events that led the four to the ship and how they plan to attack the Fire Nation. Aang struggles to fight his own instincts to face the Firelord before he is ready, but ultimately accepts that he needs time to heal and regain his strength. Meanwhile, Zuko is dealing with his own issues as he journeys home for first time in three years, fearing his father will reject him once again.
On Tuesday, Sept. 11, timed to coincide with the season three debut, Nickelodeon Home Ent. and Paramount Home Ent. will release AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER: THE COMPLETE BOOK 2 COLLECTION. The deluxe box set features all 20 BOOK 2: EARTH chapters, along with a bonus disc full of exclusive material, including an interview with M. Night Shyamalan. The bonus disc also includes an exclusive animated graphic novel, plus three original shorts and a martial arts featurette.
Also leading up to the premiere, Nickelodeon will offer video shorts of AVATAR, including clips, sneak peeks, recaps of season two, as well as instant replays of episodes after its on-air premiere, all on TurboNick, the network's broadband video service on www.nick.com. Additionally, short form AVATAR content will be available on Nickelodeon Mobile on various wireless carriers as of September. After the launch of season three, fans may log on to play two new AVATAR-themed offerings in Nick's Game of The Week section: THE DAY OF THE BLACK SUN beginning Nov. 15, and CLASH OF THE BENDERS on Nov. 29. Also post-premiere, Avatar episodes will stream on Video-on-Demand and will be available for paid download to purchase on Nickelodeon's direct-to-video distribution partner platforms each week after the episode premieres on Friday nights.
Launched in February 2005, AVATAR is currently in its third season and is ranked among the top 10 animated properties on commercial television among boys 2-11 and boys 6-11 (1Q07). The series is produced at the Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank, California.
Bill Cosby's Emmy, Peabody and Humanitas Award-winning series, which originally launched on Nick Jr., will join the network's acclaimed preschool block on Monday, Sept. 10, at 11:00 am (ET). Based on Cosby's popular LITTLE BILL book series, the show reflects the wisdom, outlook and humor of their creator. LITTLE BILL teaches the importance of friendship and family relationships while showing children how to solve problems creatively and fairly. LITTLE BILL gives young viewers a role model they can relate to and caregivers can trust. Backed by research and a panel of educational consultants, the show is specially designed to help teach kids how to make a difference in their lives and in the lives of the people around them.
