Fresh Beat Band of Spies

Fresh Beat Band of Spies is a 2015-2016 American-Canadian[1] musical animated children's television series originally airing on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr.[2] It was created by Nadine Van der Velde and Scott Kraft.[3] It is a spin-off of Nickelodeon's The Fresh Beat Band. 20 episodes were produced.[4] Despite being a spin-off, this series is not part of the original show's canon.

Fresh Beat Band of Spies
Genre	Children's music Science fiction Comedy Action Drama Biopunk Mystery Suspense
Created by	Nadine Van der Velde Scott Kraft
Developed by	Ian Freedman
Directed by	Chuck Sheetz Ernie Gilbert (art)
Creative director(s)	Gary Janetti
Voices of	Jon Beavers Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer Tommy Hobson Tara Perry Tom Kenny Keith Silverstein
Theme music composer	Peter Zizzo
Opening theme	"Fresh Beat Band of Spies Theme Song"
Ending theme	"Great Day Remix"
Composer(s)	Stuart Kollmorgen & Dan Pinella
Country of origin	United States Canada
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	20
Production
Running time	21–23 minutes
Production company(s)	Nelvana Limited 6point2 Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Distributor	Viacom Media Networks (U.S.) Corus Entertainment (international)
Release
Original network	Nickelodeon Nick Jr.
Original release	June 15, 2015 – January 22, 2016
Chronology
Preceded by	The Fresh Beat Band

Plot

The Fresh Beat Band, now a group of spies, solve wacky mysteries in their town using their individual talents and cool gadgets.

Characters

Main

• Twist (voiced by Jon Beavers) – A comedic disc jockey whose day job is as the manager of the Pet Daycare Center.
• Kiki (voiced by Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer) – The band's lead guitarist and lead singer who owns a local hair salon.
• Shout (voiced by Tommy Hobson) – An athletic keyboardist who is also the lifeguard at a nearby swimming pool.
• Marina (voiced by Tara Perry) – The brainy drummer of the spy team who is the chemist for a cupcake bakery.
• Bo Monkey (voiced by Tom Kenny) – Twist's best friend, a monkey who helps him operate the pet center.
• Reed (voiced by Tom Kenny) – A bespectacled computer specialist who provides the Fresh Beats with gadgets. He tends to suddenly appear out of nowhere, due to hiding in or behind various objects.
• Commissioner Goldstar (voiced by Keith Silverstein) – The chief of police who appears at the end of every episode, normally to congratulate the spies on their successes.

Recurring

• Champ Von Champ Von Winnerchamp (voiced by Tom Kenny) – A muscular recurring villain who steals & cheats for various objects, such as trophies, wrestling belts and party supplies. He speaks with a German accent and is assisted by his own cheer squad for stealing stuff.
• Lily (voiced by Heaven White) – Commissioner Goldstar's niece and a good friend of the Fresh Beats. She has a pet dog named Goldie and plays on Shout's baseball team.
• Lil Piggie – A pig with a hot pink mohawk and one of the many animals living at Twist's pet center. He is a friend of the Fresh Beats.
• Captain Arrrgh (voiced by Tom Kenny) – A singing pirate who steals treasure with the help of his chicken, Poulet, and his second-in-command, First Mate.
• Yi-Haw (voiced by Kate Higgins) – A cowgirl and outlaw who wishes to surpass her outlaw ancestor by stealing buildings from all over town.

Production

The series was first announced in March 2017 [5] In August of the same year, it was announced that Nickelodeon was currently in production on the show and it was slated for a 2018 release.[6] From November 2017 until February 2018, several songs from Fresh Beat Band of Spies episodes were performed as part of "The Fresh Beat Band: Greatest Hits Live" tour; products such as posters and T-shirts featuring the cartoon Fresh Beat characters were sold at these concerts.[7]

Episodes

No.	Title [8]	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code [2]	US viewers (millions)
1	"The Wow Factor"	Chuck Sheetz	Michael Ryan	June 15, 2015 (2015-06-15)	101	0.68[9]
A singer named Sindy Sauernotes (voiced by guest star Tia Mowry) attempts to steal a crown at a musical awards show.
2	"Trophy Trouble"	Chuck Sheetz	Evan Gore & Heather Lombard	June 17, 2015 (2015-06-17)	104	N/A
Champ Von Champ Von Winnerchamp (voiced by Tom Kenny) tries to steal all the trophies in the town.
3	"Mummy Mayhem"	Chuck Sheetz	Hadley Klein	June 19, 2015 (2015-06-19)	102	0.61[10]
A treasure hunter named Arizona Jones (voiced by guest star Jerry O'Connell) sets his sights on an ancient Egyptian artifact.
4	"Rocket Ship Alien"	Chuck Sheetz	Evan Gore & Heather Lombard	June 20, 2015 (2015-06-20)	103	0.48[11]
A stranded extraterrestrial is found at the local amusement park.
5	"Fruit Racer Game"	Chuck Sheetz	Hadley Klein	June 22, 2015 (2015-06-22)	105	0.63[12]
Twist, Shout and Marina must free Kiki when she gets zapped inside the Angry Fruit Racers arcade game.
6	"Singing Pirate"	Chuck Sheetz	Andy Rheingold & Ray DeLaurentis	June 24, 2015 (2015-06-24)	106	0.48[13]
Captain Arrrgh takes a valuable emerald.
7	"Werewolf Hairwolf"	Chuck Sheetz	Hadley Klein	June 26, 2015 (2015-06-26)	107	N/A
Twist, Reed, Bo and the townspeople are turned into werewolves by an evil hair stylist, Mojo Fauxhawk (voiced by Tom Kenny).
8	"Masked Wrestler"	Chuck Sheetz	Evan Gore & Heather Lombard	June 27, 2015 (2015-06-27)	108	0.65[14]
Champ Von Champ Von Winnerchamp becomes a wrestler and cheats to win championship belts.
9	"Cute Crook"	Chuck Sheetz	Kevin Sullivan	June 29, 2015 (2015-06-29)	109	0.58[15]
A villain named Squee Z. Dumpkins (voiced by Tara Strong) plans to make the ultimate viral video by stealing cute pets.
10	"Wild Outlaw"	Chuck Sheetz	Hadley Klein	July 1, 2015 (2015-07-01)	112	0.56[16]
A fugitive cowgirl and outlaw named Yi-Haw (voiced by Kate Higgins) attempts to steal buildings from the Spies' city.
11	"Bo's Birthday Bash"	Chuck Sheetz	David Lewman	July 3, 2015 (2015-07-03)	111	0.39[17]
Champ Von Champ Von Winnerchamp steals Bo Monkey's entire birthday party and more parties in the city.
12	"Fake Fresh Beats"	Chuck Sheetz	Evan Gore & Heather Lombard	July 27, 2015 (2015-07-27)	113[18]	0.63[19]
The Fresh Beats must prove to Commissioner Goldstar and the rest of the city that they have been framed for two robberies by a group of villains, Rubberface Rudy (voiced by Khary Payton), Captain Arrrgh, Yi-Haw and Champ Von Champ Von Winnerchamp.
13	"Dance Bots"	Chuck Sheetz	Tom Krajewski	July 29, 2015 (2015-07-29)	114[20]	0.40[21]
The Fresh Beats have to stop a villainous inventor named Dakota Koder (voiced by Cree Summer) from rampaging through the city with her robot.
14	"Band of Pirates"	Chuck Sheetz	Dave Lewman	July 31, 2015 (2015-07-31)	115[22]	0.40[23]
Captain Arrrgh and First Mate use half of a stolen pirate map to dig holes around the town in search of the valuable treasure of Captain McPlunder.
15	"Frozen Fresh Beats"	Chuck Sheetz	Tom Krajewski	September 21, 2015 (2015-09-21)	116[24]	0.54[25]
The Fresh Beat Band of Spies have to save summer, thanks to a villainous Viking (voiced by Nolan North) who freezes the town.
16	"Bunnies Go Bananas"	Chuck Sheetz	Hadley Klein	September 23, 2015 (2015-09-23)	117[26]	0.36[27]
A heap of bunnies inadvertently create a gigantic banana monster.
17	"Ghost of Rock"[28]	Chuck Sheetz	Tom Krajewski	October 19, 2015 (2015-10-19)	110[29]	0.59[30]
The spies encounter a rockstar ghost named Spooky Spooks (voiced by Eden Riegel) inside a haunted theater.
18	"Christmas 2.0"	Chuck Sheetz	Analise McNeill	December 15, 2015 (2015-12-15)	118[31]	0.50[32]
The spies stop an out-of-control present delivery machine from ruining Christmas.
19	"Sneaky Sneakers"	Ian Freedman	Gary Janetti	January 15, 2016 (2016-01-15)	119[33]	N/A
Two villainous basketball players trick Reed into giving them Shout's robotic sneakers.
20	"Fresh Beat Babies"	Mike Sheill	Anne Fryer	January 22, 2016 (2016-01-22)	120[34]	N/A
The spies find out that Commissioner Goldstar has been turned into a baby by Squee Z. Dumpkins. Will the band save the day or will the whole town be turned into babies?

Broadcast

Fresh Beat Band of Spies premiered in the United States on June 15, 2015 and continues to be shown in reruns on both Nickelodeon and Nick Jr.[35] It was first shown on Nickelodeon Canada on September 1, 2015. It also aired on Treehouse TV.[36] The series debuted on Nick Jr. in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland on January 11, 2016,[37] in Italy on January 18, 2016,[38] in the Middle East and North Africa on January 25, 2016,[39] and in Australia on February 1, 2016.[40] The series premiered on Nick Jr. UK on February 6, 2016.[41] Channel 5 – Milkshake! premiered the show in 2017.

The show went off the air on Nick Jr. after August 7, 2017,[42] but returned to the channel on July 3, 2018,[43] before it went off the air again after September 3, 2018.[44] It returned to Nick Jr. again on March 26, 2019[45] before it went off the air for the third time after September 2, 2019.[46] It returned to Nick Jr. again for the fourth time on December 17, 2019[47] before it went off the air again after February 3, 2020.[48]

Reception

Critical response

The series has received generally positive reviews from critics. Common Sense Media reviewer Emily Ashby gave the show four out of five stars, praising the show's use of "quirky villains" rather than "real scares."[49] In October 2018, USA Today listed the series as one of the twenty-five best family programs of the year.[50]

Accolades

The episode "Singing Pirate" was nominated for "Outstanding Achievement, Production Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production" in the 43rd Annie Awards.[51] The series was also the recipient of a 2019 Parents' Choice Award.[52]

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result	Refs
2019	43rd Annie Awards	Outstanding Achievement, Production Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production	Ernie Gilbert (for "Singing Pirate")	Nominated	[51]
2019	Parents' Choice Awards	"Fun Stuff" Award	Nickelodeon	Won	[52]

References

1. "Fresh Beat Band of Spies Program – MTV Networks International". Viacom.
2. "Fresh Beat Band of Spies – Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
3. "Fresh Beat Band of Spies". Nick Jr. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
4. Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 69. ISBN 9781476672939.
5. "March 2017 TV Media Insights – Nickelodeon Announcements". TV Media Insights – TV Ratings & News – Network TV Show Reviews and Daily Ratings.
6. "Nickelodeon's The Fresh Beat Band Are Back". businesswire.com. 5 August 2017.
7. "The Fresh Beat Band: Greatest Hits Live". cidentertainment.com.
8. "Fresh Beat Band of Spies: Episode Guide". Zap2it. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
9. Metcalf, Mitch (June 16, 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Monday Cable Ratings (& Network Update): 6.15.2015". SHOWBUZZDAILY. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
10. Metcalf, Mitch (June 22, 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Friday Cable Ratings (& Network Update): 6.19.2015". SHOWBUZZDAILY. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
11. Metcalf, Mitch (June 23, 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Saturday Cable Ratings (& Network Update): 6.20.2015". SHOWBUZZDAILY. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
12. Metcalf, Mitch (June 23, 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Monday Cable Ratings (& Network Update): 6.22.2015". SHOWBUZZDAILY. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
13. Metcalf, Mitch (June 25, 2018). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Wednesday Cable Ratings (& Network Update): 6.24.2018". SHOWBUZZDAILY. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
14. Metcalf, Mitch (June 30, 2018). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Saturday Cable Ratings (& Network Update): 6.27.2018". SHOWBUZZDAILY. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
15. Metcalf, Mitch (June 30, 2018). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Monday Cable Ratings (& Network Update): 6.29.2018". SHOWBUZZDAILY. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
16. Metcalf, Mitch (July 2, 2018). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Wednesday Cable Ratings (& Network Update): 7.1.2018". SHOWBUZZDAILY. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
17. Metcalf, Mitch (July 7, 2018). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Friday Cable Ratings (& Network Update): 7.3.2018". SHOWBUZZDAILY. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
18. "Fresh Beat Band of Spies: "Fake Fresh Beats" Episode Description". Viacom International, Inc. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
19. Metcalf, Mitch (July 28, 2018). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Monday Cable Ratings (& Network Update): 7.27.2018". SHOWBUZZDAILY. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
20. "Fresh Beat Band of Spies: "Dance Bots" Episode Description". Viacom International, Inc. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
21. Metcalf, Mitch (July 30, 2018). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Wednesday Cable Ratings (& Network Update): 7.29.2015". SHOWBUZZDAILY. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
22. "Fresh Beat Band of Spies: "Band of Pirates" Episode Description". Viacom International, Inc. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
23. Metcalf, Mitch (August 3, 2018). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Friday Cable Ratings (& Network Update): 7.31.2018". SHOWBUZZDAILY. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
24. "Fresh Beat Band of Spies: "Frozen Fresh Beats" Episode Description". Viacom International, Inc. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
25. Metcalf, Mitch (September 22, 2018). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Monday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 9.21.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
26. "Fresh Beat Band of Spies: "Bunnies Go Bananas" Episode Description". Viacom International, Inc. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
27. Metcalf, Mitch (September 24, 2018). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Wednesday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 9.23.2018". SHOWBUZZDAILY. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
28. "NICKELODEON CELEBRATES HALLOWEEN WITH SPOOKTACULAR PREMIERES, SPECIALS AND AN ALL-NEW NICK ORIGINAL MOVIE, BEGINNING OCT. 12" (Press release). New York City: Viacom Media Networks. September 23, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
29. "Fresh Beat Band of Spies: "Ghost of Rock" Episode Description". Viacom International, Inc. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
30. Metcalf, Mitch (October 20, 2018). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Monday Cable Ratings (& Network Update): 10.19.2018". SHOWBUZZDAILY. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
31. "Fresh Beat Band of Spies: "Christmas 2.0" Episode Description". Viacom International, Inc. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
32. Metcalf, Mitch (December 16, 2018). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 12.15.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
33. "Fresh Beat Band of Spies: "Sneaky Sneakers" Episode Description". Viacom International, Inc. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
34. "Fresh Beat Band of Spies: "Fresh Beat Babies" Episode Description". Viacom International, Inc. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
35. "Fresh Beat Band of Spies". zap2it.com.
36. "CORUS KIDS SEPTEMBER 2015 HIGHLIGHTS" (Press release). Corus Entertainment. August 28, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
37. "Nick Presse Germany: Fresh Beat Band of Spies". Presse.Nick.de. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
38. "Fresh Beat Band: Le spie". NickJr.it. Archived from the original on January 27, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
39. "OSN January 2016 Guide (Page 25)". OSN.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
40. "What's On – Free TV & Paid TV Specials". Femail. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
41. "Fresh Beat Band of Spies on Nick Jr. UK". NickJr.co.uk. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
42. https://web.archive.org/web/20170805045906/http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tvlistings/ZCSGrid.do?stnNum=19211&channel=82&aid=zap2it
43. https://web.archive.org/web/20180703053437/http://www.nickjr.com/tvschedule/
44. https://web.archive.org/web/20180903054443/http://www.nickjr.com/tvschedule/
45. https://web.archive.org/web/20190325131702/http://www.nickjr.com/tvschedule/tomorrow/
46. https://web.archive.org/web/20190901081707/http://www.nickjr.com/tvschedule/tomorrow/
47. https://web.archive.org/web/20191216102843/http://www.nickjr.com/tvschedule/tomorrow/
48. https://web.archive.org/web/20200202080903/http://www.nickjr.com/tvschedule/tomorrow/
49. "Fresh Beat Band of Spies Review". commonsensemedia.org.
50. "Best TV programs for kids, teens and families include Amazon, Netflix shows". USA TODAY. 6 October 2018.
51. ""Fresh Beat Band of Spies: Singing Pirate" – 43rd Annual Annie Awards". AnnieAwards.org. Archived from the original on December 3, 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
52. ""Fresh Beat Band of Spies" on Parents-Choice.org". Parents-Choice.org. Retrieved 7 March 2019.

External links

• Official site
• Fresh Beat Band of Spies on IMDb
• Fresh Beat Band of Spies at TV.com
• Fresh Beat Band of Spies on Amazon Video
• Fresh Beat Band of Spies on TV Guide