It has been almost two decades since the golden era of Spongebob aired on Nickelodeon. The first three seasons embodied the pinnacle of animated entertainment: material suitable for children, but wholesomely enjoyable for all ages. Spongebob, the doe-eyed, jubilant fry-cook was who we related to as kids. Squidward however, was who we related to as adults. Irritable, tired, and burdened with failure with most things he attempted. Spongebob's optimism and Squidward's pessimism created the chaotic and wildly enjoyable dichotomy we all loved. Surely, most Spongebob fans would love more content with Squidward, but after 9 Spongebob seasons that have essentially all decreased in quality, Nickelodeon cannot continue relying on Spongebob and friends to keep the channel profitable. 

Long before the unfortunate passing of creator Stephen Hillenburg in late 2018, Hillenburg adamantly stated his aversion to Spongebob spinoffs. He claimed that "the show is about SpongeBob, he’s the core element, and it’s about how he relates to the other characters." As fans, we love all the characters, but Spongebob truly is the player who ties everything together. It stands as a complete act of disrespect to greenlight a spinoff show after waiting for the person who made Spongebob as successful as it is to die so Netflix and Nickelodeon can propagate lazy content. 

Spongebob stood for many as an icon of the golden age of Nickelodeon cartoons. We've seen all the classics, and despite the decline of seasons over time, we refuse to allow corporations to further generate content against the wishes of those who made the show what it was in the first place. Let the nostalgic, great memories of  Spongebob (and Squidward!) live on by cancelling Netflix and Nickelodeon's unimaginative and unoriginal Squidward spinoff.