If you’re like me, you grew up watching Nickelodeon. From Drake and Josh, to iCarly to Victorious, mid 2000’s-early 2010’s Nickelodeon was IT.

However, there was one show that aired during the same period as Drake and Josh (2004-2007) that is not talked about enough as one of the GREATEST shows in the history of Nickelodeon; Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide (or Ned’s Declassified for short).

Taking place inside the walls of James K. Polk Middle School (yes, it is named after the 11th President of the United States) in southern California, Ned Bigby ( Devon Werkheiser), Simon Nelson-Cook “Cookie” (Daniel Curtis Lee) and Jennifer Ann “Moze” Mosely (Lindsey Shaw) are real-life middle schoolers navigating real teen problems. Each 22-minute episode is split into two 11-minute parts, with each part dealing with a different issue. Episodes include detention, gym, school dances, math, relationships and every other issue a middle school-aged child would deal with on a regular basis. During each episode, Bigby provides tips he wrote in his school survival guide (hence the name of the show) to help him, his friends and his other classmates conquer whatever they are dealing with.

While the episode mainly caters to a middle school audience, most of the episodes relate to adult problems as well. I went back and rewatched the series last summer (It’s currently available on Paramount+), and there’s many tips Ned gives that help me out still in my daily life.

Which is why when I was scrolling through YouTube), and I saw this on my YouTube homepage, I knew this would be my first post:

“Ned’s Declassified Podcast Survival Guide”, a podcast where Werkheiser, Curtis Lee, and Shaw relive the filming of the show and take us behind the scenes of what actually went on during their time playing the characters of Ned, Cookie, and Moze, respectively?! Sign me up!

In the first podcast episode, the three now grown adults recap the first episode of the series, “First Day”, while also revealing one of the three were not supposed to play their role. They also tell the story of what they did on set when they weren’t filming, and why it took one year for them to shoot the actual pilot after the series was picked up after executives saw the original pilot.

For any fans of Ned’s Declassified, this podcast is a must-listen, and it’s already been added to my favorites. Ep. 2, “Lockers”, is now live.