Plankton is taking over the North Pole, and Bikini Bottom has until Nov. 27 to get ready. According to a Nickelodeon release posted to Paramount Press Express on Nov. 6, the hour-long SpongeBob SquarePants holiday special “Merry Christmas, Mr. Plankton” airs Friday, Nov. 27, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. ET/PT on Nickelodeon and streams the same day on Paramount+.
What We Know
- Premiere: Friday, Nov. 27, 5:00-6:00 p.m. ET/PT on Nickelodeon, streaming that day on Paramount+.
- Premise: SpongeBob, Mr. Krabs and an unlikely group of friends team up to save Christmas after Plankton takes over the North Pole.
- Guest star: Lewis Black plays Santa.
- Lead-out: A new The Patrick Star Show episode, “Snowbound! A Star Family Christmas,” follows at 6:00-6:30 p.m. ET/PT on Nickelodeon. The Stars share Christmas stories while snowbound at home.
How We Got Here
The special isn’t a total surprise. Tom Kenny gave a first look during a TikTok Live on July 14, the first annual SpongeBob Day, as NickALive reported at the time, with Nickelodeon promising a premiere “later this year.” Friday’s release is the part that was missing: an actual date.
The release doesn’t name the rest of the voice cast or the writers, so for now Black’s Santa is the only casting detail we can confirm. We’ll update if Nickelodeon shares more.
Where to Watch
If you don’t have cable, the Paramount+ stream on Nov. 27 is your way in. The release says the special joins the SpongeBob catalog on the service, which includes The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, The Patrick Star Show, Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years and 15 seasons of the original series.
Looking for more animation news while you wait? We’ve got the Avatar Aang art book release, the Avatar: Seven Havens renewal and the Batman: Knightfall Part 2: Knightquest release date.
Sources: Nickelodeon / Paramount Press Express release (Nov. 6, 2026); NickALive (July 2026).
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