Surf's Up This Summer as Nickelodeon Debuts New Live-Action Series, Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures, Premiering Friday, July 1, at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT)

SANTA MONICA, Calif., June 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Nickelodeon heats up the summer with the epic launch of its newest live-action comedy series, Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures, premiering Friday, July 1, at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT), with a second brand-new episode airing at 8:30 p.m.  The epic weekend continues with the premiere of two all-new episodes on Saturday, July 2 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) and Sunday, July 3, at 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT).  The series, which will air regularly on Sundays at 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT), centers on two lifelong best friends on a never-ending quest for awesomeness while dealing with everyday dilemmas. Always approaching life, high school and surfing with enthusiasm, Bucket (Taylor Gray) is measured and analytical, while Skinner (Dillon Lane) is zen and carefree.

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"Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures is a classic buddy comedy set against the backdrop of a fantasy California beach town," said Marjorie Cohn, Nickelodeon's President, Development and Original Programming.  "Taylor and Dillon have great comedic chemistry and you can't help rooting for their characters, as they face every crazy situation with endless enthusiasm.  And our audience will love to see True Jackson, VP's Ashley Argota in a brand-new role as Bucket's object of affection."

Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures follows two inseparable friends from Southern California with three goals in life: stay friends forever, always be near a beach and, when they're not at a beach, find a way to get to one.  In the premiere episode, "Epic Election," Bucket attempts to win over the affection of classmate Kelly (Ashley Argota, True Jackson, VP), by running for class president, with his best bud Skinner acting as his campaign manager.  However, Bucket soon realizes that he will need a lot more help to beat super-popular athlete, Aloe (Glenn McCuen, Marmaduke) and is forced to team up with the Kelly's younger sister, the precocious Piper (Tiffany Espensen, Hop), in order to save face and try to win the heart of his dream girl. 

In support of the series premiere, Nickelodeon's multi-platform efforts include sneak peeks and promotional behind-the-scenes content that will stream on Nick.com as well as Nick's wireless partners.  Following each premiere, clips will be available via Nick's wireless partners and full episodes will be made available for download in HD on iTunes, Sony, Xbox and Amazon.  Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures will also launch in the summer-themed "Surf and Burp" category on Nick's video-on-demand.

Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures is developed by executive producer Tom Lynch (The Troop, South of Nowhere) and created by executive producers Boyce Bugliari and Jamie McLaughlin (Quintuplets, Kid Notorious) under The Tom Lynch Company banner.  Jonathan Stark (According to Jim) also serves as executive producer.

Taylor Gray (Bucket) is a native of the Los Angeles area and began his acting career five years ago after booking his first commercial doing stunt work for Dannon Spring Water.  Shortly after, his adventure continued in a feature film entitled The Take, starring opposite John Leguizamo and Rosie Perez. Since then, he has appeared in multiple hit television series, including Numbers, Hawthorne and The Mentalist.  Dillon Lane (Skinner), originally from Arizona, has been singing and acting for most of his life.  With his unique sound blending acoustic with pop, his debut album Broken Promises features such virally popular songs as Never Understand My Life, Hangin on a Heartbeat, among others.  Gray and Lane sing the series' theme song, "No Worries."

Tom Lynch, founder and CEO of The Tom Lynch Company, began his career as a rock-n-roll producer on Don Kirschner's Rock Concert and as creator-writer-producer of Night Tracks.  With an extensive roster of creating television hits to his credit—including Nickelodeon series The Troop, South of Nowhere, Romeo!, Secret World of Alex Mack, Caitlin's Way and The Journey of Allen Strange, Lynch's other series include Just Deal, Skate, Galidor: Defenders of the Outer Dimension, and the Emmy-nominated Scout's Safari, which was set and filmed on location in South Africa.  He rediscovered his musical roots with the hip-hop sitcom Romeo!, starring rap artist Master P and his real-life son, Romeo and Class of 3000, co-created  with André Benjamin of OutKast.  

Bugliari and McLaughlin previously served as writers on Comedy Central's The Showbiz Show with David Spade and Kid Notorious and writers/producers on Fox's Quintuplets starring Andy Richter.  Stark previously co-created and served as executive producer/writer on ABC's hit series According to Jim.  Prior to that, he served as writer/producer on hit series The Drew Carey Show and Ellen and was also part of the writing team for Bob and Cheers.

Nickelodeon, now in its 32^nd year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 16 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com.  Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

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SOURCE Nickelodeon