Nickelodeon has named Chris Viscardi, co-creator of the kids' series "The Adventures of Pete and Pete," to the newly created role of senior vice president, content development, Nickelodeon Franchise Properties.

Viscardi will oversee the creative strategies for the network's key franchises, including "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," "SpongeBob SquarePants" and "Dora the Explorer," as well as mine the network's library of original series to reimagine and develop select shows for today's audiences. He will also work closely with other Viacom divisions such as Paramount Pictures to explore partnership opportunities.

First up for Viscardi is the development of a Hey Arnold! original TV movie, with the series' original creator Craig Bartlett returning as writer and executive producer. The new TV movie will feature a storyline that picks up from where the original series ended in 2004 and will resolve unanswered questions and plotlines including Arnold finally getting answers about the whereabouts of his missing parents.

Currently, Viscardi serves as one of the executive producers on Nickelodeon's animated series "Sanjay and Craig." He began his career at Nickelodeon, where he and Will McRobb created the award-winning series "The Adventures of Pete & Pete," along with the alternative animation series "Kablam!"

"Chris is a creator who innately understands the Nickelodeon DNA and our audience because of his long history with us," says Russell Hicks, president, content development and production, Nickelodeon Group, to whom Viscardi will report. "As someone who has worked on two generations of Nickelodeon hit shows, Chris is the perfect person to manage our most important franchises and reimagine stories and characters from our library for today's kids and for the Millennial generation who grew up on them. It's also incredibly exciting to pair Chris with another master storyteller, Craig Bartlett, to bring our iconic 'Hey Arnold!' back to life in a new, modern way."