# Sanjay and Craig
**Sanjay and Craig** is an American animated television series produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studios about Sanjay Patel, an excitable 12-year-old boy, and his best friend Craig, a smooth-talking, master-of-disguise pet snake. It premiered on [Nickelodeon](https://www.edgepedia.org/nickelodeon) on May 25, 2013 and ran its last episode on July 29, 2016, across three seasons.[1](https://www.awn.com/news/nickelodeon-debuts-sanjay-and-craig) • [2](https://nickelodeon.fandom.com/wiki/Sanjay_and_Craig) • [3](https://cartoonvibe.com/sanjay-and-craig/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Network and run | Nickelodeon, May 25, 2013 to July 29, 2016; TV-Y7 rating[1](https://www.awn.com/news/nickelodeon-debuts-sanjay-and-craig) • [4](https://epguides.com/SanjayandCraig/) |
| Creators | Jim Dirschberger, Jay Howell, and Andreas Trolf, first-time creators; executive producers Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi (*The Adventures of Pete & Pete*)[1](https://www.awn.com/news/nickelodeon-debuts-sanjay-and-craig) |
| Lead voices | Maulik Pancholy (*30 Rock*) as Sanjay; Chris Hardwick as Craig[1](https://www.awn.com/news/nickelodeon-debuts-sanjay-and-craig) |
| Episode count | 112 episodes across 3 seasons (one listing gives 114)[4](https://epguides.com/SanjayandCraig/) • [5](https://whichott.com/tv/sanjay-and-craig-2013-61520) |
| Ratings performance | Episodes were averaging 3 million viewers as of September 2013, per Nickelodeon statistics[6](https://www.wired.com/2013/09/nickelodeon-returns-to-its-roots-with-creator-driven-sanjay-and-craig/) |
| Finale | "Booyah for Bollywood," a Bollywood-themed half-hour special, July 29, 2016[3](https://cartoonvibe.com/sanjay-and-craig/) • [4](https://epguides.com/SanjayandCraig/) |
## Premise and characters
The series follows the misadventures of Sanjay, an excitable and irreverent 12-year-old boy, and Craig, a wise-cracking, shape-changing snake who is a master of disguise. Only Sanjay and his closest friends can hear Craig speak, and the pair embark on kid-inspired quests that are, in Nickelodeon's description, at times totally ridiculous, absolutely gross, and weirdly sweet.[1](https://www.awn.com/news/nickelodeon-debuts-sanjay-and-craig) • [7](https://archive.nerdist.com/inside-the-world-of-sanjay-craig/)
The supporting cast includes [Linda Cardellini](https://www.edgepedia.org/linda-cardellini) as Megan Sparkles, Matt Jones as Hector Flanagan, Tony Hale as Mr. Noodman, the snake-phobic neighbor who is always on the verge of discovering that Craig can talk, [Kunal Nayyar](https://www.edgepedia.org/kunal-nayyar) as Vijay, and [Grey DeLisle](https://www.edgepedia.org/grey-delisle) as Darlene and Sandy Dickson.[1](https://www.awn.com/news/nickelodeon-debuts-sanjay-and-craig) • [4](https://epguides.com/SanjayandCraig/) The half-hour premiere paired "Brett Venom MD," in which the duo infiltrates a hospital to see the world's first butt transplant, with "Laugh Quake," a quest for the ultimate laugh.[1](https://www.awn.com/news/nickelodeon-debuts-sanjay-and-craig)
## Creation
The show grew out of the San Francisco art, music, and skating scene, where Howell, Dirschberger, and Trolf met. Howell had created the characters as a zine around 2004, in a much rougher form in which Sanjay was a 40-year-old snake charmer, and Howell and Dirschberger later made a web series, *The Forest City Rockers*, about a motorcycle gang with only one motorcycle. Nickelodeon development executive Audrey Diehl found the web series online and recruited the pair; the trio's first pitches were rejected before a streamlined packet, refined with pitching advice from *Bob's Burgers* creator [Loren Bouchard](https://www.edgepedia.org/loren-bouchard), sold the show.[8](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-sanjay-craig-chris-viscardi-will-mcrobb-20130524-story.html)
Because none of the three had produced a television series before, Nickelodeon paired them with Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi, creators of the classic Nickelodeon series *The Adventures of Pete & Pete*, as executive producers. Viscardi described the show as being in the spirit of *Pete & Pete* and true to that team's philosophy of making things "funny, sad, strange and beautiful."[8](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-sanjay-craig-chris-viscardi-will-mcrobb-20130524-story.html) • [9](https://nick-sanjayandcraig.fandom.com/wiki/Sanjay_and_Craig_%28series%29) The creators credited the show's gross-out humor to their mothers, both of whom were nurses who told cringe-inducing stories.[10](https://www.nickanimation.com/content/sanjay-and-craig/)
## Production style
Unlike many animated shows, *Sanjay and Craig* is board-driven rather than script-driven: storyboards, not a long script, are the basis of each 11-minute episode. The team developed a premise into an outline with the network, then handed it to a board team for roughly two to three weeks of work.[7](https://archive.nerdist.com/inside-the-world-of-sanjay-craig/) Howell, who designed the characters and had previously worked on character design for *Bob's Burgers*, gave the animation a loose, sketch-like quality; Trolf handled writing and Dirschberger production.[7](https://archive.nerdist.com/inside-the-world-of-sanjay-craig/) • [8](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-sanjay-craig-chris-viscardi-will-mcrobb-20130524-story.html)
Co-creator Dirschberger framed the show's premise as a deliberate alternative to wish-fulfillment children's programming: "You can just wake up, go outside, and turn your backyard into something amazing."[6](https://www.wired.com/2013/09/nickelodeon-returns-to-its-roots-with-creator-driven-sanjay-and-craig/)
## Run and reception
Nickelodeon ordered 20 episodes for the first season and greenlit a 20-episode second season in September 2013, with Russell Hicks, the network's President of Content Development and Production, calling the series "a proven hit with our audience."[1](https://www.awn.com/news/nickelodeon-debuts-sanjay-and-craig) • [11](https://ir.paramount.com/static-files/6cb7053a-c2ca-48aa-9066-d5da78fc564f) According to statistics provided by Nickelodeon in September 2013, episodes were averaging 3 million viewers with double-digit gains over the previous year.[6](https://www.wired.com/2013/09/nickelodeon-returns-to-its-roots-with-creator-driven-sanjay-and-craig/) The series was Emmy-nominated.[12](https://www.nickalive.net/2015/09/sanjay-and-craig-star-creators-deliver.html)
Contemporary commentary placed the show at the forefront of Nickelodeon's return to creator-driven animation after years of series built on licensed film franchises such as the *Madagascar* and *Kung Fu Panda* properties.[8](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-sanjay-craig-chris-viscardi-will-mcrobb-20130524-story.html) • [6](https://www.wired.com/2013/09/nickelodeon-returns-to-its-roots-with-creator-driven-sanjay-and-craig/) Common Sense Media's review rates it for ages 9 and up, describing frantic pacing and frequent crude humor (bodily noises and bathroom gags), while noting positive messages about a friendship that supersedes the pair's differences.[13](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/sanjay-and-craig) The show's IMDb rating stands at 4.8 based on about 4,600 user votes.[14](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/sanjay-and-craig)
## Finale and availability
[Chris Hardwick](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-hardwick) confirmed in June 2016 that production had wrapped, and the series signed off on July 29, 2016 with "Booyah for Bollywood," a half-hour finale.[3](https://cartoonvibe.com/sanjay-and-craig/) Only Season 1 ever received a DVD release.[3](https://cartoonvibe.com/sanjay-and-craig/)
Streaming availability has shifted over time: as of late-2026 listings, the series is streamable in the United States via the Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel or purchasable on the Apple TV Store, Fandango at Home, and Amazon Video, with free ad-supported viewing on [Pluto TV](https://www.edgepedia.org/pluto-tv) in Canada.[14](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/sanjay-and-craig) • [15](https://www.justwatch.com/ca/tv-show/sanjay-and-craig)
## References
1. [Nickelodeon Debuts 'Sanjay and Craig', Animation World Network](https://www.awn.com/news/nickelodeon-debuts-sanjay-and-craig)
2. [Sanjay and Craig, Nickelodeon Fandom wiki](https://nickelodeon.fandom.com/wiki/Sanjay_and_Craig)
3. [Sanjay and Craig: The Anatomy of Absurdism, Cartoonvibe](https://cartoonvibe.com/sanjay-and-craig/)
4. [Sanjay and Craig, a Titles & Air Dates Guide, epguides](https://epguides.com/SanjayandCraig/)
5. [Where to watch Sanjay and Craig (2013), WhichOTT](https://whichott.com/tv/sanjay-and-craig-2013-61520)
6. [Nickelodeon Brings Back Its Golden Age With Sanjay and Craig, WIRED](https://www.wired.com/2013/09/nickelodeon-returns-to-its-roots-with-creator-driven-sanjay-and-craig/)
7. [Inside the World of "Sanjay & Craig", Nerdist](https://archive.nerdist.com/inside-the-world-of-sanjay-craig/)
8. [Nick's 'Sanjay and Craig': A chat with the creators and producers, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-sanjay-craig-chris-viscardi-will-mcrobb-20130524-story.html)
9. [Sanjay and Craig (series), Sanjay and Craig Wiki](https://nick-sanjayandcraig.fandom.com/wiki/Sanjay_and_Craig_%28series%29)
10. [Sanjay and Craig, Nickelodeon Animation](https://www.nickanimation.com/content/sanjay-and-craig/)
11. [Nickelodeon Greenlights Second Season of Sanjay and Craig, Paramount press release](https://ir.paramount.com/static-files/6cb7053a-c2ca-48aa-9066-d5da78fc564f)
12. [Sanjay and Craig Star & Creators Deliver "More Heart, Less Fart", NickALive](https://www.nickalive.net/2015/09/sanjay-and-craig-star-creators-deliver.html)
13. [Sanjay and Craig, Parents' Guide & TV Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/sanjay-and-craig)
14. [Sanjay and Craig streaming listings, JustWatch (US)](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/sanjay-and-craig)
15. [Sanjay and Craig streaming listings, JustWatch (Canada)](https://www.justwatch.com/ca/tv-show/sanjay-and-craig)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Sitcom and comedy series › Animated sitcoms and animated comedy series › Family animated comedy series*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license