Nate Is Late

Nate Is Late (French: Oscar et Malika, toujours en retard) is an animated television series created by Sylvain Huchet and Peter Saisselin. The series is produced by Watch Next Media and distributed by KidsFirst. The series originally aired on France 4, Super RTL, and 9Go!.

A second season has been confirmed by the production companies of the series, and premiered on RTS 1 in Switzerland on 27 August 2021. The English version of the second season is now showing on Pop in the UK and Ireland. A third season is currently in production, in honor of the series' 5th anniversary.

Premise
Every morning, Nate and Malika go to school, but get sidetracked on adventures that make them late. When they finally arrive at school, Principal Prudence never believes their stories.

Characters

 * Nate (voiced by Jane U'Brien) – An elementary school-aged boy who is enthusiastic about going on adventures, no matter how absurd they may be. He is called "Oscar" in the French version.
 * Malika (voiced by Sarah Aubrey) – An elementary school-aged girl who is Nate's best friend. Malika acts as the calmer one compared to Nate, but she is also prone to make silly decisions.
 * Principal Prudence (voiced by Sarah Aubrey) – The principal of Nate and Malika's school, who almost always asks the duo their cause for being late.

In addition to the three main characters, other characters are introduced in most episodes as Nate and Malika embark on their journeys.

Season 1 (2018)
The season finale, "The Invaders", focuses on this when Nate, Malika and Principal Prudence end up kidnapped by aliens who try to tap their memories to invade Earth. After they escape, the aliens launch a premature invasion necessitating Nate and Malika to call on all their friends they made through the season to help fend them off.

Broadcast
The series was produced for broadcast on France.TV (France), Super RTL (Germany), and 9Go! (Australia). In addition, the series airs on Pop and Pop Max (UK), Cartoon Network (India) and Discovery Kids (MENA).

In the United States, the show is a streaming exclusive, being available on Ameba, Kidoodle.TV, BatteryPOP, and The Roku Channel.

Reception
Fernanda Camargo of Common Sense Media gave the series three stars out of five, describing it as a "fun buddy comedy . . . full of fantasy, thin on lessons."