So, you’re scrolling through Netflix or Paramount+ and you see that familiar thumbnail of four kids who look like they’re about to cause an absolute disaster in a sporting goods store. It’s Nicky Ricky Dicky and Dawn season 1. For a lot of us, this was the peak of 2014 Nickelodeon. But looking back at it now, in 2026, there’s actually a lot of weird, interesting stuff about that first year that most people totally forget or just flat-out get wrong.
Honestly, the show shouldn't have worked as well as it did. The premise is basically "four kids who share a birthday but hate each other's guts." Simple, right? But season 1 had this specific, chaotic energy that the later seasons—where things got a bit more "polished" and eventually more tense behind the scenes—never quite captured again.
The "10-Year-Old" Mystery
Most people think the Harpers were teenagers from the jump. They weren't. In season 1, they're actually nine turning ten. It’s a huge plot point in "The Quadfather," where they try to have separate "grown-up" birthday parties.
You’ve got Nicky (Aidan Gallagher), who’s basically a miniature gourmet chef and the "quirky" one. Then there’s Ricky (Casey Simpson), the overachieving nerd who probably has his socks color-coded. Dicky (Mace Coronel) is the "cool" one, which usually just means he’s incredibly relaxed about everything. And Dawn (Lizzy Greene) is the self-appointed leader who is constantly trying to keep the boys from burning the house down.
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What’s crazy is seeing Aidan Gallagher here before he became the brooding, time-traveling Number Five in The Umbrella Academy. In season 1, he’s just a kid who’s really into cooking and getting confused by his brothers’ schemes. It’s a total trip to watch.
Why Season 1 Hits Different
The first season of any sitcom is usually a bit clunky while the actors find their rhythm. But the chemistry here was instant. There was this "us against the world" vibe, even when they were fighting over a remote control.
Speaking of remotes, remember the episode "Remote Control Control"? It’s basically a 22-minute war film set in a living room. That episode, and "Poo Dunnit"—which is literally a whodunit mystery about someone not flushing the toilet—showed that the writers weren't afraid to go for the most relatable, slightly gross-out sibling stuff possible.
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- The Store: The "Get Sporty!" store was basically the fifth main character.
- Josie: Gabrielle Elyse played Josie, the store employee/babysitter. A lot of people forget she was a series regular in season 1 because she just... vanished later on.
- The Parents: Tom (Brian Stepanek) and Anne (Allison Munn) were actually funny. Usually, sitcom parents are just "the boring adults," but Tom Harper was basically a giant kid himself, which made the dynamic way better.
What Really Happened Behind the Scenes
There’s always talk about the drama that happened later in the show's run, specifically around Mace Coronel (Dicky) leaving in season 4. But in season 1? Things were actually pretty tight.
Originally, Nickelodeon only ordered 13 episodes. That’s a standard "test the waters" order. But the ratings were so high right out of the gate that they bumped it up to 20 episodes. It was one of those rare moments where a show just clicks with the audience immediately.
They also had some pretty solid guest stars early on. Kyla-Drew Simmons showed up as Mae, who eventually became Dawn’s best friend and the "fifth quad." You also had the Ziegler sisters, Maddie and Mackenzie, popping up in the "Field of Brains" era. It felt like the show was the center of the Nick universe for a minute there.
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The Episode Everyone Remembers (But Gets the Name Wrong)
Ask anyone about season 1 and they’ll mention the dog. The dog’s name was Gary-Chip-Tiny Elvis-Squishy Paws. Yeah, it’s a mouthful. The episode where they argue over the name—"The Sad Tail of Gary-Chip-Tiny Elvis-Squishy Paws"—is peak quad behavior. It perfectly encapsulates how they literally cannot agree on a single thing, even when they’re trying to do something nice like naming a pet.
Is It Still Worth Watching?
If you’re looking for a nostalgia hit or just something easy to have on in the background, season 1 holds up surprisingly well. The jokes are snappy, and the "Seinfeld for kids" vibe that some critics mentioned back then is actually pretty accurate. It’s fast-paced and doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Practical steps if you're diving back in:
- Check the order: Some streaming platforms have the episodes out of order. Start with the Pilot and make sure you watch "The Quadfather" around the middle, or the age progression won't make sense.
- Watch the background: Brian Stepanek (the dad) does a lot of physical comedy in the background of scenes that you probably missed when you were younger.
- Don't skip the "Poo Dunnit" episode: It sounds dumb, but the plotting is actually a legit mystery. It’s arguably the best-written episode of the entire first season.
The show eventually changed quite a bit, becoming more about the kids' individual lives as they grew up, but that first season remains the gold standard for the "quad" dynamic. It’s chaotic, loud, and weirdly heart-warming.
Next time you see it on your feed, give the pilot another look. You’ll probably be surprised by how much of the humor actually lands, even if you’re way past the target demographic.