A show that’s ‘All That’ marks 10th anniversary

On the Hollywood sound stage where “All That” tapes, the scene resembles more the waiting room of Kids’ TV Heaven than a television show.

Scores of faces, almost all of them instantly recognizable to any preteen with cable TV access, are crammed onto the stage, waiting for the director to shout “Action!” as they create the hourlong 10th anniversary episode that will air at 8 tonight on Nickelodeon.

Jamie Lynn Spears, the star of TV’s “Zoey 101,” is fidgeting uncomfortably in her high heels while rapper Bow Wow, standing a few feet away, is engaging in some bonhomie with the former stars of the 1990s children’s shows “Pete and Pete” and “Figure It Out.” The stars of Nickelodeon’s current hit “Drake and Josh” are excitedly tossing copies of a new CD of their show’s songs to “All That” creator Dan Schneider.

Almost all of the show’s cast members from years gone by are appearing on the program.

That the show has lasted for a decade is impressive, given the fickle nature of a preteen audience that can turn something popular into something “so last week.”

Some of the show’s clever “Saturday Night Live”-like comedy sketches are partly responsible for the audience’s attention over the years. Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell’s bumbling but lovable “Good Burger” fast-food employees proved so popular, for example, that the sketch was spun off into a hit movie of the same name.

“All That” creator Schneider also credits the show’s success to its ability to keep finding talented cast members, all of whom were unknowns when they joined the show. “ ‘All That’ is this machine for finding young talent and developing them,” he said. “You find a kid, you put them on ‘All That,’ and two years, three years, three seasons later, you might spin them off to their own show.”