Invader Zim (partially found production material of cancelled episodes of Nickelodeon animated series; 2001-2002)

Title card.

Status: Lost

Invader Zim first aired in 2001 on Nickelodeon, and was cancelled in mid-2002 due to various reasons, such as the show's big budget, lack of audience, as well as controversy due to the intense themes as well as violence and gore. After its cancellation, it grew to have a cult following, leading to a thriving fandom, as well as three events called InvaderCon and even a revival movie called Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus, released in 2019.

It was revealed after cancellation that sixteen episodes remained unmade due to the show's premature cancellation. Some had scripts, audio, and even concept art, while others never got past conception. All of these episodes have been deemed lost, however some episode's scripts, audio, etc. have been released. Several, including a few that never had completed audio, had their scripts read by the original cast at the InvaderCon Invader Zim conventions.

Unmade Episode List

Production #	Episode Title	Last Known Version Written	Script	Audio
27A	Roboparents Gone Wild	Nov. 27, 2001	Yes	Yes
27B	Simon Sez Doom	Nov. 27, 2001	Yes	Yes
28A	Invader Poonchy	Dec. 13, 2001	Yes	Yes
28B	Nubs of Doom	Dec. 13, 2001	Yes	Yes
30A	Ten Minutes to Doom	Jan. 3, 2002	Yes	Yes
30B	GIR's Big Day	---	Outline completed but unreleased	---
31A	Return of Keef	Jan. 2, 2002	Yes	Yes
31B	Day of Da Spookies!	Jan. 8, 2002	Yes	Script reading from InvaderCon
32A	Mopiness of Doom	Jan. 2, 2002	Yes	Yes
32B	Those!	---	Brainstormed only	---
33	Top of the Line	---	Completed but unreleased	---
34	The Trial	Sep. 4, 2001	Yes	Script reading from InvaderCon
35A	It Feeds on Noodles	---	Brainstormed only	---
35B	When Pants Ruled!	Jul. 17, 2001	Outlined	---
36	Squishy: Hugger of Worlds	---	Never completed	---
??	Beefus Megabombus	---	Brainstormed only	---
??	Burrito King	---	Brainstormed only	---
??	Season 2 Finale	---	Outline completed but unreleased	---
??	Invader Dib	---	Brainstormed only	---

Notes

Episode 29 is excluded from this listing, as that episode ("Most Horrible Xmas Ever") was finished and aired as part of season 2.
Episode 35B, "When Pants Ruled!", was later adapted into issue 8 of the Invader Zim comics. Chances are this plotline would have gone unused if the series hadn't been cancelled, as Nickelodeon asked the episode to be cancelled because of a similar episode of Jimmy Neutron already having been written.
"Beefus Megabombus" has been described by Eric Truehart, a staff writer on the series, multiple times.
- "Burrito King" was also mentioned in passing by Eric Truehart. Certain indications point to the ideas for this episode being worked into issue 18 of the Invader Zim comics.
Eric Truehart claims episode 36, "Squishy: Hugger Of Worlds" was being written when the series was cancelled. Allegedly, the script was partially written.
The season 2 finale, not to be confused with Invader Dib, had ideas thrown around by the writers, but the series was cancelled before they even had a definite plotline. Allegedly, it was to be in two parts.
Invader Dib has been the subject of many rumours; according to Eric Truehart and Jhonen Vasquez, it was to be a TV movie in a theoretical fifth or sixth season of the series, concluding a multi-episode arc in which Dib goes to planet Irk. If the series had continued on to run this long, it's unknown how much of this early conception of the movie would have remained in the final product.