The third season of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants, created by Stephen Hillenburg, aired on Nickelodeon from October 5, 2001, to October 11, 2004, and consists of 20 half-hour episodes. The series chronicles the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom. The season was executive produced by series creator Hillenburg and supervising produced by Derek Drymon, whom the former also acted as the showrunner. It is notable for being the last season with Hillenburg as the series' showrunner following uncertainty within the network over whether a fourth season was possible, with Nickelodeon ultimately deciding on making more episodes as a result of the show's continued growth.

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The third season of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants, created by Stephen Hillenburg, aired on Nickelodeon from October 5, 2001, to October 11, 2004, and consists of 20 half-hour episodes. The series chronicles the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom. The season was executive produced by series creator Hillenburg and supervising produced by Derek Drymon, whom the former also acted as the showrunner. It is notable for being the last season with Hillenburg as the series' showrunner following uncertainty within the network over whether a fourth season was possible, with Nickelodeon ultimately deciding on making more episodes as a result of the show's continued growth.