Complex sentence: During production of the previous season, Nickelodeon picked up a second season for "SpongeBob SquarePants" on August 31,1999, and premiered several weeks later, on October 26,2000.
Split into simpler sentences: During production of the previous season, Nickelodeon picked up a second season for "SpongeBob SquarePants" on August 31,1999. The season premiered several weeks later, on October 26,2000.