After 56 years on the air, Sesame Street is heading to Netflix with a “reinvented” series. Sesame Street debuted in 1969, with PBS as its home from the very beginning (even back when it was called NET). In recent years, other networks and streamers have hosted the children’s TV show, including HBO and HBO Max.
However, HBO Max’s contract recently ended and new episodes are no longer available. Netflix, the most popular streaming service, stepped in to save Sesame Streetand brand new episodes are now deleted. Sesame Street: Volume 1released on November 10, includes four 30-minute episodes, and the streamer revealed that the series has been “freshly reinvented” with “new ways to play.“
One of the biggest changes is that, for the first time ever, viewers will be able to see the inside of the show’s famous brownstone and kids will be able to interact with it. Sesame Street in a new way with the addition of 11-minute immersive stories. The new batch of episodes will also be available in over 30 languages, thanks to Netflix.
Despite the changes, Sesame Street will still feature everyone’s favorite characters, fan-favorite segments, celebrity appearances (NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace appears in Volume 1), music, animation and much more.
The first volume has just been released, and there are two more volumes in the works for the current season, the major themes of which will be compassion and kindness.
Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Bert, Ernie, Oscar the Grouch, Grover, Count von Count, Snuffleupagus, Abby Cadabby and Julia are just a few of the many fun and adorable characters featured in Sesame Street year after year.
As children grow and mature, the PBS show has always been able to count on new generations being born and spending their childhoods with them. Sesame Street in their lives.
However, there was a bit of panic among some fans in 2024 when HBO Max, which aired the first episodes of Sesame Streetdecided not to extend his contract. This announcement comes as the streamer began to exit the children’s programming space, and Sesame Street no longer corresponds to its vision and plans for the future.
The deal with HBO and HBO Max was a great way to Sesame Street to receive a new source of income, which would not have been there if Netflix had not intervened to pave a new path for the iconic series. During the HBO/HBO Max era, PBS still hosted new episodes, but they aired several months later.
Netflix deal ensures viewers will be able to watch Sesame Street simultaneously, no matter if they tune in to the streaming service or their local PBS station.
With a reinvented show, Sesame Street hopes to entertain children for years to come.
