Elmo sad! ‘Sesame Street’ on hiatus as non-profit search for new home
Sesame Workshop, the non-profit behind “Sesame Street,” is looking for a new distributor after HBO decided against renewing the series.
Following several months of upheaval, a sense of calm is coming to “Sesame Street.”
In a series of announcements May 19, the beloved children’s show producer Sesame Workshop revealed it will begin airing original episodes on PBS for the first time in nearly 10 years, and that both new and old episodes would be available later this year on Netflix, replacing an expiring pact with HBO.
“I strongly believe that our educational programming for children is one of the most important aspects of our service to the American people, and ‘Sesame Street’ has been an integral part of that critical work for more than half a century,” Paula Kerger, president and CEO of PBS, said in a statement.
“We’re proud to continue our partnership in the pursuit of having a profound impact on the lives of children for years to come,” Kerger continued.
‘Sesame Street’ changes amid PBS funding cuts under Trump
The decision comes as President Donald Trump’s administration moves to cut funding to PBS and the Ready to Learn Grant, which has historically been allocated to children’s programming.
That may be why the non-profit the Sesame Workshop inked the PBS deal alongside the new one with Netflix. The program’s 56th season will air later this year on the streaming giant and be made available alongside 90 hours of previous episodes.
“This unique public-private partnership ensures children in communities across the U.S. continue to have free access on PBS KIDS to the ‘Sesame Street’ they love,” Sesame Workshop CEO Sherrie Westin said in a statement. “This combined support advances our mission and ensures we can help all children – everywhere – grow smarter, stronger and kinder.”
The announcement is a welcome reprieve for fans of the furry creatures first introduced in 1969, after news broke late last year that Warner Bros. Discovery had opted not to renew its contract to air the program. HBO, which began airing new episodes in 2015, after the show’s original PBS exodus, also announced at the time that its streaming service Max would no longer premiere new seasons and would halt streaming older episodes in 2027.
With the future of beloved characters like Big Bird, Elmo and Cookie Monster in jeopardy, some fans began to fret that a program once widely available to children across social classes would soon become obsolete. The twin announcements from Netflix and PBS offer a different path forward, however, promising a “reimagined” 56th season with one 11-minute storyline driving each episode.
Netflix also teased a “Sesame Street” video game, part of a growing effort to make the show interactive. PBS Kids digital platforms will also offer games.
“Sesame Street,” alongside shows like “Dragon Tales” and “Clifford the Big Red Dog,” has become synonymous with a golden era of children’s television. It features a lovable if flawed cast of creatures residing in an urban neighborhood, remixing with each episode the same formula: a mashup of educational content, music, and celebrity cameos.
Often weaving in subliminal messaging, the show imparts lessons of inclusion and teaches young viewers, little by little, the realities of the world they’ll inherit.
“We still teach numbers and letters, but our primary focus is on the emotional and social development of the child,” Matt Vogel, who plays both Big Bird and Count von Count, previously told USA TODAY. “The audience sees themselves in these characters, and ‘Sesame Street’ can address these really important issues.”
Contributing: Patrick Ryan
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