May 26, 2025 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

‘Sesame Street’ To Debut Today On HBO With Changes

"Sesame Street" is coming to HBO thanks to a five-year partnership between the premium cable network and Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization that produces the series (Thinkstock: Photo by David Becker/Getty Images).
“Sesame Street” is coming to HBO thanks to a five-year partnership between the premium cable network and Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization that produces the series (Thinkstock: Photo by David Becker/Getty Images).

“Sesame Street” will make its debut on HBO today, with a new 30-minute format and several other changes from its 45 seasons on the Public Broadcasting Service, where it will continue to air.

The first of two new episodes will air at 9 a.m. On following Saturdays, a new episode will air at 9 a.m., followed by a repeat episode at 9:30 a.m. New episodes dubbed in Spanish will debut simultaneously on HBO Latino.

Episodes from past seasons of “Sesame Street” will air daily at 8 a.m. on HBO Kids, with more than 150 episodes from five seasons available for streaming on HBO Now and HBO Go.

“Sesame Street” will continue to air on PBS weekdays and Sundays. The 35 new Season 46 episodes initially airing on HBO will begin airing on PBS this fall.

The preschool educational series will have new opening and closing songs, an updated set, a new segment, “Smart Cookies,” and a new bilingual Hispanic cast member, Suki Lopez.

“Sesame Street” will have “more of everything” that research has shown “engages kids” and “parents love,” executive producer Carol-Lynn Parente said.

There will be more music, “more interactivity” and a focus on “a core group of characters,” Parente said.

“We have a lot of characters for a show that’s for very young kids and they get lost (with) too many characters,” Parente said. “We’ll see all the characters, but the core you’ll see every day so the kids can build a relationship with those characters.”

“Sesame Street” will also have a “nuanced change,” embedding what Parente called its lessons in being smarter, stronger and kinder “in a child- relevant topic,” like bedtime, boo-boos and animals. Every segment in an episode will be tied to the episode’s theme.

There will also be an increased amount of celebrity guests, Parente said, including singers Sara Bareilles, Nick Jonas singing “the sexiest song about triangles you’ll ever hear,” Pharrell, Gwen Stefani and Ne-Yo; hip-hop artist Aloe Blacc; the girl group Fifth Harmony; and actors Alan Cumming, Gina Rodriguez and Tracee Ellis Ross, Parente said.

The show’s open will take place in the “Sesame Street” neighborhood for the first time and the familiar theme song will have “a new upbeat update,” but will have a “familiar melody,” according to HBO.

The new set will give several characters new homes. Elmo has moved into the 123 Sesame Street brownstone; Cookie Monster has moved above Hooper’s Store; and Big Bird has a new nest.

Oscar’s can has been updated and moved to a more central location, allowing him to “add grouchy commentary to any situation,” according to HBO.

The “Smart Cookies” segment has Cookie Monster and a team of crime- fighting cookie friends seeking to thwart the continued efforts of The Crumb, a villain with many tricks up his sleeve.

Lopez portrays Nina, a tinkerer, builder and a fixer who works at Sesame Street’s laundromat and bicycle store, helping the street’s furry residents solve their daily dilemmas and being a positive role model for preschoolers.

“Sesame Street” is coming to HBO thanks to a five-year partnership between the premium cable network and Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization that produces the series, announced in August.

The partnership is the result of Sesame Workshop coming “to the conclusion that it might not be possible to finance it any other way,” HBO Chairman and CEO Richard Plepler told City News Service in an interview held in connection with the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour.

Sesame Workshop had been seeking a partner “that understood our relationship with PBS and our mission,” Parente said.

“It’s very important for us to have ‘Sesame’ content in the hands of the kids who need it the most, and we’re so thrilled that HBO is a great partner in that regard,” Parente said. “They understood that right away.”

Plepler said discussions with Sesame Workshop CEO Jeffrey D. Dunn about a partnership began after he had heard “they were thinking about some other options because the (business) model wouldn’t work.”

“We had mutual friends and somehow we all got together,” Plepler said.

“It was really a very easy and organic conversation because we said to them, ‘We love this franchise. We’re all about great story telling. We’re all about quality. You’re all about quality and great story telling. We can enable you to do more and we don’t want not to have PBS have an opportunity to have this.”‘

The partnership will allow for more original “Sesame Street” content to be produced, Parente said.

The series made about 18 “new-ish” hourlong episodes for PBS last season, mixing new and original content, according to Parente. “Much more” of the HBO episodes will be new, Parente said.

“Had we not found HBO, we would have done less episodes potentially,” Parente said. “The business of a live-action show that’s shot in a studio with three cameras is an expensive show to produce.”

Parente said after “having been on public television for so many years, it’s exciting to be a partner with a company that has real marketing chops and budgets behind that to let people know all the great things we’ve been doing.”

Plepler called the partnership “a win-win-win-win.”

“It’s a win for the consumer, a win for HBO, a win for Sesame Workshop and a win for PBS,” Plepler said.

Related Posts

West Hollywood Releases Transit and Parking Details Ahead of WeHo Pride 2025

May 22, 2025

May 22, 2025

Santa Monica Boulevard to Close for Weekend-Long Celebration May 30–June 1 The City of West Hollywood has released transportation and...

Man Accused of Stalking Jennifer Aniston Ruled Incompetent to Stand Trial

May 22, 2025

May 22, 2025

Stalking Suspect Says He’s Fit for Trial After Initial Psychiatric Evaluation Jimmy Wayne Carwyle, a Mississippi man accused of stalking...

The Grove to Host Patriotic Tribute for 250th Anniversary of U.S. Navy and Marine Corps During LA Fleet Week

May 22, 2025

May 22, 2025

Friday’s Celebration Will Feature Flyovers, Live Music, Military Displays, and Family-Friendly Activities The Grove will welcome the United States Navy...

LAPD to Conduct DUI Checkpoint on Lincoln Blvd. Ahead of Memorial Day Weekend

May 22, 2025

May 22, 2025

Authorities Warn Drivers: DUI Includes Alcohol, Drugs, and Marijuana The Los Angeles Police Department will conduct a DUI checkpoint on...

Governor Announces Early Reopening of Pacific Coast Highway After Wildfire Closures

May 22, 2025

May 22, 2025

Major Stretch of PCH Reopens May 23 After Months of Wildfire-Related Closures Governor Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that State Route...

Nikó Sando and Malou Coffee & Kitchen Are the Newest Additions to Brentwood’s Food Scene

May 22, 2025

May 22, 2025

The Duo of New Eateries Offers Refined Japanese Sandōs and Globally Influenced Coffee Brentwood has welcomed two exciting new additions...

Dawn Richard Testifies Diddy Assaulted Cassie Ventura at a WeHo Restaurant in 2010

May 22, 2025

May 22, 2025

Combs Hit Cassie “Hard” in Front of Usher and Ne-Yo, Says Danity Kane Star Singer and former Danity Kane member...

Exclusive Interview with Cardinale du Vin’s New Chef-in-Residence Paul Chuanchaisit

May 22, 2025

May 22, 2025

The Westside Wine Bar Expands Its Culinary Horizons With a Bold New Menu By Dolores Quintana Cardinale du Vin is...

Memorial Day Weekend in L.A.: Rosé, Beach BBQs, and Brunches Ring in the Summer

May 21, 2025

May 21, 2025

The Westside Is Packed With Culinary Events, Pop-Ups, and Parties This Weekend Angelenos looking to kick off the summer season...

(Video) Interview with Chef Roy Choi for his new book The Choi of Cooking

May 21, 2025

May 21, 2025

We speak with the world-famous Socal Chef in Manhattan Beach at the Los Angeles Public Library.

FDA Probes Salmonella Outbreak Tied to Recalled Cucumbers Distributed in California

May 21, 2025

May 21, 2025

At Least 26 People Sickened and 9 Hospitalized in Multiple States  Federal health officials are investigating a multistate outbreak of...

State Farm Seeks New Insurance Rate Hikes for California Homeowners and Renters

May 20, 2025

May 20, 2025

Insurer Aims to Raise Premiums by up to 52% for Some Policyholders by 2026 Just one week after receiving approval...

Mayor Bass Launches Major Initiative to Boost Film Production in Los Angeles After Years of Neglect

May 20, 2025

May 20, 2025

Facing Industry Setbacks, L.A. Rolls Out Plan to Attract On-Location Shoots In a renewed effort to preserve Los Angeles’ status...

Lisa Vanderpump, Ken Todd Settle Labor Lawsuit with Former Pump Employees for $490K

May 20, 2025

May 20, 2025

Judge Approves Final Class-Action Settlement in Long-Running Wage Dispute Lisa Vanderpump and her husband, Ken Todd, have reached a final...

Michelin Three Star Institution Brings 20th Anniversary Culinary Experience to Beverly Hills

May 20, 2025

May 20, 2025

Grant Achatz’s Alinea Heads to Beverly Hills for Summer Residency Renowned chef Grant Achatz and his team at Alinea, Chicago’s...