December 12, 2024 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

Court Rulings Spell the End of Proposed Merger Between Albertson’s and Kroger

December 11, 2024

December 11, 2024

Grocery Chain Announces Kroger Lawsuit in Separate Press Release Albertsons Companies, Inc. has announced the termination of its proposed merger...

Bar Nine to Close Culver City Flagship After 11 Years of Excellent Espresso and Connection

December 11, 2024

December 11, 2024

Espresso Bar Bids Farewell to Culver City, Plans Bright Future with Pure Espresso After 11 years of serving the community,...

(Video) The Watermark at Beverly Hills Offers Boutique-Style Living for Seniors

December 11, 2024

December 11, 2024

For More Info, Go To Watermarkcommunities.com For More Info, Go To https://t.co/OmOzzwuFyj pic.twitter.com/FecaVlqabn — Westside Today (@WestsideLAToday) December 11, 2024

Dan O’Brien Named Culver City Mayor, Freddy Puza to Serve as Vice Mayor

December 11, 2024

December 11, 2024

Newly Elected Council Members Sworn in as Göran Eriksson Ends Term Council Member Dan O’Brien will serve as Culver City’s...

Culver City Police Department Warns City and Nearby Areas of Potential Fire Danger and Air Quality Issues

December 10, 2024

December 10, 2024

High Winds, Low Humidity, and Dry Conditions Increase the Potential for Wildfires The National Weather Service has issued a Red...

Franklin Fire Update: Over 3,000 Acres Burned, New Shelter Opened, City Government Relocated

December 10, 2024

December 10, 2024

Homes and Structures Impacted; PCH and Major Roads Closed as Firefighters Battle Blaze The update from the city government of...

(Video) School of Rock Offers the Most Revolutionary Music Education

December 10, 2024

December 10, 2024

Sign Up Now at WestLA.SchoolofRock.com Sign Up Now at https://t.co/UY2nQjzBYg pic.twitter.com/G98Z4Q7C7P — Westside Today (@WestsideLAToday) December 10, 2024

Man Arrested for Murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO in NYC Has Ties to Santa Monica

December 9, 2024

December 9, 2024

Suspect Found with Ghost Gun, Manifesto, and Fake IDs in Pennsylvania Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old man, was arrested in Pennsylvania...

Disturbance and Car Wreck Snarl Castle Heights and Venice Boulevard Traffic Friday Night

December 9, 2024

December 9, 2024

Police Detain a Belligerent Man Blocking Traffic; Overturned Car on Venice Boulevard On Friday night, December 6, at around 6:45...

Culver City Police Department Launches Its Holiday Toy Drive for Local Kids

December 9, 2024

December 9, 2024

Donate New, Unwrapped Toys To Brighten the Season for Children in Need The Culver City Police Department is inviting the...

Golden Globes Announce 2025 Nominees: See the Full List

December 9, 2024

December 9, 2024

Hollywood’s Biggest Night Returns, Top Contenders Revealed The nominees for the 82nd Annual Golden Globe Awards® were announced Monday, December...

“A Safer 11 for a Better 11” Initiative Targets Crime Reduction, Infrastructure Upgrades

December 9, 2024

December 9, 2024

Councilmember Traci Park Launches New Public Safety Plan for District 11 Councilmember Traci Park, alongside LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, Los...

Shore Hotel to Open New Coastal-Inspired Hotel Restaurant

December 9, 2024

December 9, 2024

By Susan Payne A new restaurant is opening at the Shore Hotel in January, offering guests and the public a...

Where to Meet Santa on the Westside This Holiday Season

December 8, 2024

December 8, 2024

From Malls To Diving Adventures, Explore the Top Spots Who wants to meet Santa? For parents, it’s one of the...

Man Shot in Robbery Near Blair Hills Park in Culver City Early Saturday Morning

December 8, 2024

December 8, 2024

Police Seek Two Suspects Who Fled the Scene After Wounding the Victim. A man was shot and robbed early Saturday...