HBO announces January start date for 'Sesame Street'
Oscar the Grouch will get a new trash can, and other residents will get new digs as well, in HBO's version of "Sesame Street." Credit: Matthew Peyton / Getty Images
With a new set, new castmember, new time, new day, and most importantly, new network, "Sesame Street" will return for its 46th season on Jan. 16. That new network, by the way, is HBO.
In just announced details, HBO and Sesame Workshop hinted at a virtual overhaul of the classic, or at least a "dramatic update." The regulars will all be back, but in different places on a slightly different street (same address).
Another huge change: This will air Saturday mornings at 9, which used to be prime time for children's TV, but now is a quiet backwater, compared with where the real action is — after school. Also, "Street" will air for just half an hour, back from the traditional hour.
Otherwise, HBO's news release indicated that the new version would be the same — if perhaps more intensely produced:
"In a departure from the show’s long-standing one-hour format, every episode now runs a dynamic 30 minutes, helping kids focus their attention and engage with each story. SESAME STREET continues to deliver lessons in ways that delight viewers, and this season, learning and laughter have never made a better pair."
Of that new castmember, this:
"Nina, a young, bilingual, Hispanic woman, uses her wit, compassion and charisma to help the furry residents of SESAME STREET solve their daily dilemmas, providing a positive role model for preschoolers. Played by Suki Lopez, Nina is very excited to have moved to SESAME STREET, where she works at the laundromat and the bike store. She’s a tinkerer, a builder and a fixer. Her natural curiosity allows her to come up with out-of-the box solutions to Elmo and the gang’s problems, modeling creative problem-solving strategies."
Sonia Manzano — Maria — recently retired after 44 years on the show.
There are a lot of little changes too. Including:
...Elmo now has his own bedroom...
...Cookie Monster has moved above Hooper's store...
...Big Bird has a new nest...in a tree!
...and ... this is huge ... sit down before reading:
Oscar's can has been updated, and "moved to a more central location."
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