Sesame Street Getting “Reimagined” for Season 56!

In an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the produces of Sesame Street stated that the series will be "getting a creative overhaul for its 56th season."

 From the article: 

The most significant change will see the program drop the “magazine”-style format it has long used in favor of two longer, more narrative-driven segments, which will be paired with a new animated series, Tales from 123. The new format will feature two 11-minute story segments, with the new animated series sandwiched in between them.

“It’s going to give us an opportunity to dive further into the narrative,” says Kay Wilson Stallings, the executive vp and chief creative development and production officer for Sesame Workshop, calling the changes a “reimagining” of the show, and adding that the longer segments will allow for more “dynamic” and “sophisticated” stories.

“Both the A story and the B story will come together in some way to really help us with whatever curricular focus that we’re trying to have, what lesson we’re trying to make,” she adds. “Kids love a little bit of peril, they love having emotional stakes, and in nine minutes, it’s kind of hard to really dive into those areas really effectively. And so, by opening up these segments and making them longer, it’s going to give us an opportunity to really serve up what we know from research, what we know from across the industry, what we know from our curriculum and education experts, what we know kids are looking for.”

The changes are the most significant for Sesame Street since 2016, when the show went from one hour to 30 minutes, though it kept the magazine-style format even as it made the program shorter, with a “street scene” leading into a letter or number of the day segment, followed by an Elmo’s World animated segment, etc.

There will be other tweaks as well, including having a signature song in every episode (Wilson Stallings says they hope to bring famous singers in to help sing some of them) and having the Muppet characters address the camera to talk to the kids watching the show.

As for the new animated series, Tales from 123, Wilson Stallings says that the series “for the very first time will give viewers an opportunity to go inside 123 Sesame Street, which is probably the most famous apartment building in the world.”

“And there, beyond the stoop, is where monsters and humans and fairies and dinosaurs and talking numbers and letters and even food will call home,” she adds. “So this will be a great opportunity for our audience to explore a whole new part and a whole new world of Sesame Street.“

Wilson Stallings says that the new series — which could eventually be developed into its own spinoff — has been in the works for some time, collaborating with both internal and external creative talent.

Sesame Workshop’s current deal with Warner Bros. Discovery ends after season 55 - airing next November. This “reimagined” Sesame Street will coincide with the beginning of which service links a deal with the show or stay with Warner Bros. and Max, if they decide not to renew.

You can read the whole article at The Hollywood Reporter.