According to the Hollywood ReporterSesame Street and HBO have opted not to renew their deal to stream new episodes of the show.
Though the show's upcoming 55th season will be it's last on Max, the streamer will continuing to license older episodes through 2027. It is not clear however, whether this library deal would prohibit any potential partners for new episodes from acquiring library episodes as well.
Regardless of who airs the new episodes first (Sesame Street still has a deal to air them on PBS) the show's 56th season will drop the “magazine”-style format and lean into longer narrative-led segments. This will be paired with a new animated series "Tales From 123."
We'll keep you posted as new information develops.
Sesame Street's 54th season premieres November 9 on MAX.
Check out the press release touting the season below:
(October 17, 2023 – New York, N.Y.) – Sesame Workshop, the global impact nonprofit behind decades of award-winning engaging educational media content, today announced Sesame Street’s 54th season will debut on Thursday, November 9 on Max. Episodes of the iconic children’s series, 35 in all, will release every Thursday. The season will stream on PBS KIDS in Fall 2024.
“With so many unique stories to tell, Sesame Street will build upon last season’s joyful self and belonging content that resonated deeply with children and their families and will continue to do so by honoring, reflecting, and celebrating our diverse world,” said Sal Perez, Executive Producer, Sesame Street. “Season 54 will inspire children to be proud of who they are and connect with their community. At the core of the show, our furry and funny Sesame Street friends welcome children to play, laugh, and celebrate who they are with us.”
Through fun, uplifting stories with beloved friends, children will learn to feel confident and find oy in connecting with and learning about others, celebrating differences, and embracing similarities in their neighborhood.
“This season’s stories act as mirrors that reflect the lives of children and their families, as windows that offer them views to see and learn about others, and as sliding doors which invite children to participate in new experiences with their Sesame Street friends,” said Dr. Rosemarie Truglio, Sesame Workshop’s Senior Vice President of Curriculum & Content. “These child-relevant stories help children develop a healthy sense of self and belonging, and learn to treat each other with kindness, fairness, and respect.”
The characters and children of Sesame Street explore concepts and language that celebrate themselves, their friends and families, and the wider community, providing content for every young viewer to connect with.
Feature episodes include: The Sign Language ABC’S (Thursday,April 11, 2024) in which Elmo learns that sign language has an alphabet too, and this gives him a great idea to celebrate Alphabet Day by singing the ABC song while his friend Mathis, who is deaf, signs the alphabet using American Sign Language; Proud of My Name (Thursday, November 23, 2023) where Rosita feels frustrated when her basketball coach shortens her name and her friends Elmo and Gabrielle encourage her to tell the coach that she wants to be called “Rosita” as she is proud of her name; Brave Bessie by Brave Gabrielle (Thursday, May 23, 2024) where Gabrielle puts on a show to tell her friends about Bessie Coleman, the first African American and Native American woman who used her courage to learn to fly an airplane; The Oct-Dough-Pus (November 16, 2023) in which Grover and his friend the octopus learn that families all over the world make bread in different kinds of ways, shapes, and sizes; Sesame Street Song Day (January 18, 2024) where Mia learns how to sing “Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” in Spanish with help from her friends Nina, Rosita, and Lalo; and Tamir Learns Tagalog (May 16, 2024) where Tamir learns to say a few words in Tagalog to have something to say to his favorite comic book artist, whose family is Filipino, and make him feel welcome.
Additionally, a variety of cultural celebrations will be showcased throughout the season with episodes such as Sesame Street’s Lunar New Year Celebration (Thursday, February 8, 2024) and Shabbat Shalom! (Thursday, April 25, 2024).
Celebrity and special guests Ariana DeBose (Thursday, November 9), Quinta Brunson (Thursday, January 4), Brandi Carlile (Thursday, March 7), Kal Penn (Thursday, March 14), Eugene Cordero (Thursday, May 16), and Dan Levy (Thursday, June 13) join for Street Stories, songs, and other segments.
Also, everyone’s favorite furry friends Elmo and Tango are back for the annual airing of the new family holiday classic, The Nutcracker: Starring Elmo and Tango, which airs December 2 on PBS Kids and will also be available on Max. An original take on a classic Christmas tale, this festive animated feature is a celebration of the greatest gift of all: friendship.
Plus, this year Sesame Street’s Elmo, Tango, Cookie Monster, and Oscar the Grouch leave the neighborhood on a mission to help others in three brand new specials focusing on giving back to the community. With celebrity friends Eddie Jackson, Sunny Anderson, and Jasmine Roth, each unscripted special features the Sesame Street crew teaming up to create fun and surprising solutions to everyday obstacles. Grover, Bert, Abby Cadabby, Gabrielle, and more also join in on the fun. Cookie Monster’s Bake Sale (premiered Aug. 10): Oscar’s Handmade Halloween (premiered Oct. 5): Elmo and Tango Holiday Helpers (premieres Dec. 7) are on Max.
Below you can watch the Sesame Street season 54th sizzle reel:
Sesame Street continues to be available on PBS stations and streams on PBS KIDS.
Sesame Street is the flagship series in Sesame Workshop’s growing slate of shows, which includes the CGI-animated Sesame Street spinoff Mecha Builders; The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo; Esme & Roy; Ghostwriter; Helpsters; and docuseries Through Our Eyes, as well as year round Sesame Street and Sesame Studios digital shorts, stories, specials, and songs.
Sesame Workshop is the global impact nonprofit harnessing the power of education, media, and research to support children in over 150 countries and empower each generation to build a better world.
Sesame Street has three unscripted specials coming to Max (formally HBOMAX).
Each special will feature talent from Warner Bros. Discovery shows on Food Network and HGTV.
The theme of each special is giving back. Sesame Workshop’s head of creative Kay Wilson Stallings said the 22-minute episodes mark “the first unscripted specials where we go into the community to help children and families.”
“Whether it’s holding a bake sale to raise money for a cause, turning trash into treasure to spotlight an animal shelter, or remodeling an underfunded theater classroom, all three specials stress the importance of kindness, teamwork, being resourceful and helping others,” said Wilson Stallings, executive vp, chief creative development and production.
The first special, Cookie Monster’s Bake Sale, launched on the streaming service today, features Cookie Monster alongside former NFL player and season 11 Food Network Star winner chef Eddie Jackson.
Oscar’s Handmade Halloween, coming Oct. 19, sees Oscar The Grouch in a rare helpful mood, trying to assist shelter dogs find homes with Food Network personality Sunny Anderson.
Elmo and Tango Holiday Helpers drops December 7th and features a home makeover theme on par with HGTV as Hidden Potential host Jasmine Roth, Elmo and his puppy reimagine a classroom.
All this as Sesame Street kicks off its 54th season in November on Max as well.
You can watch the trailer for Cookie Monster’s Bake Sale below:
