‘Sesame Street’ races to Netflix with NASCAR star Bubba Wallace for season 56
Sesame Street Characters (L-R) Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Abby Cadabby attend HBO Premiere of Sesame Street's The Magical Wand Chase at the Metrograph on November 9, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for HBO)
NEW YORK - "Sesame Street" is heading to Netflix for its 56th season, bringing a longer format, new segments and celebrity guests like NASCAR champ Bubba Wallace — but the same beloved monsters and lessons.
The new season will premier on November 10 on Netflix.
What they're saying:
"There you are, hi," Elmo invites viewers at the top of the show. "Elmo so happy to see you."
"In the history of ‘Sesame Street,’ we’ve always reinvented in some sort of way over our last 56 years," says Sal Perez, the executive producer. "We’re always looking for ways to modernize — have the look and feel of the show feel really engaging for kids today."
Dig deeper:
The popular children’s staple will be offering an 11-minute main story at the top — up from 9 minutes last year — and a few new segments mixed with favorite returning ones.
The 11-minute main story in the first episode involves Elmo, Abby and Zoe having three kinds of races in the neighborhood, joined by an alarming amount of puppet chickens and Wallace offering sideline commentary.
Megan Piphus Peace's journey to Sesame Street
What started as an internship in March 2020 evolved into a permanent role as the voice of Gabrielle, a 6-year-old, ?fun-loving? Black Muppet who likes singing, dancing, animals and nature.
First up is a sprint with a chicken on each of their backs — "poultry in motion," Wallace offers — then a race with a chicken on a spoon and, last, a sack race with chickens also in the sack. Elmo gets discouraged when he doesn't win initially but soon realizes that he didn't have lunch so is low on fuel, the lesson of the day.
The deal with Netflix is a game-changer for "Sesame Street" since the streamer gives it a worldwide reach — the new season will be streamed in 30 languages — while keeping it on its long-standing home, PBS Kids and the PBS Kids Video app, at the same time. Episodes will be available on both Netflix and PBS on the same day.
"Sesame Street" will also lean into breaking the fourth wall, with creatures turning to the viewer and perhaps confessing their feelings or asking for advice.
Segments like "Cookie’s Foodie Truck" and "Abby’s Magic Beasties" will make the transition, and there's the introduction of a new one — the animated "Tales from 123," which takes viewers into the apartment building where the furry monsters live.
In the inaugural "Tales from 123," Elmo wants to meet Grover for a playdate, but both get mixed up, so they go in elevators and race up staircases until Tango saves the day. Finally reunited, they naturally play hide-and-seek.
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.