Arthur is an animated television series for children ages 4 to 8, developed by Kathy Waugh for PBS and produced by WGBH. The show is set in the fictional U.S. city of Elwood City and revolves around the lives of Arthur Read, an anthropomorphic aardvark, his friends and family, and their daily interactions with each other. The television series is based on the Arthur book series written and illustrated by Marc Brown. Production on the series was first announced in 1995 by WGBH Boston and Montreal-based animation studio CINAR, and aired its first episode on October 7, 1996. During its 25-season run, the show broadcast 253 half-hour episodes.
Barney & Friends is an American children's television series targeted at children aged two to five, created by Sheryl Leach. The series first aired on PBS on April 6, 1992, and features Barney, a purple anthropomorphic Tyrannosaurus rex who conveys educational messages through songs and small dance routines with a friendly, huggable and optimistic attitude. The series ended on November 2, 2010, although new videos were still released on various dates after the last episode aired. Reruns aired on Sprout from 2005 to 2015, and from December 17, 2018 to January 25, 2020 on Sprout's successor network, Universal Kids. On October 6, 2015, the series was initially renewed for revival with a new season to premiere in 2017, but that never came to fruition. A CGI-animated series will air on Cartoon Network's Cartoonito and stream on Max.
Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman is an American live-action/animated television series that aired on PBS Kids Go! and is largely targeted toward children ages 6–10. It is a reality competition hosted by Ruff Ruffman, an animated anthropomorphic dog who dispenses challenges to the show's real-life contestants. The series ran from May 29, 2006, to November 4, 2010 on PBS across five seasons and 100 episodes, and featured 30 contestants. Although a sixth season was planned, with auditions taking place in January 2010, WGBH announced on June 14, 2010 that the series would end due to lack of funding. In June 2008, the series received its first Emmy for Best Original Song for its theme.
The first season of the television series Arthur was originally broadcast on PBS in the United States from October 7 to November 15, 1996, and contains 30 episodes with each episode containing two 11-minute segments, making it the longest season of the show.
The second season of the television series Arthur was originally broadcast on PBS in the United States from October 20, 1997, to April 17, 1998, and contains 20 episodes. This season, like seasons 1 and 3, was released on DVD in Europe only; due to the fact that this was actually two production seasons combined into one long season for US airings, the first ten episodes for this season can be found on the "Series 2" DVD and the last ten can be found on "Series 3."
The fourth season of the television series Arthur was originally broadcast on PBS in the United States from October 4 to 18, 1999 and contains 10 episodes. It is the last season with Luke Reid voicing Brain. Oliver Grainger has replaced Michael Caloz as D.W. due to Caloz's voice changing after the previous season.
The fifth season of the television series Arthur was originally broadcast on PBS in the United States from September 25 to November 27, 2000, and contains 10 episodes. The special "Arthur's Perfect Christmas" served as the finale to this season. Steven Crowder replaced Luke Reid as Brain. This is the last season where Michael Yarmush voices Arthur due to his voice changing. Starting in season 9, he returns to voice the character Slink, one of the Tough Customers. Yarmush additionally will return to play Arthur one more time in the final episode of the series, "All Grown Up" by voicing the character's adult self. This is also the last season where Ricky Mabe voices Timmy Tibble due to his voice changing as well. Alex Trebek guest starred as Alex Lebek on the season premiere "Arthur and the Big Riddle".
The sixth season of the television series Arthur was originally broadcast on PBS in the United States on September 24 to November 26, 2001 and contains 10 episodes. A shortened version of the remix of the opening theme song, "Believe in Yourself", is played at the ending credits of this season as a promotion for the third music album of the franchise. Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan guest starred on "The Good Sport" as herself. Justin Bradley took over the role of Arthur from Michael Yarmush, who had voiced the character for several years. The transition was prompted by the natural progression of age, as Yarmush was becoming too old to convincingly portray the young aardvark. This particular season marks the only instance in which Bradley voiced Arthur, a decision made by executive producers Carol Greenwald and Peter Moss. They noted that while Bradley's performance had merit, his voice was significantly deeper than Yarmush's, lacking the youthful vocal range that had been a defining characteristic of the beloved character. As a result of this shift in casting, fans experienced a noticeable change in Arthur's voice, which might have affected their connection to the character. Additionally, Samuel Holden replaced Ricky Mabe in the role of Timmy Tibble, further cementing the adjustments made in the show's voice cast. These casting changes underscore the challenges that animated series often face as time progresses and original voice actors change, requiring producers to seek new talent while attempting to maintain continuity and fidelity to the characters that audiences have come to know and love. it will be the final occasion that Steven Crowder lends his voice to the character Brain, and similarly, Oliver Grainger will be voicing D.W. for the last time. The versions of these episodes with Bradley's voice were distributed in International VHS and DVD home media, and they are still aired on TV in countries outside and in North America.
The seventh season of the television series Arthur was originally broadcast on PBS in the United States from October 8 to November 29, 2002 and contains 10 episodes. The special "Arthur, It's Only Rock 'N' Roll" served as the premiere of this season. Jason Szwimer has taken over the role of D.W. following the departure of Oliver Grainger, marking a new chapter for the character. Additionally, Alex Hood has been cast as the new voice of Alan "The Brain" Powers, stepping into the role following Steven Crowder's departure. This transition highlights a broader evolution within the show, as it adapts to fresh talent while continuing to resonate with its audience. Furthermore, Mark Rendall has replaced Justin Bradley as Arthur, bringing his unique voice to this iconic character that has captured the hearts of viewers for years. It is important to note that this season represents a pivotal moment, as it will be the final opportunity for fans to hear Patricia Rodriguez in the role of Catherine Frensky., this is also the last season where, Vanessa Lengies lends her voice to the character Emily. this season also signifies the last opportunity for fans to hear Jonathan Koensgen as Tommy Tibble, a character known for his lively and mischievous personality, this season is also notable for being the final one in which Mitchell Rothpan voices George Lundgren. The series won a Daytime Emmy in 2003 for Outstanding Sound Mixing - Live Action and Animation.
The eighth season of the television series Arthur was originally broadcast on PBS Kids in the United States from September 15 to December 26, 2003 and contains 10 episodes. for the beloved characters Arthur and Sue Ellen Armstrong, as it is the last one featuring the voice talents of Mark Rendall and Patricia Rodriguez, respectively. For many years, these actors have brought depth and personality to the iconic roles, allowing viewers to connect with the stories in a meaningful way. The departure of both voice actors signifies not only a change in the character portrayals but also a shift in the series’ overall atmosphere, as new actors will take up the mantle in future seasons. Additionally, this season serves as a pivotal point in the history of the show's production, being the final season before CINAR, the original production company behind Arthur, underwent a rebranding to become Cookie Jar Entertainment in the following year. Evan Smirnow took over the role of George from Mitchell Rothpan. alongside with, Alexina Cowan and Sally Taylor-Isherwood, who replaced Patricia Rodriguez and Vanessa Lengies in voicing the characters Catherine and Emily, respectively.
The ninth season of the television series Arthur was originally broadcast on PBS Kids Go! in the United States from December 27, 2004, to April 8, 2005, and contains 10 episodes. Cameron Ansell took over the role of Arthur from Mark Rendall, Jessica Kardos succeeded Patricia Rodriguez as the voice of Sue Ellen Armstrong. Eleanor Noble replaced Evan Smirnow as the voice of George, and Paul-Stuart Brown stepped in to replace Alex Hood as the voice of Brain. But in Seasons 10 & 11, Brown voices Brain alone, this is the last season in which Alex Hood voices The Brain. CINAR got rebrand by Cookie Jar Entertainment, until it got merged with DHX Media in 2012, after the 15th season.
The tenth season of the television series Arthur was originally produced in 2005 and broadcast on PBS Kids Go! in the United States from May 15 to May 26, 2006 and contains 10 episodes. The DVD set for the season was released in region 1 on March 25, 2008. This included downloadable teaching materials and described video for the visually impaired. The season's guest stars are Édgar Rentería, Mike Timlin, Johnny Damon, and Ming Tsai. This marks the final season in which Jason Szwimmer lends his voice to the beloved character D.W. This is the second season of Arthur where the episodes aired in one month, following season 4.
The eleventh season of the television series Arthur was originally broadcast on PBS Kids Go! in the United States from June 25 to September 7, 2007 and contains 10 episodes. This is the last season in which Cameron Ansell voices Arthur. Starting in season sixteen, he returns to voice the new character Rafi. Robert Naylor stepped into the role of the voice of D.W., following the departure of Jason Szwimmer. This is also the last season in which Paul-Stuart Brown voices Brain. This is the last season animated by AKOM.
The twelfth season of the television series Arthur was originally broadcast on PBS Kids Go! in the United States from October 6, 2008, to April 24, 2009, and contains 20 episodes. The 10 episodes listed below were broadcast as season 12, and the other 10 were broadcast as season 13. This resulted all of season 13 episodes airing in several countries such as Canada and United Kingdom for many months prior the U.S. broadcast. This season was created and originally aired in the 16:9 widescreen format in Non-US markets though still in 480i; in the U.S., they were and continued to be aired in 4:3, with the left and right sides cropped out. The animation was produced by Animation Services HK Ltd. instead of by AKOM. This was also the first season where Michael Hirsh was credited as the executive producer.
The thirteenth season of the television series Arthur was originally broadcast on PBS Kids Go! in the United States from October 12, 2009 to April 9, 2010 and contains 10 episodes. All episodes from this season aired on several countries outside the U.S., such as CBBC in United Kingdom and TVOKids in Canada, prior to their U.S. air dates.
The fourteenth season of the television series Arthur was originally broadcast on PBS Kids Go! in the United States from October 11, 2010 to April 29, 2011, and contains 10 episodes. Season 14 began screening at Israel in late August 2010 and on ABC2 of Australia on September 27, 2010. It has also screened in United Kingdom on CBBC since November 1, 2010. The second half started on Earth Day 2011 and ended the day before the Royal Wedding the next day.
Molly of Denali is an animated children's television series produced by WGBH Kids and animated by Atomic Cartoons, created by Dorothea Gillim and Kathy Waugh for PBS Kids and CBC Kids. It premiered on July 15, 2019, and is the first American nationally distributed children's show to feature an Alaska Native as the lead character. 38 half-hour episodes were produced for season 1, with a 50-minute special as its season finale. A special live-action segment filmed in Alaska airs between the two 11-minute story segments.
