The Good Night Show

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The Good Night Show
The Good Night Show title card.png
Network PBS Kids Sprout (now Universal Kids)
LaunchedSeptember 26, 2005;18 years ago (2005-09-26)
ClosedMarch 31, 2017;7 years ago (2017-03-31)
Country of originUnited States
Owner
FormatPreschool education series
Running time3 hours
Original language(s)English

The Good Night Show is a defunct television programming block for preschoolers that aired on the Sprout channel (previously known as PBS Kids Sprout). It was designed to help preschoolers get ready for bedtime. [1] The block featured recurring themes based on preschoolers' nightly routines, such as dreams, brushing teeth, and cleaning up before bed. [2]

Contents

One of Sprout's designers, Ward Jenkins, stated that "Sprout is PBS Kids' answer to Noggin." [3] Prior to New Year's Eve 2007, Noggin did not offer preschool shows in the nighttime hours. [4] [5] So at the time, The Good Night Show allowed Sprout to capitalize on nighttime programming for preschoolers, setting itself apart from its competitor Noggin. The block aired daily from 6:00 pm to 3:00 am ET. [6] It appeared on Sprout from the channel's launch on September 26, 2005, until March 31, 2017. [7]

Unlike the channel's other blocks, The Good Night Show was repeated twice over the course of each night. Throughout the block, viewers (referred to as "Sproutlets") were encouraged to participate in host-led games, songs, crafts, and lessons in yoga and sign language. Activities generally revolved around a theme, and took place between animated episodes that related to this theme. These themes included issues of interest to preschool-aged children and their parents, such as imaginary friends, teddy bears, shadows, opposites, or babysitters.

Format

Segments

The Good Night Show featured a variety of segments. The block usually opened with Nina introducing herself and Star, as well as the theme of the night.

From 2007 to 2015, an annual event called "Sprout's Snooze-A-Thon" (formerly the "Good Night of Sweet Dreams") was aired from 6:00 pm on Christmas Eve to 6:00 am on Christmas morning. Following an introduction from Nina, the event showed many characters from Sprout's shows and blocks falling asleep. The event was likened to the Yule log and was intended to help preschoolers fall asleep on Christmas Eve.

Settings

Characters

Final hosts

For most of the block's run, it was hosted by Nina (Michele Lepe) alongside Star, Lucy, and Hush. Nina's uncle, Tio Javier, was introduced in the final season as a recurring co-host.

Past hosts

History

The block received criticism from the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, [19] which likened the block to "a TV version of a sleeping pill for toddlers." [20] It criticized Sprout for "implying that its programming will ease children into sleep when research suggests that screen time before bed undermines healthy sleep habits." [20] Susan Linn, a Harvard University psychologist, urged Sprout to cancel The Good Night Show for keeping children awake rather than helping them go to sleep. [21] The president of Sprout, Sandy Wax, denied that the block was misleading, stating that "The Good Night Show is not a sleep aid for children ... it's a tool for parents to help them establish a bedtime routine for their preschooler." [20]

According to Kidscreen , Sprout aimed "to follow a day in the life of a child and thus created a [block] called The Good Night Show in 2005." [22] The block was scripted and filmed in Philadelphia. The first season premiered on September 26, 2005. The second season was filmed from April to May 2006 [14] and premiered in July 2006. While the second season was airing, Melanie Martinez alerted Sprout that she had appeared in two parody commercials from the Technical Virgin website six years earlier; [23] she was fired and replaced by Noel MacNeal from September 11 to December 2006. [24] Noel MacNeal hosted a season of 24 episodes, [17] which were packaged with the title A Very Special Good Night Show. [17] In December 2006, the third season premiered, with Michele Lepe as the permanent host.

Episodes

Programming

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References

  1. ↑ Bellafante, Ginia (October 1, 2010). "Trying to Echo Childhood's Rhythms". The New York Times .
  2. ↑ Cadler, Kate (April 1, 2008). "Nighty Night! – Kidcasters Shaping Evening Schedules To Reflect Preschool Bedtime Rituals". Kidscreen .
  3. ↑ Jenkins, Ward (June 2007). "Ava Thursday: Ava on Sprout!". Ward-o-Matic, Primal Screen. Sprout is PBS Kids' answer to Noggin. When it was launched in 2005, it was the first 24 hour preschool network.
  4. ↑ Ball, Ryan (December 17, 2007). "NOGGIN Becomes 24-7 Network". Animation Magazine. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  5. 1 2 "The Good Night Show". Families.com. Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. You may know Noel MacNeal better as the voices of Bear from 'Bear in the Big Blue House' and Kako, the best friend of the title character on 'Oobi.'
  6. ↑ TV Schedule | PBS KIDS Sprout
  7. ↑ Steinberg, Brian (May 1, 2017). "NBCU's Sprout Grows Up: Universal Kids to Debut in September". Variety . Archived from the original on May 1, 2017. The Good Night Show, a three-hour programming block meant to soothe youngsters before bedtime with storytelling, sand art and cartoons, was phased out several months ago.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Poppy Cat to Debut Exclusively on Sprout in U.S. During New Season of The Good Night Show". Sprout Press Room . October 24, 2011. Archived from the original on October 28, 2011.
  9. 1 2 Goldman Getzler, Wendy (January 20, 2014). "Sprout Greenlights Good Night Show Spinoff". Kidscreen .
  10. ↑ "MICHELE LEPE :: actor".
  11. ↑ Robbins, Caryn (August 21, 2013). "Baze and His Silly Friends Offer Free 'School Days' Download". BroadwayWorld .
  12. ↑ "Esai Morales Joins Cast of Sprout Original Series THE GOOD NIGHT SHOW".
  13. 1 2 @michelelepe (July 26, 2015). "He joined us on a few episodes of #TheGoodNightShow @sproutchannel as Nina's uncle (Tio Javier)" – via Instagram.
  14. 1 2 Mulvihill, Geoff (May 10, 2006). "Kids program offers TV to fall asleep by". The Los Angeles Times .
  15. ↑ "Sprout Sets Holiday Block". NextTV. December 16, 2005. Archived from the original on April 18, 2022.
  16. ↑ DeMott, Rick (August 25, 2006). "PBS KIDS Sprout Celebrates First Birthday With Month-Long Bash". Animation World Network .
  17. 1 2 3 MacNeal, Noel. "Noel MacNeal Writing Credits". Archived from the original on September 7, 2020. A Very Special Good Night Show (PBS Kids Sprout). 2006 (live action). Co-writing all 24 episodes.
  18. ↑ "PBS KIDS Sprout Launches Third Season of The Good Night Show". Sprout Press Room . December 18, 2006. Archived from the original on October 19, 2011. Nina...along with her Sprout friends...Leo, the gardener
  19. ↑ "Advocates say program keeps kids awake". March 11, 2009.
  20. 1 2 3 "Sprout Not a Good Night for Kids: Children's Activists". March 11, 2009.
  21. ↑ "Advocates say Sprout's good night program keeps kids awake". March 18, 2009. Archived from the original on May 5, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Nighty night! – Kidcasters shaping evening schedules to reflect preschool bedtime rituals".
  23. ↑ Jensen, Elizabeth (August 5, 2006). "PBS Firing of Host of 'The Good Night Show' Draws Protests". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  24. ↑ "Cynopsis: Kids! - More Kids Stuff, PBS KIDS Sprout". Cynopsis. August 28, 2006.
  25. 1 2 3 4 "Sprout Original: The Good Night Show". Sprout Press Room . 2009. Archived from the original on October 27, 2011.
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