After more than four decades on PBS, our favorite neighborhood is getting a brand new home on HBO.
Ahead of the season 46 premiere on Saturday (9 a.m. ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY:How willSesame Streetchange on HBO?
CAROL-LYNN PARENTE:It will certainly feel likeSesame Street.
Credit: HBO
Whats interesting is that before we knew about the HBO deal, we were embarking on our next evolution.
So that whats launching on HBO is that next evolution.
Why change to a half-hour?
It came out of creative workshops we did about engagement.
What we realized is that there is so much competition and you have to engage kids right away.
So that led to us to come up with a half-hour format.
Youre going to focus on the shows core characters.
Why the change and how did you decide who will be featured?
So imagine youre 3, and mom lets you watch a half-hour of something.
Well if you chooseSesame Street, youmightsee Cookie Monster or you might not.
So when you look at it from that perspective its like, duh.
This way theyre being satisfied.
So who is in the most popular tier?
Elmo, Abby, Cookie Monster are the top three.
But everyone still is in the neighborhood; no one is getting kicked out!
Will there be any new faces?
Shes working at the bike shop and the Laundromat sometimes.
[She has] an inventor spirit and she likes to tinker with things.
How has the set changed?
It had become garish and unrealistic and [looked] much more like a set.
Now its back to feeling like a street.
With a nine-month delay before episodes hit PBS, do you worry about shows feeling stale?
Kids dont know seasons; they just have shows and characters they like.
Occasionally you get that wrong where someone you think is up-and-coming doesnt last as long as you think.
And the good thing is the kids dont know who the celebrity is anyway.
As long as the piece works for [kids], it doesnt matter when they see it.
What will air on PBS during the delay before the new season runs?
And pulled the best of the best for that time until the season airs.
Any celebrity cameos we should be excited for in the new season?
Season 46 has Gwen Stefani and Nick Jonas singing the sexiest song about triangles you will ever hear!
The Fifth Harmony girls are a riot.
And there are lots of selfies.
