After 25 seasons at PBS, the beloved cartoon Arthur will no longer continue. One of the show’s writers, Kathy Waugh, broke the news during an episode of the Finding D.W. podcast (via Entertainment Weekly).
“Arthur is no longer in a production,” she revealed. “We had our wrap party two years ago. I think they’ve made a mistake, PBS, and I think Arthur should come back. And I know I’m not alone in thinking they made a mistake.”
Waugh went on to say that she doesn’t know if it was a ratings decision to cancel the long-running kid’s program centered around a bespectacled aardvark, but felt the show had been around so long that it would never end. “To me, it felt like evergreen, like it was never going to end, but it did end,” she said.
With the news out, Carol Greenwald, the show’s executive producer issued the following statement: “Arthur is the longest-running kids animated series in history and is known for teaching kindness, empathy, and inclusion through many groundbreaking moments to generations of viewers. In the winter of 2022, the 25th and final season of Arthur will debut. Arthur will continue to be available on PBS KIDS for years to come. Producer GBH and PBS KIDS are continuing to work together on additional Arthur content, sharing the lessons of Arthur and his friends in new ways.”
Based on Brown’s “Arthur Adventure” book series, the four-time Emmy-wining Arthur didn’t shy away from controversial subjects in order to teach children moral lessons. In 2019, Alabama Public Television pulled an episode titled, “Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone,” that included a same-sex marriage (via the New York Post). The network responded to the backlash by reconfirming its commitment to reflect the world its audience sees. “PBS KIDS programs are designed to reflect the diversity of communities across the nation,” they said in a statement. “We believe it is important to represent the wide array of adults in the lives of children who look to PBS KIDS every day.”
