Arthur - Where is the Show Going?

[datman24]

To be fair, the memes did help bring Arthur back into the spotlight. Before that, people just forgot the show even existed (or even knew it was still running).

 

[LittleJerry92]

That’s true. The fist one will always stick out for me.

 

[Muppet Master]

If people only see Arthur as nothing more than funny memes than they know nothing of the show and just use it for clout attention.

Maybe so but I'd rather have it stay relevant through that than to be completely forgotten.

 

[Cookie3001]

Honestly the fact that more people are talking about the memes than the actual show just proves that the series end was overdue

 

[D'Snowth]

Let's be honest though, there's been at least two, maybe three generations that have grown up with ARTHUR that are adults or even teens now, so of course they're going to be producing a slew of memes of something they remember growing up with fondly. In a sense, it's almost kind of like how the creation of YouTube Poops brought more notice and attention of THE SUPER MARIO BROS. SUPER SHOW after it had been largely forgotten to time, which, of course, has resulted in a slew of memes just the same, such as Mama Luigi and the like.

 

[YellowYahooey]

After seeing a post on a Facebook group pretty recently reminding of the looming final season of "Arthur", I decided to view select older episodes, plus select episodes from beyond Season 11 that I never got to see due to my loss of interest in the show in July 2007. My loss of interest was due to excessive reruns, as well as the newer content being dull. I have to say, after realizing that the end is looming, i felt that this is a good opportunity for me to view episodes I missed out on. it would be a case of not appreciating something more until it's gone. More like "almost gone".

There have been plenty of rehashing of plots in the later seasons. For exampke, "MacFrensky" is basically a rehash of "Nerves of Steal", only without the shoplifting. "The Butler did What?" seems to be a rehash of a season 11 episode where D.W.'s imaginary friend, Nadine, went missing (she was on vacation, just like Bailey did).

With the plethora of plot rehashing since around Season 13, could that explain why most of the older episodes are hardly shown on PBS nowadays?

 

[D'Snowth]

With the plethora of plot rehashing since around Season 13, could that explain why most of the older episodes are hardly shown on PBS nowadays?

Hardly.

I think one of the reasons why older episodes are rarely seen anymore is because they're sadly incredibly dated, and not in a good way. Technology for one thing: earlier episodes talk about things like CD players, show old CRT TV sets, old desktop computers, VHS tapes, and they act like cell(ular) phones are new fangled-gadgets . . . all of which would make absolutely no sense to kids watching today.

 

[YellowYahooey]

Hardly.

I think one of the reasons why older episodes are rarely seen anymore is because they're sadly incredibly dated, and not in a good way. Technology for one thing: earlier episodes talk about things like CD players, show old CRT TV sets, old desktop computers, VHS tapes, and they act like cell(ular) phones are new fangled-gadgets . . . all of which would make absolutely no sense to kids watching today.

I bet, if it weren't for the references to newer technology, "Arthur" probably would have ended its run more than a decade ago. I wouldn't be surprised if the rehashing of material from earlier episodes was due to the show "modernizing" with references to today's technology. I bet "The Great McGrady" was remade because there was updated material, and maybe the original version had references to outdated stuff, including technology, which today's target audience would not be familiar with.

I also wouldn't be surprised if the older episodes are also rarely seen nowadays due to not being HD-compatible. Though I did learn in this thread a while ago, during the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, that some of the oldest episodes did resurface on PBS at some point.

Of the episodes I decided to download, I have no interest in the Season 1 episodes except for "Arthur Goes to Camp". The reason for my lack of interest in Season 1 is due to having been reran to death. I think my most favorite seasons were Seasons 4 through 8. Season 10 was when I enjoyed the newer episodes less and less, and midway through Season 11 was when I stopped watching (to be honest, I didn't care for the "Postcards from You" interstitials replacing "A Word from Us Kids", but it was the content and storylines that caused me to lose interest). I am thinking my interest in the show had started to slowly decline by Season 9.

 

[D'Snowth]

"The Great MacGrady" was remade because of Lance Armstrong's doping scandal - it was still one of those episodes that serves a purpose of being a great teaching tool (the very heavy and sensitive subject of cancer), and even though Lance Armstrong did battle brain, lung, and testicular cancer all at the same time, and was once a positive role model for many people, he's pretty much tainted by his scandal, hence why they replaced his caricature with an already pre-existing character, Uncle Slam Wilson, one of Binky's favorite wrestlers.

 

[YellowYahooey]

Wasn't "Uncle Slam Wilson" the wrestler who appeared in "Thanks a Lot, Binky" in 2003?