Your Thoughts: Sesame Street Season 40

[Phillip]

Just a reminder that Sesame Street's 40th season officially begins Tuesday on PBS stations across the country. Check your local channels for times in your area.

After you see the new episodes, post here and let us know what you think. When you're the first to post about a new episode please include a description of the street scene or an episode number so that we know which episode you are talking about. Twenty-six new episodes are planned for this season.

 

[Oscarfan]

I saw part of the season premire before school and the street scene was excellent. Nice cast cameos, good use of songs and Big Bird's song at the end was great.

The only thing I'm not too keen on from what I saw was the new "block" format. It's almost like it's reverted to the Season 33 format, where there's nothing but the daily Muppet segments and the only films shown are ones for letters and numbers.

And from what I saw of Abby's Fairy School, it's actually funny. There are puns in it that are so corny, but you can't help but laugh!

I really wish I could see the rest of the show.

 

[zns]

I am definately going to have to look at this when it comes on again tonight at 7pm in my hometown.

 

[dwayne1115]

I really loved the street story, it was a lot like Follow That Bird. I also thought it was a homage to Mr. Hooper, and Big Bird how Big Bird was always saying the real estate agents name wrong.

I really don't think the Abby spot fits well with the show. It could be me, but it just seemed like it should be a seperate show.

You all need to really watch this one all the way through because there is a very shocking surprise cameo towards the end. I'm not going to say who but you will be surprised.

 

[Drtooth]

Lemme just say this... no WONDER why it took them so long to run Elmo's World: Frogs. No Wonder. That was just amazing. A New segment with a brief cameo by a certain Mr. Kermit the Frog! I was expecting a short brief silent clip of him in the opening montage at best... at best! Not only that, but we have a semi-revival of the Camp Wannagohoma segment in Elmo's E-Mail. Best EW since Food. If you see this episode do NOT change the channel. All the Mr. Noodel capering in the world is worth a SS Kermit the Frog cameo.

As for the rest of the show:

The only thing I'm not too keen on from what I saw was the new "block" format. It's almost like it's reverted to the Season 33 format, where there's nothing but the daily Muppet segments and the only films shown are ones for letters and numbers.

This is the problem I think SS has had for the past few years since. They're trying to get too too much stuff into one hour, especially when 10-15 minutes of 8it is taken by EW. Abby's Flying School was much much better than I thought it would be. Even a small hint of Fractured Fairy Tales, and the reference to Zia Zia Gabor was just too funny not to bust out laughing... but it really feels like the show changed channels on us, and we got another show entirely. A Good one, but not SS... and the fact we've got that and an Ernie and Bert's great adventures in the same episode doesn't exactly help things. At least it wasn't filled with long, boring footage of kids making sushi or doing yoga... yet.

I'm mixed about the framing devices myself. I LOVE Murray going out into the real world, improvising with kids (Jim would have been proud)... but it seems that he's almost like a 1990's Saturday morning TV host with his "Coming up Next" stuff. I did like how he handled the letter and number segments.

Other than that magnificent opening story, nothing screamed "this is our 40th anniversary show," other than the fact it had 40 be the largest number of the day ever (Plaza Sesamo had 40 or 30 on occasion). I didn't really see any classic shout outs, unless you count the standard puppet parrot as Poco Loco or H. Ross Parrot, or Bob walking Barkley. Seemed that Big Bird should have said good bye to a lot more characters.

It's early in the season here, so I can't really give a real wrap on it until I've seen everything... I just can't say I like what they've been doing in this particular episode.

 

[MuppetDude]

Lemme just say this... no WONDER why it took them so long to run Elmo's World: Frogs. No Wonder. That was just amazing. A New segment with a brief cameo by a certain Mr. Kermit the Frog! I was expecting a short brief silent clip of him in the opening montage at best... at best! Not only that, but we have a semi-revival of the Camp Wannagohoma segment in Elmo's E-Mail. Best EW since Food. If you see this episode do NOT change the channel. All the Mr. Noodel capering in the world is worth a SS Kermit the Frog cameo.

I suspected that was the reason! It was a really good choice that they held onto that for this year.

 

[Drtooth]

Seems like they either waited for this year, or they had some sort of rights hold up with Kermit. Seems that if it is indeed a new, exclusive cameo, they paid a pretty penny for it.

 

[BeckyDR]

Which number segments were included to honor the number of the day, 40?

 

[The Count]

Because my PBS station did something where they fooled me into thinking Super Y was coming up at 10 AM, I missed out on the premiere. So I apologize to those who've come to expect my episode synopses.

*Apologies to Becky, that's Becky I said.
*Barry Sobel reference.

 

[Oscarfan]

What segments came after the Abby cartoon? (Other than EW and the Michelle Obama bits)