Sesame Street Season 38 Preview

[D'Snowth]

Yeah, I have to agree. I think that their going in a good direction with the focus being on literacy. I also like the idea of 'the word on the street'.

They were GOING to do that last year as well.

 

[ISNorden]

They were GOING to do that last year as well.

Let's hope the producers keep their word (no pun intended) this time. Literacy and school readiness used to be the dominant goals of Sesame Street; it's been a long time since the Workshop did more than an occasional "school" episode and the letter of the day. Adding a word of the day--especially one that isn't stereotypical preschool vocabulary--was an excellent idea; children ought to know that the English language goes beyond simple one-syllable words.

I don't expect the nutrition/health segments to disappear entirely; Sesame Street taught about healthy habits even during the "Old School" years. Still, diet and exercise were never meant to be primary lesson themes on the show. Cutting those topics back to a reasonable level won't turn children into junk food addicts or couch potatoes, especially not if they're learning good habits from their friends and family. Good health includes mental fitness as well as the physical kind, so Sesame Street needs more focus on exercising the brain--not just the muscles.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

They were GOING to do that last year as well.

What happened?

 

[D'Snowth]

What happened?

What we've been saying: they're too busy concentrating on "healthy habits for life".

 

[Ilikemuppets]

What we've been saying: they're too busy concentrating on "healthy habits for life".

Oh.

 

[Drtooth]

What we've been saying: they're too busy concentrating on "healthy habits for life".

And in the wrong ways too. I liked the Sesame Dinner theatre, but the didn't explore it enough. There was a lot of potential, and I think they squandered it. Especially the Breakfast Club segment which was a huge disappointment and had NOTHING to do with the movie, which is what I was hoping. And the non-muppet health segments were TERRIBLE! And don't forget the horrors of Get up it's time to play.

 

[minor muppetz]

With the shows new focus on literacy, I wonder if Genius Products will release Getting Ready to Read on DVD. Or would Genius Products be more liekly to make a similarly-titled volume, Ready to Read?

It would be great if some old Two-Headed Monster segments were to be shown this season. Maybe some new Two-Headed Monster sketches can be produced as well.

 

[ISNorden]

It would be great if some old Two-Headed Monster segments were to be shown this season. Maybe some new Two-Headed Monster sketches can be produced as well.

Great thinking, since the Two-Headed Monster did sound out words pretty often. One more classic that would fit the new theme perfectly: In the 80s and 90s, some of the human cast did a show-tune parody about reading material. Two variants existed (one with books/newspapers/magazines, the other with recipes/labels/a third item I can't recall).

 

[CensoredAlso]

It would be good if they focused on literacy again, the country still has a problem with that, unfortunately. Personally I don't mind them addressing eating healthy, it is another serious problem we have. I'm not that familiar with the ways they've been doing it, maybe they could be improved. But the idea is right.

Of course, TV can't make people read or eat healthy, all it can (and should) do is set a good example.

 

[ISNorden]

And in the wrong ways too. I liked the Sesame Dinner theatre, but the didn't explore it enough. There was a lot of potential, and I think they squandered it. Especially the Breakfast Club segment which was a huge disappointment and had NOTHING to do with the movie, which is what I was hoping. And the non-muppet health segments were TERRIBLE! And don't forget the horrors of Get up it's time to play.

I agree: Dinner Theatre had its funny moments, but the segments took too long and were sometimes a bit hard to believe. (A kid knowing so much about the nutritional content of peas and broccoli...or praising zucchini more extravagantly than most kids would their favorite snack food? Good grief!) It's also a shame that "Man of La Muncha" and "Breakfast Club" had so little to do with the shows that inspired them.

As for the "Time to Play" segments, both the physical and the mental games didn't offer much content. The dances started looking alike after a few episodes, the pattern tests looked too easy even for a kindergarten kid, and the "What is it?" puzzles were misleadingly hard. Let's hope the Workshop can improve on that soon!