Sesame Street Season 46 Episode 4601 - Bedtime Story

[Phillip]

Sesame Street's 46th season officially begins this Saturday on HBO with two episodes back-to-back beginning at 9 am eastern. New episodes will continue to air on Saturday mornings through Saturday September 3. The Season 46 episodes are scheduled to air on PBS stations across the country beginning after the season concludes on HBO. Sesame Street episodes will also be available on-line via HBOGo (requires cable or satellite) or HBONow (requires a monthly subscription). A free 30-day trial of HBONow is also available.

Remember that even though Season 46 is premiering on HBO that all of these episodes were taped before the HBO deal was made. Meaning the financial benefits of the HBO deal really won't be seen on-screen until Season 47.

Season 46 brings many other changes to the street:

• For the first time ever, the show has been reduced from 60 to 30 minutes per episode
  
  
• The main street set has undergone a major overhaul including: an updated nest area for Big Bird in a small tree, Oscar's trash can moves to the front of 123 Sesame Street (above Ernie and Bert's apartment) and Cookie Monster now lives above Hooper's Store which has an updated look that pays homage to it's original design
  
  
• Even though other characters will still appear occasionally, the show is narrowing it's primary focus to six Muppet characters: Elmo, Cookie Monster, Abby Cadabby, Grover, Big Bird and Oscar
  
  
• "Cookie's Crumby Pictures" ends after two seasons and has been replaced with "Smart Cookies" starring Cookie Monster as the rookie agent of a team of crime-fighting cookies
  
  
• New show open and closes debut
  
  
• Stephanie D'Abruzzo now performs Prairie Dawn and Jennifer Barnhart now performs Zoe due to the retirement of Muppeteer Fran Brill
  
  
• Sonia Manzano (Maria) has retired and Suki Lopez (Nina) joins the cast

After you see the new episodes, post here and let us know your thoughts.

If you've seen Sesame Street Season 46, please like this post.

 

[Phillip]

Episode 4601 - Bedtime Story
HBO Premiere: Saturday January 16, 2016
PBS Premiere: Monday September 12, 2016

While sleeping over at Elmo's house, Abby learns how to change her bedtime routine to help her calm down before bedtime. Also featuring celeb vocab 'bedtime' with Tracee Ellis Ross, Cookie Monster's Smart Cookies-The Ginger Snap Case and Elmo's World-Sleep. Brought to you by the letter B and the number 10.

This episode features an all-new street story.

If you saw "Bedtime Story" please like this post and share your thoughts below.

 

[DePingPong]

Just caught the two new episodes on HBO Now, the end credits show that Leela and Mando are not credited, so they may no longer be on the show. I will also note that Luis, Bob and Gordon and still human cast members.

 

[cahuenga]

Just caught the two new episodes on HBO Now, the end credits show that Leela and Mando are not credited, so they may no longer be on the show. I will also note that Luis, Bob and Gordon and still human cast members.

Are Susan and Gina still credited?? and Maria???

 

[DePingPong]

Are Susan and Gina still credited?? and Maria???

Gina, yes. Susan, no.

 

[cahuenga]

Gina, yes. Susan, no.

I wonder why they did´t announced Loretta´s long departure...and Leela and Mando Neither...

 

[DePingPong]

Thoughts on the episode, I like how each episode opens with a muppet explaining what'll happen on Sesame Street. I like Nina a lot. The street story was a good length, but my only problem is, why Elmo's World? A pretty old one at that. It seemed to be shortened too. I did hope to see more of the street but the second episode shown this morning did good in that regard.

 

[Phillip]

Thoughts on the episode, I like how each episode opens with a muppet explaining what'll happen on Sesame Street. I like Nina a lot. The street story was a good length, but my only problem is, why Elmo's World? A pretty old one at that. It seemed to be shortened too. I did hope to see more of the street but the second episode shown this morning did good in that regard.

Yes, for a season premiere, an edited Elmo's World initially feels really off. However, because Sesame Workshop is now keeping each episode to one central theme that's the primary reason for this choice. With more episodes per season now, filling some of them with Elmo's World (allbeit an older segment) is the route Sesame Workshop has taken verses much more frequent repeats of Elmo the Musical.

However, instead of Elmo's World I would've preferred other "sleep" theme segments. It would've been a great place for a new Ernie and Bert sleeping sketch or even an updated version of Joe Raposo's "Everybody Sleeps".

 

[Drtooth]

I'm not thrilled with the inclusion of Elmo's World, but at least it was mercifully shortened. It's clearly a cost cutting move to bring this back, and they have to keep this odd "every segment follows the theme" concept they have this season, which I'm ambivalent about.

So anyway, brief rundown of the show...

The Word on the Street/Word of the Day are officially gone. I'm mixed about it, but it was time to drop this segment anyway. Instead, we have rotating Muppet characters introducing the topic of the day for a cold opening.

The street stories will be shorter to accommodate the 27 minute format (less with open and end themes accounted. Seems like this was 9 minutes or less. As for the story itself, it's...well... essentially what an Abby and Elmo episode usually is. It seems like a leftover script from the last season.

Then we jump right into the letter of the day, closely followed by the number of the day. There's such a breakneck pace to this episode, obviously trying to get as much as they can with the time slot. There's only one bit for letters and numbers, the Tracy Ross thing and ToddWorld Doggy Kisses respectively.

Then into Smart Cookies, which is a great replacement for the admittedly hit and miss (but mostly hit) Crumby Pictures. Love how the Fig Newton puppet has a Beaker mouth. Seems every episode The Crumb comes in with a paper thin Boris Badenov type disguise that fools Cookie easily. Gotta admit, Cookie trying not to eat his sentient team mates is hilariously morbid for Sesame Street.

And yeah. Short Elmo's World. Obviously because money and theme.

So nothing extremely different outside of the small change in the block format. Without the Murray Transitions, it feels more like one show with segment than trying to be multiple shows. Did anyone catch the short Tour of Sesame Street preview before the episode? We got to hear some of Stephanie's Prairie Dawn.

 

[antsamthompson9]

I'm really pleasantly surprised that Sesame's YT page is putting up the episodes for free. Anyway, this new format is okay. I like seeing Muppets setting up the episodes. The new opening and closing song are fun. Nina's a welcome addition. I liked Tyler Bunch's performance as the giant. The B words bit with Tracee Ellis Ross was fun. I liked Ryan Dillon being the bear and Eric Jacobson being the basketball. The Smart Cookie's segment is pretty good. If they make more of these, they better find someone good to replace Joey as Figby. Here's the episode for non-HBO people.