Should Sesame Street continue after season 40?

[Son of Enik]

This just hit me...

Everyone has made some excellent points, be they in favor of cancelling SS or against the notion. But something just occured to me as I was reading everyone's posts...perhaps the answer lies in Joan Ganz Cooney. Cooney along with Jeffery Moss are the only surviving memebers of the "Merry Little Band" as Jon Stone once dubbed them, who satrted the show in the late 60's. Stone, Jim Henson and Joe Raposo are all in a better place now, so maybe the fate of the show heavily depends on the sad day we lose Joan.
Just a thought, input anyone?

 

[somethingofafan]

The fate of the show depends on the quality of the creative personnel that are in place when that day comes. The current team seems to me to be doing rather well.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

What's with the arguing, gang? What happened to folks having an opinion, sharing it, and moving on? Guess what--when you start to offending an opinion someone has, you only start a cycle of circling arguments that goes nowhere.

How about this: If you've shared your opinion what you think and why you think it, move along. It is your opinion and you do not need to defend it. If you don't like an opinion, don't treat someone like they're stupid for having one, share your opinion and move along.

There's no need in any negativity regarding a show whose sole purpose has been a positive influence!!

I don't think it's time to end it; just time to re-configure the program with a bit more elements from when I was a kid because then there were some skits just for fun mixed in with skits that were there to educate. I think that's what folks my age miss.

It's still a very important show, much needed in today's society, and should continue either way they decide to run things.

Stop fighting, yo!

I added a poll to run for 30 days for the fun of it. Let the poll speak instead of fussing, 'k?

 

[Teheheman]

What's with the arguing, gang? What happened to folks having an opinion, sharing it, and moving on? Guess what--when you start to offending an opinion someone has, you only start a cycle of circling arguments that goes nowhere.

How about this: If you've shared your opinion what you think and why you think it, move along. It is your opinion and you do not need to defend it. If you don't like an opinion, don't treat someone like they're stupid for having one, share your opinion and move along.

There's no need in any negativity regarding a show whose sole purpose has been a positive influence!!

I don't think it's time to end it; just time to re-configure the program with a bit more elements from when I was a kid because then there were some skits just for fun mixed in with skits that were there to educate. I think that's what folks my age miss.

It's still a very important show, much needed in today's society, and should continue either way they decide to run things.

Stop fighting, yo!

I added a poll to run for 30 days for the fun of it. Let the poll speak instead of fussing, 'k?

I'm gonna say it in bold this time. LOVE EVERYBODY

Daniel

 

[ISNorden]

I didn't vote because I'm not sure about the whole situation. Not being a parent, I don't have any first-hand experience of Sesame Street's effect on today's children; only the "push new characters" approach makes me suspect that Sesame Workshop is trying to rescue a dying show. Several long-running TV shows have been canceled before, even shows that became national icons: remember the big publicity when M*A*S*H got canceled?

On the other hand, I agree that Sesame Street has become so well-known and well-loved around the world that canceling it would cause a huge public backlash. If the Workshop wants their trademark show to last more than forty seasons, though, they ought to make it less predictable and more watchable. (Kids getting bored with the same segments in the same format and order? You'd think the producers who heard about that would take a hint.)

 

[mikebennidict]

To my understanding, M*A*S*H wasn't canceled the producers simply decided to cease production.

Though they're maybe some exceptions, most times networks cancel shows because the ratings aren't good. That's why the new ZOOM SERIES is gone.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

I figured that they cancled Zoom because they did not have the enough funds to support another season.

 

[mikebennidict]

It was ratings. Not funds.

 

[dabauckham]

So,

Thanks to everyone for the interesting opinions. I agree with what some of you were saying about the fact that Sesame Street is a show steeped in RESEARCH. Even if it is a little stuck in certain patterns and rather Elmo-heavy these days, can you imagine any program to replace it? (the closest is Between the Lions, which is great in it's own right, but focuses more on phonics)

I do believe that SS is still effective. Example: I've been watching and enjoying the Learn with Sesame videos available on itunes, and the most recent one dealt with kids whose parent(s) are being shipped off because they are in the armed services. Kids need to be able to cope with this, and SS is one of the few (if not only) programs that will take an issue like this head on. SS needs some refinishing and some fresh faces, but I believe it should not be canceled.

 

[muppeteer]

sesame street canceled

I agree with rubber duckie. I think there should be a final episode and then a 2 hour 40 year retrospective special. I think reruns would be a good idea because I think we still need sesame street. I think kids need and deserve to have a show as culturally diverse as sesame street in their lives. Not to have reruns would be to deprive an entire generation of something far more enduring than most of whats out there for kids right now. We need a show that teaches racial tolerance and diversity as well as the alphabet and numbers and all of that.