The Electric Company was good in its time. Teaching kids to read is always a noble goal.
The cast had talent to burn. Bill Cosby, Morgan Freeman, Rita Moreno, and a pre- Flashdance Irene Cara. None of the others, although less famous, were slouches.
There was quite a shift in visuals from the show’s beginning to its end. Season One was psychedelic with a vengeance. It was cool, but not always the smoothest ride.
By its last season, EC had quite a bit of clout. They had a Grammy winning album, and it’s own magazine (just like Sesame). But Sesame also had merchandising ties with books, records, and toys, which helped cover costs.
EC didn’t have that. So when PBS had to cancel one of the shows, EC got the chop.
But for its time, it worked.