Thoughts on season 33

Drtooth

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I gotta say that most people have hard feelings against the new season of Sesame. New segments like Journey to Ernie and Monster Time (Usually Monster clubhouse) and Number/letter of the day. I got to agree with a lot of people that I didn't like the changes at first, but that's life. First of all, last season marked the end of many fans' favorite sketch, Monsterpiece Theater (parodies of famous liturature, movies and even TV) and now it's spot is replaced by Monster Club house. It's an okay bit, but it's on far too much. Also, I feel that, though it has it's moments (for exmple, a snack time segment in which they tell kids to put a helmet on salami before launching it out of a cannon, then eating it saying the helmet's the best part) , a large bit of it falls under a bad script, causing it too come off kinda stupid to anyone over the age of 5 (being chased by an elephant can only be so funny before it's repetitive)! It would be better if they put it on but a few times a week.
 

Drtooth

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Secondly, Journey to Ernie is also repetitive, mainly because they use the same footage over and over. Every time I watch it, they allways have the same three things (usually the Martian). And besides, Big Bird searching for Ernie doesn't make sense. I'v discussed this with a few fans, and they agree it should be Bert. Mainly, if you remember, Ernie always wants to play a game with Bert, Bert is reluctant at first, then once he gets a groove playing, Ernie stops causing Bert to get very angry, and usually faint. Big Bird, however, is too light to do that, and maybe pairing him up with Ernie makes the whole thing kind of off. Mayhaps, like before, the segment should be on less, but it does have classic Ernie (most with Bert) skits. Like today's checker playing pidgeon (SHe's not that smart, out of 10 games we played she only beat me twice). But the brightest idea is the Number and Letter segments, insuring that The Count and Cookie are in each episode. Cookie is hillarious as always trying hard not to eat the Cookie, and doing so anyway. As for Elmo's World, no real complaint (seeing as how the kids who watch this shoe idoloze him) except for the annoying capering with the doofusy twins Mr. Noodle and Mr. Noodle. Maybe that's why so many fans hate it!
 

pezbalubah

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I don't like the Journey to Ernie segments too much, they probably taped like 5 minutes of footage of Journey to Ernie for the entire season and then they just repeat them over and over. It's really too bad they over use the blue screen now. At least they show classic skits though, they need to show more classic stuff with other characters.
 

MIKEB97

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Journey to Ernie should go! Ernie & Bert should be kept in the apartment!
 

MuppetQuilter

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I was pretty negative about the changes at the start of the season. I still agree with many of the comments in this thread from an adult-fan persepective.

However, Sesame Street has never been produced for us and it shouldn't be. It is for young children. Increasingly, the main audience is 18 months - 4 year olds. Sesame Street has always made an effort to include little moments and bits that will appeal to parents and encourage parents to watch with their kids, but it has always focused on teaching basic language, math, and social skills to young kids. I think we all agree that it fulfills those goals admirably.

As the parent of an almost-2 year old, I have to say the changes are good. After an initial adjustment stage, my daughter is really enjoying the show. She adores Journey to Ernie. Yes it is repetative with the same segments in different orders over and over-- but toddlers love repetition. I agree it is kind of odd to pair Ernie and Big Bird, but Bert wouldn't work as well as Big Bird in this segment. You need Big Bird's curiosity and questioning, and general good nature. Big Bird is, in many ways, the every-child character and that, I think, is what makes this segment so successful for the target audience.

She also likes Monster Club House. She loves that she knows when a song is coming and what the song will be. For a two year old, monsters being chased by elephants is always funny. She likes the craziness of the monsters in this segment.

The predicitiblity of having each episode follow the same segment order is also good for her. She knows what is coming next, so she feels more secure and in control of the situation. That allows her to enjoy the show more and get more out of it.

Personally, I'll probably always miss the fix-it shop and Monsterpiece Theater. Still, I have to admit that the current incarnation of Sesame Street serves my daughter better than the old format. And the ability to change and adapt to changes and needs in its audience is what has kept Sesame Street the quality children's show for decades.
 

Drtooth

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Well, the kids still like the show, and that's what counts. Sesame is still the TV street for me, and whatever kids I have down the road! It'd have to take far worse changes (like getting rid of the Muppets) to stop the show from being quality edutainment!
 

Crazy Harry

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I think they still show old Monsterpiece Theater segments. I remember one episode where they showed the 'Guys and Dolls' number insted of Monster Clubhouse.
 

MIKEB97

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I love Monster Piece theater. I wonder if Kermit might make a cameo? i believe his status on the show is a guest star.
 
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