‘Arthur’ to end at PBS Kids after 25 years; screenwriter says cancellation a mistake
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Marianne Garvey, CNN
(CNN) — “Arthur” is coming to an end after 25 years.
PBS Kids plans to end the iconic children’s series, screenwriter Kathy Waugh revealed during a recent interview on the “Finding DW” podcast.
Executive producer Carol Greenwald said reruns will continue to be available on PBS Kids.
“Arthur is the longest-running kids animated series in history and is known for teaching kindness, empathy and inclusion through many groundbreaking moments to generations of viewers,” Greenwald said in a statement.
“Arthur” is aimed at children ages 4 to 8. It stars 8-year-old aardvark Arthur and his family and friends, according to PBS Kids.
Waugh told the podcast: “Arthur is no longer in production. We had our wrap party two years ago. I think [PBS] made a mistake, and I think Arthur should come back and I know I’m not alone in thinking they made a mistake.”
She continued: “I don’t know if it was a ratings issue or if it felt like it needed to be retired. To me, it felt evergreen, like it was never going to end, but it did end.”
Waugh developed the show based on the books by Marc Brown. The show is the longest-running children’s animated series in the US and has won four Daytime Emmys for outstanding children’s animated program.
The show ends with Season 25, which is set to air in the winter of 2022. It was previously renewed for four seasons in 2018. It premiered in October 1996.