The beloved long-running animated series Arthur will conclude it’s 25-season run soon, and the PBS series has just teased what’s to come for its famed characters. The final season will end with four new episodes culminating in a flash-forward, revealing grown-up versions of everyone’s favorite animal friends. What a wonderful kind of way to end a special show!
Per Variety, the four episodes will air as part of a 25th anniversary Arthur marathon which is set to feature over 250 episodes and movie specials from across the series’ run. PBS Kids will air the marathon, also livestreaming on the PBS Kids YouTube channel from Feb. 16-21. The four new episodes will also air on PBS stations and stream for free on PBS Kids on Feb. 21, marking the end of the show’s quarter of a century run.
“For more than 25 years, Arthur and his friends have kept viewers learning and growing through their true-to-life experiences,” said Sara DeWitt, Senior Vice President and General Manager of PBS Kids, in a statement. “We can’t wait to debut these episodes and introduce new ‘Arthur’ content that will give fans more ways to engage with their favorite aardvark.”
But don’t worry, this isn’t the complete end of Arthur as we know it! PBS has promised new Arthur content in the form of a podcast, video shorts, and a continuous stream of the 250+ episodes on PBS Kids.
“It’s been a privilege to work with an extraordinary and talented team to bring Arthur to public television audiences for more than two decades,” said Carol Greenwald, Senior Executive Producer of GBH Kids, in a statement. “We’re excited about Arthur’s next chapter — sharing the stories and experiences of Arthur and his Elwood City community to the media platforms where the next generation of kids and families will connect with them for years to come.”
The news of Arthur‘s final season came last year in July. Arthur is the longest-running kids’ animated series on television. Marc Brown, the author of the Arthur Adventure book series, will also release a new book on Jan. 25 titled Believe In Yourself: What We Learned From Arthur.
