For almost three decades, animated Arthur Read and his fellow anthropomorphic animals have been encouraging young viewers to cultivate a deep love of reading books — not to mention inspiring memes that resonate with multiple generations of people who grew up watching PBS’s Arthur series. Though the show will always be a major cultural touchstone, the series is soon set to end.
IGN reports that after 27 years of airing on PBS, Arthur’s upcoming 25th season — premiering this fall — will be its last. For the past few weeks, there was a fair amount of speculation about whether the series was on the chopping block, which executive producer Carol Greenwald has confirmed. In a statement provided to IGN, Greenwald explained that while new episodes of Arthur are no longer being produced, older episodes will still be available. “In the winter of 2022, the 25th and final season of Arthur will debut. Arthur will continue to be available on PBS KIDS for years to come,” Greenwald said. “Producer GBH and PBS KIDS are continuing to work together on additional Arthur content, sharing the lessons of Arthur and his friends in new ways.”
As much as Arthur’s cancelation is likely to sadden some nostalgic viewers, television series (much like books) have a habit of coming to an end eventually. For those for whom Arthur was a big deal in their youths, those memories and experiences won’t be erased, and the show’s literal hundreds of old episodes will be available to watch across the multiple platforms where Arthur has been made available to stream and download. It’ll be interesting to see if the upcoming final season of Arthur builds to some sort of sendoff commemorating the show’s legacy, or if it simply wraps up and encourages people to turn off their TVs and pick up a book.
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