The final episode of PBS's beloved animation Arthur will see the titular aardvark and his friends as grown-ups in a flash-forward during the closing moments of the series. Based on the Arthur Adventure book series by Marc Brown, the series follows the daily interactions of Arthur Read and his fellow young residents of Elwood City as they navigate the challenges and mysteries of growing up in the United States. Receiving various awards during its 25-year run, the show has been praised for its handling of a range of complex subjects for children through celebrating difference and diversity, including an episode in which Arthur's teacher Mr Ratburn comes out as gay.
First premiering on October 7, 1996, Arthur has reigned as the longest-running children's animation of all time in the U.S. To date, the program has aired 249 episodes across 24 seasons, along with seven Arthur specials. The show even managed to create a spin-off series entitled Postcards from Buster, which itself ran for four seasons. But along with its prolific run of episodes and progressive approach to its subject matter, Arthur is also renowned for its extensive list of celebrity guest stars who have appeared on the show, which has included Yo Yo Ma, Idina Menzel and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. However, despite the show's universal appeal, it was announced by PBS back in July that the upcoming Arthur season 25 would be its last.
Now, PBS has disclosed a little more detail regarding what viewers can expect from the upcoming season. This includes "a glimpse into what's in store for the future of these beloved characters" in the final Arthur episode. In a statement reported in Variety, Senior Vice President and General Manager of PBS Kids Sara DeWitt also discussed the impact of the program:
For more than 25 years, Arthur and his friends have kept viewers learning and growing through their true-to-life experiences. 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.
Set to air on February 21 2022, Arthur's last television outing will consist of four new episodes, which will all premiere on PBS stations and will stream for free on PBS Kids. In their statement, PBS elaborates on what escapades the anthropomorphic friends will get up to in their final stories, including how they will "get a hint of their futures from a mysterious fortune-telling game." But DeWitt also makes it clear that Arthur will still have a place at PBS following its final season 25, even if it isn't on television. As the station goes on to confirm in their statement, "New content from Arthur will continue rolling out in 2022 and beyond, including a podcast, video shorts that tackle timely and compelling topics, and digital games."
The sudden cancellation of an iconic show like Arthur certainly came as a surprise to many, and no clear explanation for the decision has been provided yet. But whilst there will be no more small-screen adventures for the bespectacled book-lover and his friends, there is consolation for fans that the series will remain as active a children's franchise as ever. And despite the fact that devotees of the program will still be wondering why PBS decided to cancel Arthur at all after 25 years, it can be safely relied-upon that the long-awaited reveal of the famed characters as grown-ups will make for an inevitably emotional and nostalgically poignant ending to the program's remarkable career.
Source: Variety