Sesame Street

Seasons

• Season 1

  Season 1 (1969–70): The landmark premiere (Nov 10, 1969) introduced Big Bird, Bert & Ernie, Oscar, Cookie Monster, Kermit, and the original human cast of Gordon, Susan, Bob, and Mr. Hooper. Its fast magazine-style mix of Muppets, animation, and live-action shorts was unlike anything in children's TV, drawing a 3.3 Nielsen rating in its first season. Early reviews were rapturous, with educator controversy close behind.

• Season 2

  Season 2 (1970–71): The CTW research model became the show's engine, with the first large-scale evaluations demonstrating measurable learning gains. Criticism hardened too — a Mississippi state commission voted to bar the show from its educational network. The curriculum began to broaden.

• Season 3

  Season 3 (1971–72): A landmark addition: Mr. Snuffleupagus, Big Bird's enormous, gentle 'imaginary' friend, debuted. Maria (Sonia Manzano) and Luis (Emilio Delgado) joined the human cast, deepening the street's Puerto Rican representation.

• Season 4

  Season 4 (1972–73): The Count von Count — later one of the most beloved Muppets in the menagerie — first appeared. Matt Robinson, the original Gordon, left and the role was recast.

• Season 5

  Season 5 (1973–74): A stable, high-quality year in the show's classic golden era; the format, cast, and curriculum were at full maturity.

• Season 6

  Season 6 (1974–75): Roscoe Orman debuted as Gordon, beginning a four-decade run as the street's longest-serving human lead. International co-productions began launching in the mid-1970s, the start of the franchise's global spread.

• Season 7

  Season 7 (1975–76): A genuine existential threat: a federal official called the show 'a monumental failure' and pushed to cut its funding, triggering a massive public outcry and a 'Save Sesame Street' campaign that secured its future. A defining moment in the show's political history.

• Season 8

  Season 8 (1976–77): Alaina Reed joined as Olivia, Gordon's sister, adding another strong musical and comedic presence to the ensemble.

• Season 9

  Season 9 (1977–78): The show sailed through its golden decade largely unchanged in format, its signature mix now a template imitated across children's television.

• Season 10

  Season 10 (1978–79): The 10th anniversary; by 1979 roughly nine million American children under six watched daily. The beloved special 'Christmas Eve on Sesame Street' aired this season.

• Season 11

  Season 11 (1979–80): A steady, well-regarded stretch; the show remained the dominant preschool program in America, its research-driven model now an established institution.

• Season 12

  Season 12 (1980–81): The street got its most iconic look — a redesigned set and a new opening sequence and theme arrangement, the version of 'Sunny Day' that generations remember.

• Season 13

  Season 13 (1981–82): A solid, stable year in the early-'80s run; no major structural changes, with the ensemble cast carrying the street's storylines.

• Season 14

  Season 14 (1982–83): Will Lee, the original Mr. Hooper, died mid-season (December 1982); his final episodes aired that year. The production team, working with child-development experts, quietly began preparing to address the death on air.

• Season 15

  Season 15 (1983–84): 'Farewell, Mr. Hooper,' aired Thanksgiving 1983, remains one of the most famous episodes in children's television history — a landmark, research-informed handling of death and grief that set the standard for difficult topics.

• Season 16

  Season 16 (1984–85): The franchise's first theatrical feature, *Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird*, was released.

• Season 17

  Season 17 (1985–86): A storied running gag ended: the adults finally met Mr. Snuffleupagus in the season premiere. Producers retired the 'imaginary friend' premise deliberately, concerned that modeling adults who don't believe children sent the wrong message.

• Season 18

  Season 18 (1986–87): A stable, accomplished mid-'80s season; the classic format remained intact and the show stayed the standard-bearer for preschool television.

• Season 19

  Season 19 (1987–88): The run-up to the 20th anniversary, with the show at the height of its cultural ubiquity and its characters now genuine icons.

• Season 20

  Season 20 (1988–89): The 20th anniversary, marked by the prime-time special *Sesame Street... 20 Years & Still Counting*.

• Season 21

  Season 21 (1989–90): A devastating loss — Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets and the soul of the show's comedy, died in May 1990 during the season. His death closed the show's founding era.

• Season 22

  Season 22 (1990–91): The first full season without Henson. Frank Oz scaled back, but the deep bench of Muppet performers kept the show running essentially seamlessly.

• Season 23

  Season 23 (1991–92): Elmo, played by Kevin Clash, emerged as the breakout star — a rise that would eventually draw both adoration and complaints about 'Elmo-ization.' Beloved Muppeteer Richard Hunt died early in 1992.

• Season 24

  Season 24 (1992–93): The show tackled divorce head-on in the 'Snuffy's Parents Get a Divorce' storyline, continuing its tradition of addressing heavy family topics with experts.

• Season 25

  Season 25 (1993–94): The 25th anniversary, celebrated with the special *Sesame Street: 25 Wonderful Years*; Zoe and Baby Bear joined the Muppet cast.

• Season 26

  Season 26 (1994–95): Broadcast ratings began to erode as cable and home video fragmented the kids' market — a slow decline that would eventually force structural change.

• Season 27

  Season 27 (1995–96): A 1996 survey found 95% of American preschoolers had watched the show by age three — a measure of total cultural saturation even as ratings slipped.

• Season 28

  Season 28 (1996–97): Behind the scenes, producers and researchers ran intensive workshops analyzing the show's structure; the findings pointed toward a younger target audience and a format overhaul to come.

• Season 29

  Season 29 (1997–98): The last full season of the classic hour-long magazine format, with the overhaul already in motion.

• Season 30

  Season 30 (1998–99): 'Elmo's World' premiered (Nov 1998) — a repetition-heavy 15-minute closing segment built to hold younger viewers, and an instant structural landmark. The show marked its 30th anniversary in 1999.

• Season 31

  Season 31 (1999–2000): The Children's Television Workshop rebranded as Sesame Workshop, and the show consolidated around its new Elmo's World-framed structure.

• Season 32

  Season 32 (2000–01): The transition era: viewership skewing younger, with producers preparing the full-scale structural reboot to come.

• Season 33

  Season 33 (2002–03): The big reformat: producers 'deconstructed' the magazine format into a more narrative, easier-to-navigate episode structure aimed at two-year-olds. The 'Number of the Day' segment debuted.

• Season 34

  Season 34 (2003–04): The new narrative format bedded in; with leaner episode counts, PBS schedules leaned heavily on repeats between new runs.

• Season 35

  Season 35 (2004–05): Continued consolidation around the younger demographic and Elmo's World; the classic-era street scenes receded further.

• Season 36

  Season 36 (2005–06): Cable rivals and shifting viewing habits kept eroding broadcast ratings, even as the show's library, specials, and international versions thrived.

• Season 37

  Season 37 (2006–07): The global peak — by 2006 Sesame Street was the most widely viewed children's show in the world, with 20 international co-productions and broadcasts in over 120 countries.

• Season 38

  Season 38 (2007–08): The original human cast began fading from regular on-screen roles; the street's human residents, once its center, became supporting figures around the Muppets.

• Season 39

  Season 39 (2008–09): A year of retooling ahead of the 40th-anniversary season, with renewed attention to preschool ratings and a broader media push.

• Season 40

  Season 40 (2009–10): The 40th anniversary: the season premiered Nov 10, 2009 — exactly 40 years after the original — with high-profile guests and a documented ratings bump among three-year-olds.

• Season 41

  Season 41 (2010–11): Post-anniversary consolidation; the show remained PBS's flagship preschool franchise amid a shifting kids' media landscape.

• Season 42

  Season 42 (2011–12): Financial strain began to show — traditional revenue from licensing, DVDs, and PBS fees no longer covered the show's costs, the slow-burning crisis that would reshape the show's distribution.

• Season 43

  Season 43 (2012–13): 'Elmo's World' was replaced by 'Elmo the Musical,' a longer-form segment aimed at slightly older viewers — an experiment later reversed.

• Season 44

  Season 44 (2013–14): The show took on parental incarceration in a widely discussed storyline, continuing its tradition of brave, expert-vetted social curricula.

• Season 45

  Season 45 (2014–15): The financial crisis came to a head (an $11 million operating loss in fiscal 2014), and in 2015 Sesame Workshop struck its HBO deal for first-run episodes — the most controversial distribution move in the show's history.

• Season 46

  Season 46 (2015–16): The HBO era began (Jan 16, 2016): episodes shrank to 30 minutes, the set and theme were rebuilt, new character Nina joined, and several beloved original cast members were dropped. Critics praised the polish while mourning what the modernization cost.

• Season 47

  Season 47 (2016–17): Julia, the first Muppet with autism, debuted (April 2017), developed with autism organizations. Elmo's World returned in a redesigned five-minute form, and the half-hour length became standard on all platforms.

• Season 48

  Season 48 (2017–18): The HBO-era format matured; celebrity guest stars and pop-culture-skewing segments became more prominent features.

• Season 49

  Season 49 (2018–19): Caroll Spinney retired (Oct 2018) after 49 years as Big Bird and Oscar, handing the two most beloved characters to new performers.

• Season 50

  Season 50 (2019–20): The 50th anniversary: a star-studded prime-time celebration aired in Nov 2019, and Sesame Workshop announced the move to HBO Max for the next five seasons.

• Season 51

  Season 51 (2020–21): The pandemic season — produced under COVID protocols, premiering on HBO Max (Nov 2020). The show made its most explicit social-justice pivot, with specials addressing racism amid the national reckoning after George Floyd's murder.

• Season 52

  Season 52 (2021–22): 'See Us Coming Together' addressed anti-Asian racism, and the season's 'identity and belonging' curriculum continued the social-justice turn.

• Season 53

  Season 53 (2022–23): Premiered Nov 3, 2022 on HBO Max, themed around identity, belonging, and emotional well-being in response to pandemic-era learning loss and anxiety.

• Season 54

  Season 54 (2023–24): The show continued on Max as Sesame Workshop wrestled with its business model ahead of the Warner Bros. Discovery deal's expiry.

• Season 55

  Season 55 (2024–25): The final Max season; Warner Bros. Discovery declined to renew (Dec 2024), putting the show's future in question until Netflix stepped in months later.

• Season 56

  Season 56 (2025–26): The Netflix 'reimagining' premiered Nov 10, 2025 — exactly 56 years after the original — with two 11-minute narrative segments per episode plus the animated 'Tales From 123,' released day-and-date on PBS and in 30+ languages worldwide.