‘Arthur’ Finale Will Flash-Forward To The Characters As Adults
Long-running PBS children’s show Arthur is coming to an end after 25 years on air. And according to Entertainment Weekly, the show will wrap up in a particularly nostalgic way — with a flash-forward into the future to see what each character is up to as adults.
Arthur follows its titular aardvark and his animal pals as they navigate school, family life, and friendship. The end of the cartoon will include a major marathon of over 250 Arthur episodes, as well as accompanying movie specials. Then, the network will air four brand-new episodes, which will see the Arthur gang solving a mystery, watching a silent movie, testing out the life of a reporter, learning how to be there for a grieving friend, heading out on vacation, and finally, getting a glimpse into their futures through a fortune-telling game.
“For more than 25 years, Arthur and his friends have kept viewers learning and growing through their true-to-life experiences,” said Sara DeWitt, PBS Kids' senior vice president and general manager, 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.”
Based on Marc Brown's beloved children’s books, Arthur has been praised for its handling of sensitive themes. While it didn’t instruct kids on how count or spell, it taught kids emotionally nuanced skills like empathy and inclusion. The Peabody and Emmy Award-winning series, which first began in 1996, made headlines in Season 22 for depicting a same-sex wedding for the kids’ longtime schoolteacher Mr. Ratburn.
Fast-forwarding to the characters’ lives in the future will be particularly meaningful for the now-adult viewers who were merely young kids when the show first aired. The 25th anniversary Arthur marathon will air on PBS Kids and livestream for free on the network’s YouTube channel from February 16 to 21.
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