SAN FRANCISCO — Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster and their friends are looking for a new home after HBO and Max have opted out of renewing their contract for new "Sesame Street" episodes, according to reports.
The group has been on Max for nearly 10 years. Max will continue to license episodes through 2027, but the upcoming 55th season will be its final run of original shows on the platform, according to The Hollywood Reporter who reported the news first.
“It has been a wonderful, creative experience working with everyone at Sesame Street on the iconic children’s series and we are thrilled to be able to keep some of the library series on Max in the U.S.,” a spokesperson for Max told The Hollywood Reporter.
Variety says the change comes as Warner Bros. Discovery is pivoting toward adult and family programming and lessening its focus on children’s content as it’s “not as core to our strategy.”
With over 4,700 episodes and decades on air — from PBS to HBO — the franchise's future is now uncertain.
The beloved educational children’s show first aired Nov. 10, 1969 and features Jim Henson’s Muppets. It’s one of the longest-running shows in American history and, according to Brittannica, is watched by nearly half of all U.S. preschool-age children.
Though it’s a children’s show, there’s plenty of mature jokes for parents to stay entertained while their children learn. Over the course of its time, Sesame Street has won more than 100 Daytime Emmy Awards — the most any television show has received in history.
The show features guests from local and federal politicians to musicians and actors.