HBO to Air Sesame Street, Internet Reacts As You Could Expect

It sounds like an April Fool’s headline, but it’s real. Sesame Street is headed to the home of Game of Thrones and Girls.

Per The New York Times

Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit group behind the children’s television program, has struck a deal with HBO, the premium cable network, that will bring the next five seasons of “Sesame Street” to HBO and its streaming outlets starting this fall.

The partnership will allow Sesame Workshop to significantly increase its production of “Sesame Street” episodes and other new programming. The group will produce 35 new “Sesame Street” episodes a year, up from the 18 it produces now. Sesame Workshop also will create a spinoff series based on the “Sesame Street” Muppets and another new educational series for children.

What does this mean? It appears that new episodes of the show will only be available on HBO, then after nine months, those episodes will be available on PBS and PBS’ streaming networks. Prior to the nine month window, all Sesame Street episodes aired on PBS this fall will be from previous seasons and “edited in new ways.”

If you’re a poor household that has limited access to television programming for your children, Sesame Street is likely a go-to everyday. Many of us grew up on the show, and it’s a shame that new episodes are now on a pay cable network for nearly a year. The article mentions this fact: “PBS stations reach more children ages 2 to 5, more mothers of children under 6 and more low-income children than any children’s TV network, according to Nielsen.”

However, with PBS unable to pay for much of the Sesame Street production in recent years, and the company struggling to gain revenue through DVDs and licensing deals, this is a good way to make sure the quality and quantity is improved so children can watch one of their favorite shows.

Start hoping for a Sesame cameo on Veep now!

Of course, this has proven good comedic fodder for Twitter.

Sesame Street is moving from PBS to HBO. You want to learn the letter F? I’ll teach you the letter F. pic.twitter.com/d5LUeSRoHS

— JRehling (@JRehling) August 13, 2015

Last HBO / Sesame Street mashup, I swear. pic.twitter.com/jKIvUIQMmw

— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) August 13, 2015

Sesame Street now on HBO. A character will now die every episode.

— Brian Lynch (@BrianLynch) August 13, 2015

Now that HBO has a partnership with Sesame Street we’ll finally learn how to spell the names of all the Game of Thrones characters.

— OhNoSheTwitnt (@OhNoSheTwitnt) August 13, 2015

Oh Twitter, never change.