Arthur : Based On a True Story, Season 16 Episode 1
American-Canadian animated series
Arthur is a
Canadian/American animated educational television series for children, created by
Cookie Jar Group (formerly known as Cinar) and
WGBH for
PBS. The show is set in the fictional
American city of
Elwood City, and revolves around the lives of 8-year-old
Arthur Read, an anthropomorphic aardvark,[3] his friends and family, and their daily interactions with each other.
The television series is based on the Arthur book series, which are written and illustrated by
Marc Brown.
WGBH Boston along with Cinar (now Cookie Jar Group) began production of the animated series in
1994, and aired its first episode on
September 2,
1996. Since its debut, the show has broadcast 217 30-minute long episodes, and its
18th season premiered on
September 29, 2014. With 217 episodes, Arthur is the second longest running show on PBS
Kids, behind only
Sesame Street.
A pilot for the spin-off series
Postcards from Buster aired on
December 2003 as a season 8 episode of Arthur. Postcards from Buster aired from
October 11, 2004 to
November 21, 2008, when the series faced several years of hiatus, until a brief revival in
February 2012.
Arthur often deals with important issues families face such as asthma, dyslexia, cancer, and
Asperger syndrome. It also encourages reading and relationships with family and friends by explaining that people have different personalities and interests.
Arthur became one of the highest-rated shows on PBS Kids for several years since its debut, averaging almost
10 million viewers weekly in the
U.S. It is aired in a total of 83 countries; PBS in the
United States, Radio-Canada,
Knowledge,
TVO, and
CBC in
Canada, several
ABC channels in
Australia, and
BBC One/
CBBC in the UK. It is the longest-running children's animated series in the U.S., and the second longest-running animated series in the U.S., behind
The Simpsons.[4] Although Arthur is directed primarily toward a child and preteen audience, over the years it has gained a substantial cult following among older viewers.[5]