After 25 years on the air, “Arthur” has four more episodes before the series comes to an end.
PBS, which produces the series, announced the show would celebrate its 25th anniversary with a marathon which includes the four new episodes with a special ending. The final episode will give a glimpse of what comes next for the beloved characters of the show.
“Arthur” is the longest-running animated series for children in history, following the life of aardvark Arthur Read since 1996, WFAA reported.
The series is based on books by Marc Brown, author of the “Arthur Adventure” book series. Brown is releasing a new book on Jan. 25 titled, “Believe in Yourself: What we learned from Arthur,” Variety reported. In a statement, Brown said: “It’s amazing that what began as a simple bedtime story for my son eventually evolved into over a hundred books and a collaboration with GBH and PBS KIDS that would last 25 years.”
While no new television episodes of “Arthur” will be produced, PBS promised new content in 2022 and beyond, including a podcast, video shorts and games. PBS also said the full 25 seasons of “Arthur” would remain available to stream on PBS KIDS.
The series co-creator, Kathy Waugh, expressed disappointment about the decision to end the series, telling People Magazine: “I don’t know if it was a ratings issue or if it felt like it needed to be retired. To me, it felt evergreen, like it was never going to end but it did end, we finished the last episode, season 25, two years ago.”
The first of the four final episodes will begin airing on PBS stations and streaming on PBS KIDS on Feb. 21.