Season 46 (2016)



Sesame Streets 46th season' premiered on HBO on January 16, 2016.

Curriculum and Format
The show's 46th experimental season features several changes to the show's curriculum, format and set. The season's main educational goal is how to demonstrate kindness and convey the lessons through new themes relevant to the lives and interests of a typical preschool child (such as bedtime, boo-boos and animals). Fewer celebrity and parody segments are employed this season, as studies have shown fewer parents (whom the segments are geared toward) are co-viewing with their children.

The show also tightens its focus in on a smaller number of select characters:

"The cast of Muppets, which has mushroomed over the decades, will be pared down to focus on a core six: Elmo, Cookie Monster, Abby Cadabby, Grover, Big Bird and Oscar. The others will still be on the show, but the core cast will be the daily focus."

Debuting in the season is a new Cookie Monster segment, "Smart Cookies." New editions of "Elmo the Musical" also debut (now running seven minutes), and "Elmo's World" is reintroduced to the show, with re-edited, high-definition versions of older segments. Also introduced are new opening and closing song sequences, the former marking the first time the theme sequence has taken place on the street set itself. Episodes also no longer feature the characters reiterating the sponsors of the day at the show's end.

The "What's the Word on the Street?" cold opens have been discontinued in favor of brief scenes of the Muppet characters introducing the topic of each show. The Word of the Day segments have been cut as well.

The season also marks the show's move to a new channel. The episodes debut first-run on HBO and will air on PBS following a nine-month window. The season also introduces a shortened, half-hour format, completely dropping the hour-long run time.

Cast changes
Following the retirement of Fran Brill the previous fall, Stephanie D'Abruzzo takes over the role of Prairie Dawn and Jennifer Barnhart is cast as Zoe. Sonia Manzano retired prior to the season taping and therefore does not return as Maria. Also leaving the cast are Nitya Vidyasagar (Leela) and Ismael Cruz Córdova (Mando). Joining the cast is a new recurring human character named Nina, played by actress Suki Lopez. On July 28, 2016, it was announced that Bob McGrath, Roscoe Orman, and Emilio Delgado would not be returning to the show ; however, this was later explained as a misunderstanding as no scenes had been written for them this season. Joey Mazzarino departed from Sesame Workshop a few months prior to the season's premiere, making this his last season involved with the show.

Set changes
The season introduces new changes to the set in an effort to get viewers to associate the Muppet characters with specific locales, evoke a greater sense of community, and to modernize the look of the street. Changes include:


 * Elmo's room is now located in the first floor cornerstone of 123 Sesame Street.
 * Cookie Monster takes up new residence above Hooper's Store, which is given a complete facelift to resemble its initial design.
 * Big Bird's nest area is no longer hidden by used construction doors and is now sitting within a small, furnished tree.
 * Oscar's trash can is relocated to a dumpster unit in front of 123 Sesame Street. Oscar is also given the ability to appear from trash receptacles around the street.
 * An expanded garden area is added in the arbor, maintained by Abby Cadabby.
 * Other additions include a community center in the carriage house (with rooftop sitting area) and a Newsstand, located between the Subway Station and the Laundromat.

The changes were designed by David Gallo. The new set elements were constructed by Showman Fabricators and Gotham Scenic (who built Oscar's new enclosure, the newsstand and Big Bird's nest).

Production
Initial elements for the season were taped in early February 2015, with primary filming taking place from April 14 to June 5. Celebrity segments were shot in Los Angeles the week of March 30, 2015.

The season marks the first use of a StediCam in studio for the show.

Episodes


Episodes 4601 - 4635 (35 episodes)


 * Episode 4601 -- Bedtime Story
 * Episode 4602 -- Mucko the Explorer
 * Episode 4603 -- Grover's Street Safari
 * Episode 4604 -- Saved by the Superfoods (repeat)
 * Episode 4605 -- Funny Farm
 * Episode 4606 -- Valentine’s Show
 * Episode 4607 -- The Best Friend Band
 * Episode 4608 -- When Dinosaurs Walked Sesame
 * Episode 4609 -- What I Love About Art
 * Episode 4610 -- Say Thank You To Your Face
 * Episode 4611 -- Abby’s Fairy Garden
 * Episode 4612 -- Elmo Steps in for Super Grover (repeat)
 * Episode 4613 -- The Princess Story (repeat)
 * Episode 4614 -- Enthusiastic Penelope Penguin (repeat)
 * Episode 4615 -- Birdie & the Beast
 * Episode 4616 -- Rocco’s Playdate (repeat)
 * Episode 4617 -- Camping Show (repeat)
 * Episode 4618 -- A Very Cookie Mother’s Day
 * Episode 4619 -- Move It
 * Episode 4620 -- Hooper’s Lockdown
 * Episode 4621 -- To The Moon, Elmo
 * Episode 4622 -- Chicken When It Comes to Thunderstorms (repeat)
 * Episode 4623 -- Music Magic (repeat)
 * Episode 4624 -- Abby Makes the Seasons Change (repeat)
 * Episode 4625 -- Boo Boo Busters
 * Episode 4626 -- Elmo and the Bookeneers (repeat)
 * Episode 4627 -- Bye Bye Pacifier (repeat)
 * Episode 4628 -- Mi Amigita Rosita (repeat)
 * Episode 4629 -- Dress Up Me Club
 * Episode 4630 -- Afraid of the Bark (repeat)
 * Episode 4631 -- Good Sport (repeat)
 * Episode 4632 -- Sesame Oceans
 * Episode 4633 -- Don't Get Pushy (repeat)
 * Episode 4634 -- School for Chickens (repeat)
 * Episode 4635 -- Halloween

Airing
First-run episodes of Sesame Street began airing on HBO in 2016. The season debuted on Saturday, January 16, 2016, with two new episodes (4601 and 4602) airing back-to-back at 9:00AM ET/PT. In the subsequent weeks, a new episode aired on HBO every Saturday at 9AM, followed by a repeat at 9:30. New episodes debuted each Saturday morning for 33 weeks, running from January 16th until the end of the season. Episodes were simulcast in Spanish on HBO Latino, and new and library episodes air each weekday on HBO Family. The final episode of the season (4635) aired on October 29th.

The show continues to air on PBS as well, where episodes from Season 46 reached public broadcasting outlets on September 12, 2016, airing in a different order than HBO.

Characters

 * Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Grover, Oscar, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Baby Bear, Rosita, Telly, Prairie Dawn, Zoe, Murray, Ovejita, Slimey, Snuffy, Ernie, The Count, Bert, Segi, Two-Headed Monster, Horatio, Mrs. Crustworthy, Stinky, Mr. Johnson, Jerome the Garden Gnome, Chipowski, Figby, Miss Fortune, The Crumb, Cookie Monster's Mommy, Grover's Mommy, The Two-Headed Monster's Mother, Telly's mom

Cast

 * Alan: Alan Muraoka
 * Gordon: Roscoe Orman
 * Gina: Alison Bartlett
 * Luis: Emilio Delgado
 * Bob: Bob McGrath
 * Susan: Loretta Long
 * Chris: Chris Knowings
 * Nina: Suki Lopez
 * Caroll Spinney as Big Bird and Oscar

Sesame Street Muppet™ Performers
 * Pam Arciero, Billy Barkhurst, Jennifer Barnhart (uncredited), Tyler Bunch, Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Ryan Dillon, Eric Jacobson, John Kennedy, Peter Linz, Joey Mazzarino, Carmen Osbahr, Martin P. Robinson, David Rudman, John Tartaglia (uncredited), Matt Vogel, Eric Wright (uncredited)

Guest Stars
 * Sara Bareilles, Aloe Blacc, Alan Cumming, Fifth Harmony, Nick Jonas, Ne-Yo, Pharrell, Gina Rodriguez, Tracee Ellis Ross, Gwen Stefani

Credits

 * Executive Producer: Carol-Lynn Parente
 * Coordinating Producer: April Coleman
 * Senior Producer: Benjamin Lehmann
 * Line Producer: Stephanie Longardo
 * Producer: Mindy Fila
 * Directors: Ken Diego, Joey Mazzarino, Scott Preston, Matt Vogel, Nadine Zylstra, Benjamin Lehmann, Chuck Vinson
 * Head Writer: Joey Mazzarino
 * Writers: Molly Boylan, Annie Evans, Christine Ferraro, Michael J. Goldberg, Emily Perl Kingsley, Luis Santeiro, Belinda Ward, John Weidman, Ed Valentine, Geri Cole
 * Puppets, Costumes, Props: The Jim Henson Company NY Creature Shop - Jason Weber, Rollie Krewson, Constance Peterson, Erin Slattery Black, Mary Bremer, Matthew Brennan, Matthew Brooks, Frankie Cordero, Andrea Detwiler, Ben Durocher, Victoria Ellis, Andrea Gilletti, Brian Haimes, Liz Hara, Michelle Hickey, Ann Marie Holdgruen, Doug James, Sarah Lafferty, Lara MacLean, Laura Manns, Casey Miller, Anney Ozar, Jane Pien, Stephen Rotondaro, Kate Rusek, Sierra Schoening, Polly Smith, Whitney Thayne, Sally Thomas, David Valentine, Amanda Maddock
 * Production: Melissa Creighton, Joseph Roddy, Jonathan Ehrich
 * Music Director: Bill Sherman
 * Music Coordinator: Jamie Guzzardo
 * Vocal Director: Paul Rudolph
 * Music Copyist: Joe Fiedler
 * Director of Music Arrangements and Orchestrations: Joe Fiedler
 * Composers: Eli Bolin, Joe Fiedler, Jake Huffman, Chris Jackson, Questlove (uncredited), Kathryn Raio, JP Rende, Bill Sherman, Matthew Sklar, Shaina Taub, Carter Bays, Craig Thomas
 * Film Producer: Kimberly Wright
 * Production Designer: David Gallo
 * Associate Directors: Frank Campagna, Tim Carter, Emily Cohen, Ken Diego, Mindy Fila, Benjamin Lehmann, Jesse Averna, Todd E. James, Ashmou Younge
 * Sound Effects Editor/Re-Recording Mixer: Dick Maitland, C.A.S
 * Technical Directors: Tom Guadarrama, Richie Drummond, Manse Sharp
 * Cameras: Frank Biondo, Shaun Harkins, Jerry Cancel
 * Key Production Assistant: Andrew Moriarty
 * Vice President of Education and Research: Rosemarie T. Truglio, Ph.D.
 * Special Thanks To: Definition 6, Hyperactive Pictures, Magnetic Dreams, Tony Testa, Yellow Sound Lab
 * Taped at Kaufman Astoria Studios in New York