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The Electric Company is an American educational children's television series that initially aired from 1971 to 1977, with reruns continuing until 1985. A reboot of the show aired from 2009 to 2011, with reruns until 2014, and later from 2016 to 2020. The show was produced by the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), now known as Sesame Workshop, and aimed to teach elementary school children reading and grammar skills through sketch comedy and various other devices. The original cast included notable performers such as Morgan Freeman, Rita Moreno, and Bill Cosby, and the series is known for its innovative use of early computer-generated imagery.
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The Electric Company was hosted by a diverse group of performers
The show also featured a number of guest stars and recurring cast members, including Ken Roberts, who narrated some segments during the first season, and Jim Boyd, who started as an off-camera voice actor and puppeteer before appearing on-camera in the second season as J. Arthur Crank. The Electric Company also included appearances by Spider-Man, with a comic book series based on these segments, as well as other Marvel characters.
The show's music was composed by Eric Rogers, who had previously worked on the DePatie-Freleng cartoons in the '70s. Rogers also wrote the arrangement for The Electric Company theme song. The original soundtrack album won a Grammy Award for the show's cast.
A reboot of the show aired from 2009 to 2011, with cast members like Josh Segarra, Jenni Barber, and Coy Stewart. This version of the show featured similar elements to the original, including sketch comedy and educational content, but with a modern twist, incorporating hip-hop and contemporary R&B music.
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The cast included Morgan Freeman, Rita Moreno, and Bill Cosby
The Electric Company is an American educational children's television series that initially aired from 1971 to 1977. The show was produced by the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), now known as Sesame Workshop. CTW is also known for creating Sesame Street, which was targeted at preschool children, while The Electric Company was aimed at elementary school children. The show's cast included Morgan Freeman, Rita Moreno, and Bill Cosby, who were joined by other actors such as Judy Graubart, Lee Chamberlin, and Skip Hinnant.
Morgan Freeman, who played the character "Easy Reader", was part of the original cast of The Electric Company. Freeman is a highly acclaimed actor known for his distinctive voice and presence in numerous films and television shows. He has won numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Million Dollar Baby.
Rita Moreno, another well-established performer, was also part of the original cast. Moreno brought her experience and talent to the show, and she is particularly remembered for her role in the "Giggles and Goggles" sketch with Judy Graubart. Moreno also returned to reprise her role in the reboot of The Electric Company, which aired from 2009 to 2011.
Bill Cosby, a well-known comedian and actor, was a cast member in the first season of The Electric Company. Cosby's inclusion in the cast added to the show's appeal and diversity. However, in recent years, Cosby's reputation has been marred by numerous allegations and legal issues.
The Electric Company left a lasting impact on children's television, with its innovative use of sketch comedy, music, and early computer-generated imagery. The show's cast, including Freeman, Moreno, and Cosby, delivered memorable performances that entertained and educated young viewers, leaving a lasting legacy in the world of educational programming.
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It was an educational show for children
The Electric Company is an American educational children's television series. It was co-created by Paul Dooley, Joan Ganz Cooney, and Lloyd Morrisett, and it aired on PBS from 1971 to 1977, with reruns continuing until 1985. The show employed sketch comedy and various other devices to provide an entertaining program to help elementary school children develop their grammar and reading skills. The target audience for the show was children aged 6-9 who had graduated from CTW's flagship program, Sesame Street, so the humour was more mature than what was seen on Sesame Street.
The Electric Company was notable for its extensive, innovative use of early computer-generated imagery, especially Scanimate, a then-state-of-the-art analog video-synthesizer system. These were often used for presenting words with particular sounds, and sometimes a cast member would be seen interacting with a word animation. The series also featured appearances by Spider-Man and animated inserts with the superhero Letterman.
The original cast included well-known performers such as Morgan Freeman, Rita Moreno, Bill Cosby, Judy Graubart, Lee Chamberlin, and Skip Hinnant. The cast was made up of a diverse group of performers, including those with experience in stage, repertory, and improvisational work. Ken Roberts, best known as a soap opera announcer, was the narrator of some segments during the first season, and Jim Boyd appeared on-camera starting with the second season, mostly in the role of J. Arthur Crank.
A reboot of the show aired from 2009 to 2011, with reruns continuing until 2014. This version had similar short animations, parodies, sketches, and music videos to the original, but each episode also featured a storyline designed to teach four to five vocabulary words with a mix of hip-hop or contemporary R&B-style music. The new version also included interactive web elements and was promoted through community outreach projects.
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The show ran from 1971 to 1977, with reruns until 1985
The Electric Company is an American educational children's TV series that initially aired from 1971 to 1977, with reruns until 1985. The show was co-created by Paul Dooley, Joan Ganz Cooney, and Lloyd Morrisett, and produced by the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), now known as Sesame Workshop. It was targeted at elementary school children to help them develop their grammar and reading skills.
The show's first episode aired on October 25, 1971, and it ran for six seasons, concluding on April 15, 1977, with a total of 780 episodes. The show continued to air as reruns until October 4, 1985. Notably, the show employed sketch comedy and various innovative devices to create an entertaining and educational program. For instance, it made extensive use of early computer-generated imagery, particularly Scanimate, an advanced analog video-synthesizer system.
The Electric Company featured a diverse cast of well-known performers, including Rita Moreno, Morgan Freeman, Bill Cosby, Judy Graubart, Lee Chamberlin, and Skip Hinnant. The show's success led to various spin-offs and related content, such as a preview special, "Here Comes The Electric Company," which aired before the show's debut in 1971. Additionally, the show had a spin-off magazine, and a comic book series called "Spidey Super Stories," which was based on the Spider-Man segments of the show.
The Electric Company left a lasting impact, with reruns continuing on different channels over the years. A reboot of the show also aired from 2009 to 2011, with reruns until 2014, and later on HBO Kids until 2020. The show's influence extended beyond television, as evidenced by the release of "The Best of the Electric Company" DVD boxed set in 2006, which included uncut episodes and bonus content.
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A reboot of the show aired from 2009 to 2011, with reruns until 2014
The Electric Company is an American educational children's television series. It first aired in 1971 and continued to run new episodes until 1977, with reruns until 1985. The show was created to help elementary school children develop their grammar and reading skills.
The new version of The Electric Company centred around a group of tween and teen literacy heroes called the Electric Company, who protect their neighbourhood from a group of vandals known as the Pranksters. Each member of the Electric Company has a unique power, such as the ability to replay any image they see or unscramble any anagram. The heroes are based in the Electric Diner, where their friend Shock, a beat-boxing short-order cook, resides.
The reboot of The Electric Company ran for three seasons, with the first season consisting of 28 weekly episodes and the second season consisting of 12 episodes. The third season debuted in 2011 and introduced new characters, including Company member Marcus and Prankster Gilda.
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Frequently asked questions
The original Electric Company was not hosted by a single presenter, but had an ensemble cast that included Morgan Freeman, Rita Moreno, Bill Cosby, Judy Graubart, Lee Chamberlin, and Skip Hinnant.
The Electric Company reboot from 2009 also did not have a single presenter, but had a cast that included Josh Segarra, Jenni Barber, and Coy Stewart.
Eric Rogers composed the music for 260 episodes of The Electric Company, including the theme song.
The Electric Company was an educational show that aimed to teach elementary school children reading and grammar skills beyond the alphabet.
