Trystan Casey
The Electric Company is an American educational children's television series that first aired in 1971 and ran for six seasons. The show was produced by the Children's Television Workshop (CTW) and aimed to teach elementary school children reading and grammatical skills through sketch comedy and various other devices. In 2009, a reboot of the series was released, also called The Electric Company, which followed a group of five friends who protect their neighborhood from the Pranksters. The group, also known as the Electric Company, converges at the Electric Diner when trouble occurs.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of Show | The Electric Company |
| Type | American educational children's television series |
| Producers | Children's Television Workshop (CTW), later known as Sesame Workshop |
| Co-creators | Paul Dooley, Joan Ganz Cooney, Lloyd Morrisett |
| Developed by | Karen Fowler |
| Original Airing | October 25, 1971 - April 15, 1977 |
| Number of Seasons | 6 |
| Number of Episodes | 780 |
| Channel | PBS |
| Target Audience | Elementary school children who had graduated from CTW's Sesame Street |
| Format | Sketch comedy, various devices, short animations, parodies, music videos |
| Objective | To teach reading, grammar, and vocabulary skills |
| Reboot | The New Electric Company (2009) |
| Reboot Airing | PBS Kids Go!, HBO Kids |
| Reboot Characters | Hector Ruiz, Shock, P.J. Watson, Leo Watson, Annie Scrambler, Danny Rebus, Marcus, Gilda, Jessica |
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What You'll Learn
The Electric Company is an educational children's TV series
The Electric Company is an American educational children's television series produced by the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), now known as Sesame Workshop. It was co-created by Paul Dooley, Joan Ganz Cooney, and Lloyd Morrisett. The series aired on PBS for 780 episodes over six seasons, from October 25, 1971, to April 15, 1977, with reruns continuing until October 4, 1985. The show employed sketch comedy, short animations, parodies, and various other devices to provide an entertaining program to help elementary school children develop their grammar and reading skills. The humour was more mature than that of CTW's flagship program, Sesame Street, as it was intended for children who had outgrown that show.
The Electric Company won two Emmys, aired on more than 250 public TV stations, and became a teaching tool in thousands of classrooms nationwide. The show's writers and researchers sought to educate through entertainment, using wordplay and sketch comedy to teach kids to read. The show featured a diverse cast of characters, including Lee Chamberlin, Bill Cosby, Rita Moreno, Judy Graubart, Skip Hinnant, and Morgan Freeman.
In addition to the original series, there have been several revivals and reboots of The Electric Company. A reboot of the series, also called The Electric Company, aired on PBS Kids Go! from January 19, 2009, to April 4, 2011, with reruns continuing on PBS until August 31, 2014. This version of the show featured similar sketch comedy, parodies, and short animations, but each episode also included a storyline designed to teach four to five vocabulary words through hip-hop or contemporary R&B music. The Electric Company consisted of a group of five friends who protected their neighbourhood from the Pranksters, a group of neighbourhood vandals. Each member of the Electric Company had a special power, such as the ability to throw "wordballs" or replay any image they saw like a video camera.
In addition to the television series, The Electric Company also released several albums featuring songs from the show, including "L-Y" and "Silent E." The show's music director, Dave Conner, and additional music composer, Eric Rogers, contributed significantly to the show's musical elements. In early 2007, Apple Inc. began selling previously unavailable episodes of The Electric Company on iTunes, making the show accessible to a new generation of viewers.
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It was produced by the Children's Television Workshop
The Electric Company is an American educational children's television series that was produced by the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), now known as Sesame Workshop. It was co-created by Paul Dooley, Joan Ganz Cooney, and Lloyd Morrisett, and aired from 1971 to 1977, with reruns continuing until 1985. CTW, the producers of the iconic children's show Sesame Street, aimed to create an entertaining and engaging program that would help elementary school children develop their grammar and reading skills. The Electric Company employed sketch comedy, wild animations, and music to teach its young viewers. The show's unique format and educational impact earned it two Emmy Awards and it became a popular teaching tool in thousands of classrooms across the nation.
The Electric Company was designed for children who had outgrown the CTW's flagship program, Sesame Street, and thus featured more mature humor. It also included a diverse range of segments, such as sketch comedy, short animations, parodies, and music videos. The show's cast included notable names like Academy Award winner Rita Moreno, Bill Cosby, and a young Morgan Freeman. Guest stars on the show included Mel Brooks, Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder, and Joan Rivers. The writers and researchers for the show sought to educate through entertainment, creating a comedy show that taught reading and grammatical skills.
The Children's Television Workshop faced funding challenges and had to choose between focusing their resources on Sesame Street or The Electric Company. Ultimately, they decided to prioritize Sesame Street due to its higher revenue-generating potential. Despite its success in improving children's reading skills, The Electric Company was cancelled after its final episode in 1977 due to limited funding.
In 2009, a reboot of The Electric Company aired, produced by Sesame Workshop. This new version maintained the sketch comedy, short animations, parodies, and music videos of the original but added a stronger focus on vocabulary, incorporating hip-hop and contemporary R&B music. The revival also included interactive web elements and community outreach projects to engage viewers beyond the screen.
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It aired from 1971-1977 and was followed by reruns
The Electric Company is an American educational children's television series that initially aired from 1971 to 1977. It was produced by the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), now known as Sesame Workshop. The show was co-created by Paul Dooley, Joan Ganz Cooney, and Lloyd Morrisett. It was intended for elementary school children who had graduated from CTW's flagship program, Sesame Street, and thus featured more mature humour. The Electric Company used sketch comedy, animations, parodies, and music to teach children reading, writing, and grammar skills. The show aired on PBS for 780 episodes over six seasons, from 25 October 1971, to 15 April 1977.
After the final original episode aired in 1977, The Electric Company continued on PBS in reruns until October 1985. The show then went off the air for a few years before returning in reruns on the Noggin network in 1999. Noggin, partly owned by Sesame Workshop and PBS, created a two-hour compilation special to reintroduce the series to a new generation. The special aired on TV Land to promote Noggin, and 65 select episodes were aired until mid-2003. In 2006, an hour-long television special called The Electric Company's Greatest Hits & Bits was broadcast on PBS stations.
In 2007, Apple Inc. began selling previously unavailable episodes of The Electric Company on iTunes, with two volumes of 15 episodes each released. The Electric Company has also had DVD releases, and in 2009, a reboot of the series was aired on PBS Kids Go!, with reruns continuing until 2014. This new version maintained similar elements to the original show while incorporating storylines focused on teaching vocabulary words through music. The Electric Company has had a significant impact on educational television, with its innovative use of entertainment to educate children about reading and language.
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The show used sketch comedy and animation to teach kids to read
The Electric Company is an American educational children's television series produced by the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), now known as Sesame Workshop. The show aired from 1971 to 1977 and continued in reruns until 1985. The Electric Company used sketch comedy, animations, music, and various other devices to teach elementary school children reading and grammar skills. The show's cast included Academy Award winner Rita Moreno, Bill Cosby, and a then-unknown Morgan Freeman. Guest stars included Mel Brooks, Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder, and Joan Rivers. The show's comedy writers later went on to work on hit TV shows, including M*A*S*H and Everybody Loves Raymond.
The Electric Company was created for children who had graduated from CTW's flagship program, Sesame Street, and thus featured more mature humor. The show employed various teaching techniques, including phonics, to help children learn to read. One regular segment showed the silhouettes of two faces looking at each other. As they sounded out the beginning and end of each word, the letters would float out of their mouths and form the word in the middle of the screen. Comedy sketches helped kids learn to decode words and identify patterns.
Despite the success of Sesame Street, there was skepticism about using television to teach children to read. Barbara Fowles, a member of The Electric Company's research team, recalled that "most people thought it was anathema to try to use television to teach kids to read" and that "teachers thought television was really horrible." However, The Electric Company was considered a success, winning two Emmys and airing on more than 250 public TV stations. It also became a teaching tool in thousands of classrooms nationwide.
The Electric Company was rebooted in 2009 and aired on PBS Kids Go! from 2009 to 2011, with reruns continuing until 2014. The new version featured similar short animations, parodies, sketches, and music videos, but each episode also taught four to five vocabulary words through hip-hop or contemporary R&B-style music. The show revolved around the Electric Company, a group of tween and teen literacy heroes who battled a group of neighborhood vandals called the Pranksters. The 2009 version also included interactive web elements and was promoted through community outreach projects.
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It was rebooted in 2009 and aired on PBS Kids Go
The Electric Company, an American educational children's television series, was rebooted in 2009 and aired on PBS Kids Go! from 19 January 2009 to 4 April 2011, with reruns continuing on PBS until 31 August 2014. The series was produced by Sesame Workshop and developed by Karen Fowler. It was a reboot of the original series that ran from 1971 to 1977. The new version featured short animations, parodies, sketches, and music videos similar to the original show, but each episode also included a storyline designed to teach four to five vocabulary words through hip-hop or contemporary R&B music.
The Electric Company of the 2009 series consists of a group of five friends who protect the neighbourhood from the Pranksters. They all have the power to throw wordballs, blue magical balls that create words on any surface. Each member has a unique skill. For example, Hector Ruiz, played by Josh Segarra, is the oldest member and leader of the Electric Company. He has the power to replay any image he sees, much like a video camera. Annie Scrambler, played by Sandie Rosa, is a girl who frequently envies others' accomplishments and has the power to scramble any word or sentence with a stomp of her foot.
The show also featured interactive web elements and was promoted through community outreach projects. The first season consisted of 28 weekly episodes, while the second season had 12 episodes and began airing on 18 January 2010. The third season debuted on 7 February 2011 and ended on 4 April 2011, introducing new characters, including Company member Marcus and Prankster Gilda.
The 2009 series of The Electric Company aimed to continue the legacy of the original show, using entertainment and humour to educate children and promote literacy and language skills.
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Frequently asked questions
'The Electric Company' is an American educational children's television series. It first aired in 1971 and ran for six seasons. The show used sketch comedy and animation to teach children reading and grammatical skills.
The cast members of 'The Electric Company' included Lee Chamberlin, Bill Cosby, Rita Moreno, Judy Graubart, Skip Hinnant, and Morgan Freeman.
Yes, a revival of 'The Electric Company' aired from 2009 to 2011, with reruns continuing on PBS until 2014. The revival featured interactive web elements and community outreach projects.
