The answer of how to get to “Sesame Street” is now through an HBO subscription.
On Saturday, the iconic preschool program debuts its 46th season on the premium cable network with two new episodes starting at 9 a.m. — and the new channel isn’t the only change.
In the move from long-time home PBS (Season 46 episodes won’t be available on the public broadcaster until the fall), “Sesame Street” has made updates to its format, set, cast and even its catchy opening song. Here’s a preview of the new “Street.”
Elmo lives in a brownstone.
The furry red Muppet is movin’ on up to the central 123 Sesame Street brownstone, with his colorful bedroom as the focus. Other characters also have new living spaces on the set: Cookie Monster has moved above Hooper’s Store (the better to smell the baking treats), Abby Cadabby has a new garden, Big Bird’s nest is now in a tree and Oscar the Grouch will pop up in recycling bins and composting receptacles (in addition to his traditional trash can).
There’s a new kid on the block.
Saturday’s debut introduces newest cast member Nina, a young, bilingual, Hispanic woman played by Suki Lopez. Nina works at the neighborhood laundromat and the bike store and pops in to help Elmo and the rest of the Muppet gang solve problems — like how to calm down before bedtime.
Episodes are now a half-hour.
Kids these days, they can’t pay attention like they used to. In order to better reflect preschoolers’ attention spans, episodes have shrunk from the previous hour to a tighter 30 minutes. After Saturday’s two-episode premiere, HBO will air a new episode at 9 a.m. and a repeat at 9:30 a.m. starting Jan. 23.
Cookie Monster is fighting crime.
The new segment “Smart Cookies” features Cookie Monster and a team of his crime-fighting cookie friends (resembling a chocolate-chip, Fig Newton and fortune cookie) thwarting the efforts of villain The Crumb. Their greatest superpower? Self-control and critical thinking.
The “Sesame Street” theme gets a remix.
Don’t panic, “Sesame” purists, it still asks “how to get” to the titular street — just to a more upbeat melody.