‘Arthur’ Renewed Or Canceled? Update On PBS Kids Series Ahead Of Season 25

"Arthur,” the animated educational television PBS series, announced Wednesday that it will end after 25 seasons. The program is aimed at children between the ages of 4 and 8.

The popular animated children series is expected to air its final season in the winter of 2022. The series follows a young aardvark as he interacts with friends and family while learning valuable lessons along the way.

Executive producer Carol Greenwald announced the end of the series.

“Arthur is the longest-running kids animated series in history and is known for teaching kindness, empathy, and inclusion through many groundbreaking moments to generations of viewers. In the winter of 2022, the 25th and final season of ‘Arthur’ will debut,” Greenwald said in a statement.

“Arthur will continue to be available on PBS Kids for years to come. Producer WGBH in Boston and PBS Kids are continuing to work together on additional Arthur content, sharing the lessons of Arthur and his friends in new ways.”

Although PBS appeared pleased with the legacy of “Arthur,” Kathy Waugh, who developed the series based on the Marc Brown books, revealed she didn’t think the show should end.

“Arthur is no longer in production. We had our wrap party two years ago. I think [PBS] made a mistake, and I think Arthur should come back, and I know I’m not alone in thinking they made a mistake. I don’t know if it was a ratings issue or if it felt like it needed to be retired,” Waugh said during an interview with Jason Szwimer on the “Finding DW” podcast.

“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 episode of Arthur premiered in​​ October 1996, making it the longest-running children’s animated series in American television history. Since its debut, the show has run more than 240 episodes and explored a variety of social issues, including same-sex marriage.