Following the success of Sesame Street Children's Television Workshop created The Electric Company in the 70's. Known as a show for older children The Electric Company taught kids more subjects such as math science phonics and more and even had it's own magazine too that was later renamed Kid City in the 80's. The Electric Company also had the biggest names in Hollywood and the sitcom world starring in The Electric Company such as Rita Moreno and Laurence Fishburne Irene Cara and Louis Gossett Jr. In the 2000's The Electric Company was revived on PBS in a short lived remake and it would be nice if reruns of The Electric Company would be seen on TV again because The Electric Company was a neat show that people of all ages could watch and learn about the world
Bestie

I love the original 1970s Electric Company. It was so funny, original, and educational too! If only there were some stations that could carry it! And I remember the 2009 remake on PBS Kids -- blahhhh.

My mistake, the revival was on PBS Kids Go and now on HBO Kids/Family.

My mistake, the revival was on PBS Kids Go and now on HBO Kids/Family.

It's HBO Kids, not Family.

It's HBO Kids, not Family.

At least I knew it was one of the two:)

I like the revival better in my own opinion. The original I find to be really silly.

Following the success of Sesame Street Children's Television Workshop created The Electric Company in the 70's. Known as a show for older children The Electric Company taught kids more subjects such as math science phonics and more and even had it's own magazine too that was later renamed Kid City in the 80's. The Electric Company also had the biggest names in Hollywood and the sitcom world starring in The Electric Company such as Rita Moreno and Laurence Fishburne Irene Cara and Louis Gossett Jr. In the 2000's The Electric Company was revived on PBS in a short lived remake and it would be nice if reruns of The Electric Company would be seen on TV again because The Electric Company was a neat show that people of all ages could watch and learn about the world
Bestie


They only taught reading and not all that other stuff you mentioned.

Plus Fishburne and Gossett were never in TEC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWEbFrRJTNU&list=

For those who didn't grow up with TEC or don't remember the DJ here was played by Morgan Freeman.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWEbFrRJTNU&list=

For those who didn't grow up with TEC or don't remember the DJ here was played by Morgan Freeman.

That was so cheesy! I love it!

the music was the good thing about it.

Hi, Bestie! The only thing I liked about the electric company was the intro
DTK

I love the original 1970s Electric Company.I love the original also....... The 2009 one was dumbed down garbage!!

Unfortunately Morgan Freeman didn't enjoy his time on TEC.


I inquired about the subject and apparently he took the role for the security of having a job and the on the entire 6 years it was in production.

OMG! This was a part of my childhood. I loved the original.

I used to LOVE the Electric Company. OMG, that was the most awesome show and we'd watch it at school and then I'd come home in the afternoon and watch it again. I recently found some DVD's at the library and checked them out. Watching them as an adult wasn't quite the same, I'm afraid. But Morgan Freeman was amazing.

I loved that show as a kid. That and 3 2 1 Contact were my most favorite PBS series. I was so shocked to see Morgan Freeman become a huge, respected star later, as I had grown up knowing him as "the cool black dude on TEC." And I was just as surprised to learn after the fact that Rita Moreno had been a huge musical star before.

What's surprising about those facts?

Other than you didn't know?

What's surprising about those facts?

Other than you didn't know?

:confused:

I think it's fairly obvious what I meant. I didn't know that Rita Moreno had been a major Hollywood A-lister. I thought she was just like all the other people on TEC, just a small time, TV "bit player" who would have a decent run on a TV show before falling into obscurity. It's not usual for a Hollywood star of that status to do a budget TV series. Did I really need to elaborate this?

Yep, The original Electric Company was where I first was entertained by Rita Moreno and Morgan Freeman and I loved it! They and virtually all their costars were hilarious and they instilled in me a lifelong love of reading AND Borscht Belt comedy (now, sadly a dying art).

Miss Moreno and Mr. Freeman did a large variety of characters and accents for their parts but so did so many of the others including those who did NOT become famous such as Skip Hinnant and the now-deceased Luis Avalos, Jim Boyd and Lee Chamberlin. I always felt bad these four never got many post TEC roles that the others did (Jim Boyd in particular was almost on par with Sid Caesar re the variety of accents and characters flawlessly done).


Alas, I can't discuss this show without having to also acknowledge the torn feelings I have re Bill Cosby's involvement. Yes, the one year he was on (the first year), he did a great job and I enjoyed his skits at the time and for years to come. However, since it's now obvious to me that he used the friendly, helpful and encouraging facade as a mask for getting others to let their guard down re criminal behavior, this whole show has to join so many other works he was in as something to monetarily boycott for the rest of his life since I don't want to even minutely contribute to anything that would possibly chance contributing to his dubious purposes. :(

Yep, The original Electric Company was where I first was entertained by Rita Moreno and Morgan Freeman and I loved it! They and virtually all their costars were hilarious and they instilled in me a lifelong love of reading AND Borscht Belt comedy (now, sadly a dying art).

Miss Moreno and Mr. Freeman did a large variety of characters and accents for their parts but so did so many of the others including those who did NOT become famous such as Skip Hinnant and the now-deceased Luis Avalos, Jim Boyd and Lee Chamberlin. I always felt bad these four never got many post TEC roles that the others did (Jim Boyd in particular was almost on par with Sid Caesar re the variety of accents and characters flawlessly done).


Alas, I can't discuss this show without having to also acknowledge the torn feelings I have re Bill Cosby's involvement. Yes, the one year he was on (the first year), he did a great job and I enjoyed his skits at the time and for years to come. However, since it's now obvious to me that he used the friendly, helpful and encouraging facade as a mask for getting others to let their guard down re criminal behavior, this whole show has to join so many other works he was in as something to monetarily boycott for the rest of his life since I don't want to even minutely contribute to anything that would possibly chance contributing to his dubious purposes. :(


I don't think one should not allow what Bill has done to spoil their enjoyment of TEC. If it's hard to think about his work on the show that's understandable but he was not the main character and who knows if others on the show have done bad things if not to the extreme Bill did.


Even SS wasn't free of such stuff.

Will Lee who was Mr. Hooper was blackballed in the early 50's for being a communist sympathizer and Northern Calloway who was David had many problems including a rampage in Nashville in 1980 which was officially confirmed in the 2008 publication of "Street Gang The Complete History of Sesame Street."

I'm not saying we should overlook all this but there's no use in letting it ruin any enjoyment of these shows.

I don't think one should not allow what Bill has done to spoil their enjoyment of TEC. If it's hard to think about his work on the show that's understandable but he was not the main character and who knows if others on the show have done bad things if not to the extreme Bill did.


Even SS wasn't free of such stuff.

Will Lee who was Mr. Hooper was blackballed in the early 50's for being a communist sympathizer and Northern Calloway who was David had many problems including a rampage in Nashville in 1980 which was officially confirmed in the 2008 publication of "Street Gang The Complete History of Sesame Street."

I'm not saying we should overlook all this but there's no use in letting it ruin any enjoyment of these shows.


I get what you are saying but the thing is that both Mr. Lee and Mr. Calloway are no longer with us so there's no chance they'd reap any profits from their show. Mr. Cosby is still in this world- and seems unrepentant to boot. So, since he's still here and not sorry for what he did, I can't overlook stuff.

I like the revival better in my own opinion. The original I find to be really silly.

The Electric Company reboot that ran from 2009-2011 was if you ask me, fine (it was kind of when you get right down to it, a spiritual successor to Ghostwriter but with more of a sitcom/sketch comedy/musical variety show slant) until the third/last season. Several things happened that really hurt the show in that last year:

Lisa was hardly apart of the show anymore (thus Jessica was left as the only girl on the "Electric Company" team). I'm assuming that Jenni Barber was busy with other commitments, hence they explained that she was "away at science camp" (or appeared in occasional vignettes).

They added Marcus (with too much time spent on Marcus "learning the ropes") and Gilda, which to me, boarders on entering "Cousin Oliver syndrome".

Animated Francine stopped hosting with the "Prankster Planet" segments at the end of the episodes.

There was this weird change in the format by having those animated characters serve as "hosts"/play-by-play commentators.


I think that looking back Lisa's absence really hurt to show more than anything because she was kind of the "moral compass" of the Electric Company. Her sunny, smart, nice girl character served as a perfect counterbalance to the devious, eccentric Francine. And whenever a major character leaves (it's debatable over whether or not Lisa or Jessica were at the very least, the female lead) and a show adds new "kid characters" to liven things up then you know the show has jumped the shark.

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Jack looks back on the 2000s reboot (https://web.archive.org/web/20140330105941/http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/topic/3116005-the-electric-company/?view=getnewpost) of the educational show The Electric Company (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125154/http://www.jumptheshark.com/e/electriccompany.htm). The overview covers the unique superpowers of the neighborhood heroes and the antics of their nemesis pranksters. It also explores the musical numbers and weird skits featured in the series.

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Does anyone remember (https://www.reddit.com/r/MiddleGenZ/comments/1scfi1x/anybody_remember_the_electric_company_2009/) The Electric Company (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Electric_Company_(2009_TV_series))? Looking back, it was an insane show (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/TheElectricCompany2009), enjoy me rambling about it!


0:00 - Introduction
2:18 - Skills
11:55 - What is the power?
23:36 - Outroduction

The only ELECTRIC COMPANY I agnoledge,is the original 70s series which was the BEST!!