'Electric Company' is Returning to TV! - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 01-14-2009, 11:58 PM

HOLLYWOOD - Recent graduates of "Sesame Street," rejoice - on Monday a revamped version of "The Electric Company" premieres on PBS Kids Go. And, you should know, there's lots of beat-boxing.

The original "Electric Company" premiered in 1971 - two years after "Sesame Street" launched and became an instant (and unexpected) success.

Joan Ganz Cooney, the visionary behind both shows, created "The Electric Company" as a follow-up with a focus on phonics. If the mission of "Sesame Street" was to teach kids their ABCs, "The Electric Company" would show them how to string those letters together. There were comedy sketches (Morgan Freeman and Bill Cosby were featured on the show), animation, songs, and the iconic silhouette of two people sounding out a word ("B." "Ack." "Back!").

That version of the show left the air in 1977 after 780 episodes. Reruns aired through the early '80s and it's now available on DVD and iTunes. Still, the people at the Sesame Workshop believe there is a great need for an updated version to teach literary skills to elementary school students.

More than a quarter of fourth-graders in public schools read below grade level, with those from poor communities performing especially badly, the show's producers say. The hope is that a revamped "Electric Company" will be part of a multipronged effort to help underachieving kids catch up with their peers in reading.

"I want to create a revolution in the playgrounds of America," said executive producer Karen Fowler. "Kids can sing about silent E just as easily as they can sing about people's booties."

But reviving a beloved classic of children's educational programming was as audacious as it was obvious. Part of Fowler's approach has been to incorporate hip-hop. She hired the creative team from the Tony Award-winning musical "In the Heights" as music supervisors and worked with an improv hip-hop group called Freestyle Love Supreme.

But a beat-boxer named Shockwave (Chris Sullivan) gets the most screen time. Among other recurring characters, Shockwave plays a short-order cook, a rhythmic secret agent, and a black belt karate master who sounds out words so he can break them in half. Beat-boxing, it turns out, is a surprisingly effective tool for repeating consonant and vowel sounds.

Perhaps the biggest change is that most of the sketches have been replaced with narrative threads that run throughout each show. These bits - which include jokes, singing, and dancing - also teach five vocabulary words per episode.

"If you are not entertaining [viewers], there is no way you are educating them," said Fowler. "It is television, not school."

http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles...ric_company/?k

catlover79 · 01-15-2009, 01:37 AM

This should be interesting!!

Marvo301 · 01-15-2009, 01:50 AM

that's Gr.....eat, Great!!

The Great One · 01-15-2009, 04:52 PM

I'm glad to hear about this!

Scoobiedoo30 · 01-19-2009, 02:21 PM

How long has it been since Electtric Company been on PBS.

The Great One · 01-19-2009, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scoobiedoo30

How long has it been since Electtric Company been on PBS.

The Electric Company show left the air in 1977.

catlover79 · 01-19-2009, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Great One

The Electric Company show left the air in 1977.

Rita Moreno and Irene Cara were both in the cast at one time, right? I know Morgan Freeman was.

Jude The Obscure · 01-19-2009, 05:07 PM

^ yes, Rita was a repertory member while Irene was in the Short Circus.

PBS reruns of the last two seasons continued until the mid '80s.

catlover79 · 01-19-2009, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jude The Obscure

^ yes, Rita was a repertory member while Irene was in the Short Circus.

PBS reruns of the last two seasons continued until the mid '80s.

Thank you, Jude.

Jude The Obscure · 01-20-2009, 10:30 AM

That be me, the fountain of trivia runneth over!

01-14-2009, 11:58 PM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	'Electric Company' is Returning to TV! HOLLYWOOD - Recent graduates of "Sesame Street," rejoice - on Monday a revamped version of "The Electric Company" premieres on PBS Kids Go. And, you should know, there's lots of beat-boxing. The original "Electric Company" premiered in 1971 - two years after "Sesame Street" launched and became an instant (and unexpected) success. Joan Ganz Cooney, the visionary behind both shows, created "The Electric Company" as a follow-up with a focus on phonics. If the mission of "Sesame Street" was to teach kids their ABCs, "The Electric Company" would show them how to string those letters together. There were comedy sketches (Morgan Freeman and Bill Cosby were featured on the show), animation, songs, and the iconic silhouette of two people sounding out a word ("B." "Ack." "Back!"). That version of the show left the air in 1977 after 780 episodes. Reruns aired through the early '80s and it's now available on DVD and iTunes. Still, the people at the Sesame Workshop believe there is a great need for an updated version to teach literary skills to elementary school students. More than a quarter of fourth-graders in public schools read below grade level, with those from poor communities performing especially badly, the show's producers say. The hope is that a revamped "Electric Company" will be part of a multipronged effort to help underachieving kids catch up with their peers in reading. "I want to create a revolution in the playgrounds of America," said executive producer Karen Fowler. "Kids can sing about silent E just as easily as they can sing about people's booties." But reviving a beloved classic of children's educational programming was as audacious as it was obvious. Part of Fowler's approach has been to incorporate hip-hop. She hired the creative team from the Tony Award-winning musical "In the Heights" as music supervisors and worked with an improv hip-hop group called Freestyle Love Supreme. But a beat-boxer named Shockwave (Chris Sullivan) gets the most screen time. Among other recurring characters, Shockwave plays a short-order cook, a rhythmic secret agent, and a black belt karate master who sounds out words so he can break them in half. Beat-boxing, it turns out, is a surprisingly effective tool for repeating consonant and vowel sounds. Perhaps the biggest change is that most of the sketches have been replaced with narrative threads that run throughout each show. These bits - which include jokes, singing, and dancing - also teach five vocabulary words per episode. "If you are not entertaining [viewers], there is no way you are educating them," said Fowler. "It is television, not school." http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles...ric_company/?k
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01-15-2009, 01:37 AM	#2
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,376	This should be interesting!!
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01-15-2009, 01:50 AM	#3
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,452	that's Gr.....eat, Great!!
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01-15-2009, 04:52 PM	#4
The Great One Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Aug 29, 2006 Posts: 6,378	I'm glad to hear about this!
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01-19-2009, 02:21 PM	#5
Scoobiedoo30 Member Forum Superstar Join Date: Jun 27, 2002 Location: KENNER, LOUISIANA Posts: 27,654	How long has it been since Electtric Company been on PBS.
	__________________ Who Dat

01-19-2009, 05:07 PM	#8
Jude The Obscure Retired Eternal Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Dec 10, 2006 Posts: 7,520	^ yes, Rita was a repertory member while Irene was in the Short Circus. PBS reruns of the last two seasons continued until the mid '80s.

01-20-2009, 10:30 AM	#10
Jude The Obscure Retired Eternal Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Dec 10, 2006 Posts: 7,520	That be me, the fountain of trivia runneth over!