During an appearance on the 'Finding DW' podcast, screenwriter Kathy Waugh admits she did not know if the animated show has ratings issue or PBS felt it needed to be retired.
- Jul 29, 2021
AceShowbiz - Long-running children's show "Arthur" is to end in 2022. Screenwriter Kathy Waugh has confirmed the news during an appearance on the "Finding DW" podcast, revealing the show wrapped two years ago.
" 'Arthur' is no longer in production," she said. "We had our wrap party two years ago."
Waugh insisted bosses at PBS - the U.S. channel that aired the animated show - have made "a mistake," adding, "I think 'Arthur' should come back... I don't know if it was a ratings issue or if it felt like it needed to be retired. 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."
Executive producer Carol Greenwald has also confirmed the 2022 end of the beloved show. She said in a statement, " '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."
"Arthur" debuted in October 1996, and is currently the second-longest running animated series in America - behind "The Simpsons".
The program made history and hit the headlines in 2019 when character Mr. Ratburn came out as gay and wed his partner in the episode "Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone", which opened the 22nd season of the show.
"With 'Arthur', we have an opportunity to deal with all kinds of characters. We go into their lives and we want to see how they're connected with their families," creator Mac Brown previously said of the matter. "Art reflects life. Life reflects art. And I think that kids need to see what's happening in the world."
