The end of Arthur

With the debut of Season 24 of Arthur last week on PBS, there has been quite a bit of online chatter regarding the future of the show. Below I will cite evidence that suggests that the show as we know it will be ending with its 25th season.

Animation deal

Two main sources indicate the most recent animation contract for the show:

• June 4, 2018: Animation Magazine reports that Oasis Animation announced a deal with PBS/WGBH for animating seasons 22-25 of Arthur.
• November 24, 2020: By this date, Oasis Animation had updated its website, listing completed work for the show. This includes "14 episodes + specials". It mistakenly references Season 22 and 25 (instead of Season 22 through 25). It also includes three 56-minute (i.e., 1-hour) specials. This webpage also displays previous seasons that were part of earlier production deals.

In this context, 14 episodes refers to fourteen 30-minute episodes (which can consist of two individual stories, or one 2-part story). This is confirmed by the episode list for Seasons 22, 23, 24 and 25, which add up to 14 episodes. As far as specials, as of Spring 2021, two of the 1-hour specials from this deal have been broadcast: "The Rhythm and Roots of Arthur" and "An Arthur Thanksgiving." The third special is yet to be named publicly or identified elsewhere. [ JULY 2021 EDIT: This special is now identified as "Arthur's First Day." ]

Please note, these sources do not confirm anything regarding the finality of the series, but it does set the foundation for conclusions that can be drawn upon the following sources of information.

Voice cast

Voice actors have hinted about the series ending.

• November 16, 2018: Bruce Dinsmore tweeted, "24 years is a good run for a gig" in reference to Arthur, and he made a frowning face at the "very last [recording] session."

• He followed up with another Tweet the following day: "Wow. I didn’t intend to make an announcement of any kind, not my place, but Arthur fans have shown a lotta love, so thanks! New follows beware I mostly tweet about hockey. But re: Arthur - Lots of new episodes coming and then...? Well there’s always the Brooklyn 99 model right?!"

Of course, Bruce Dinsmore performs the voice of Binky, Arthur's dad, Muffy's butler Bailey, and other side characters on the show. He has been with the show since the beginning. His comment about Brooklyn 99 references how that series was cancelled by Fox, and picked up soon after by NBC for new production.

Jessica Kardos has voiced Sue Ellen since 2004, and also commented about this.

• November 16, 2018: Jessica Kardos quoted Dinsmore's first Tweet, acknowledging the end of an era, and that she and the rest of "the cast are heartbroken."

Voice actor Michael Yarmush also acknowledged the end of the show in a now-removed podcast interview on the DJ Bob Show.

There is some room for interpretation regarding the comments from these individuals; they could be individually leaving the show. However, collectively, their comments seem to point toward the show ending.

Director

Greg Bailey, director of the show since its inception in 1994 and broadcast debut in 1996, lists quite a few notable items on his LinkedIn profile. There are several obvious typos, which make discerning this information a bit difficult, but they are noted below. It is unknown on what date this information was added to his profile.

These points are quotes from his "About" section:

• "Currently directing season 24 the final season of 'Arthur' at Oasis Animation Montreal."
• "Developed a number of successful animated series for television including Arthur, the Busy World of Richard Scarry, Caillou, Little Lulu, and Mona the Vampire,"
• "Arthur has been nominated for 10 Emmy awards for outstanding animated series and has won 4 times in that category. Arthur also won a prestigious Peabody Award, and a BAFTA ."
• "Directed all 250 episodes as well as 7 specials since creating the Arthur series in 1995 based on the books of Marc Brown."

These are quotes from the "Experience" section:

• Director and creative producer on the PBS series Arthur
  • "Will wrap up the final episode of Arthur in summer 2019."

• Director and Producer - Cinar/Cookie Jar Animation Productions
  • "Created the series Arthur in 1995 and continued to direct all the episodes of the series until the present. 255 episodes and 7 specials were produced in all."

Future of the show?

Based on these bits of information, it does indeed appear that the Arthur TV series as we know it today will be ending with Season 25, and production has actually ended already. In fact, the credits for episodes from Season 22-24 indicate a copyright year of 2019, despite some having been first aired as late as 2021.

A few other related notes: While it appears this batch of new episodes has been in a completed stage for months, if not years, already, it is important to note that PBS typically releases new episodes from its shows in a staggered manner. That is, in order to keep the show fresh and new throughout the year, they usually broadcast new episodes at certain intervals through the year. Since this production deal spanned across four seasons, there was plenty of time for PBS to space out the premieres for these new seasons. In addition, PBS rarely provides notice of a show "cancellation." Usually shows will quietly end production, suffer from a lack of funding or lack of interest in producing new content, or are removed from broadcast after being in reruns for a given period of time.

Given the history behind Arthur with its roots in the book series, the well-known and well-loved characters, the popularity among kids and adults alike, and the longevity of the series, I think it would be highly unlikely for Season 25 to be the last we see of our favorite aardvark. As Dinsmore suggested, perhaps the show could be picked up later by some other channel (streaming services, or maybe even PBS again later on?) or maybe the show will evolve into something new (podcasts? more digital shorts? another spin-off? something else new?!).

We do not know exactly what the future holds. I have hope that, since it seems that the show has been intentionally planned to end with Season 25, we may be able to get a wonderful send-off in the last episode, or the last special. I am certainly looking forward to these upcoming episodes and the show's 25th anniversary of the broadcast premiere on October 7, 2021!

July 2021 Update

As of July 1, 2021, the title of the seventh 1-hour special was announced: "Arthur's First Day." As expected, this is the third of three specials that were part of the Oasis production deal explained above.

Also released in July 2021: In Jason Szwimer's Finding D.W. podcast, Kathy Waugh reveals that the show had a wrap party two years ago, and the production of new episodes has ended. She is not aware of the exact reason behind PBS making this decision. For additional context, listen to Episode 3.