The longtime PBS animated series, Arthur, is coming to an end after a 25-year run. According to Variety, the final four episodes of the series will flash forward to older versions of Arthur and his friends.
The final four episodes will air in a marathon of all 250 episodes and movie specials on PBS in February. The marathon will air on PBS Kids and live stream on the channel’s YouTube from February 16 to 21. The four new episodes will air on February 21 and conclude the series.
PBS announced that the longtime kids series was ending back in July, and the 25th season would be it’s last. The final season was produced back in 2019.
“For more than 25 years, Arthur and his friends have kept viewers learning and growing through their true-to-life experiences,” Sara DeWitt, PBS Kids Senior Vice President and General Manager, told Variety. “We can’t wait to debut these episodes and introduce new ‘Arthur’ content that will give fans more ways to engage with their favorite aardvark.”
According to Variety, PBS Kids will still have Arthur content for 2022 and beyond, including a podcast, short videos, and digital games. PBS Kids will also make all 25 seasons available.
Arthur was created by Marc Brown, the author of the Arthur Adventures series. Brown will be releasing a new book on January 25, titled Believe in Yourself: What We Learned From Arthur. Brown also spoke to Variety on the series’ end, saying, “It’s amazing that what began as a simple bedtime story for my son eventually evolved into over a hundred books and a collaboration with GBH and PBS Kids that would last 25 years. Now more than ever the last line of my first book Arthur’s Nose rings true — ‘There is a lot more to Arthur than his nose.”
The final four episodes of Arthur will air this February on PBS Kids.