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It’s not a sunny day for HBO Max, which has caused an uproar on social media for removing nearly 200 older episodes of the beloved children’s show “Sesame Street” from its streaming service.
The platform now offers 456 episodes of the classic series, down from the estimated 650 episodes it used to have, Variety reported.
The change comes after HBO Max announced earlier this week that it would pull 36 titles from its lineup to prepare for its merger into a single streaming platform with Discovery Plus.
“As we work to bring our content catalogs together under one platform, we will be making changes to the content offerings available on both HBO Max and Discovery+,” the statement said. “This will include removing some content from both platforms.”
‘Sesame Street’ models inclusion, but has left black viewers behind
Some of the works that will disappear from HBO Max include the teen drama “Generation,” the “Sesame Street” spinoff “The Not-Too-Late-Show with Elmo” and the animated series “Aquaman: King of Atlantis”. The streaming platform also announced last month that all eight “Harry Potter” films would be removed. Other shows, such as the comedy series “Mrs. Fletcher” and the rock and roll drama “Vinyl” were pulled without a direct announcement.
HBO Max did not announce why the TV shows and movies would be pulled from the service, but the move will help the company save money that would have gone toward paying for waste.
“sesame street is and always has been an important part of television culture and a jewel in the crown of our preschool offering,” an HBO Max representative wrote in a statement. “We are committed to continuing to bring sesame street into families’ homes, including the new season premiering this fall and the nearly 400 episodes of the most current and historic seasons remaining on Cartoonito on HBO Max.”
Sesame Workshop representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Sesame Street” first aired on PBS in 1969, introducing Big Bird, Kermit the Frog and Cookie Monster to the early years of Generation Xers starting preschool and kindergarten. It began airing on HBO in 2016 and then on HBO Max in 2020.
The decision drew many followers to tweet their displeasure.
“I deeply and truly hate this. I watch Sesame Street with my kids,” one Twitter user wrote. “My oldest is at an age where he has specific episodes that he likes to watch again.”
“It’s so sad that a kid like my brother has lost access to one of his favorite things and there’s no explanation a parent can give them,” commented another.
I deeply and truly hate this. I watch Sesame Street with my kids. My oldest is at an age where he has specific episodes that he likes to re-watch. https://t.co/fde5GBzf1M
— Richard Newby (@RICHARDLNEWBY) August 19, 2022
“Sesame Street,” which airs on PBS, has been widely celebrated for its accessible early childhood education and commitment to representing diversity and inclusion.
HBO, owner of Sesame Street, is already a slap in the face for Sesame Street fans. This show was created to give children from low-income families access to early education that might otherwise be missed. It should be a free public resource, not something you need a subscription to access. https://t.co/yBK6yqlpoM
— Janine Melnitz (@BugEyes64) August 19, 2022
“This show was created to give children from low-income families access to an early education that would otherwise be missed,” noted another fan, arguing that the children’s show “should be a free public resource, not something you need a subscription to access.”