This is The TV Ratings Guide’s first renew/cancel post for PBS Kids, PBS’ daytime block of kids programming. Using audience demand figures from Parrot Analytics can give us a solid stance on where things stand at the moment. Let us know what you think by leaving a comment!
Note: If a show receives a 5.0 in the ‘U.S. Audience Demand Multiplier,’ that means the show has five times more audience demand than the average show across all of television, past and present, on a rolling 30-day average. These numbers are updated as of Saturday, January 30, 2021.
Show | Seasons | U.S. Audience Demand Multiplier | Countries With Audience Demand Higher Than U.S. | Prediction |
Sesame Street | 51 | 44.0 | 0 | Already Renewed |
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood | 5 | 13.5 | 0 | Renewal Predicted |
Wild Kratts | 6 | 12.5 | 0 | Renewal Predicted |
Curious George | 13 | 10.4 | 0 | Renewal Predicted |
Dinosaur Train | 5 | 7.5 | 0 | Renewal Predicted |
Odd Squad | 3 | 2.9 | 0 | Renewal Predicted |
Arthur | 23 | 2.6 | 0 | Already Renewed |
Clifford the Big Red Dog (2019) | 1 | 1.9 | 0 | Renewal Predicted |
Cyberchase | 12 | 1.5 | 0 | Renewal Predicted |
Esme & Roy | 2 | 0.7 | 0 | Renewal Predicted |
Hero Elementary | 1 | 0.4 | 9 | Renewal Predicted |
Pocoyo | 6 | 0.4 | 1 | Renewal Predicted |
Nature Cat | 3 | 0.2 | 0 | Cancelation Predicted |
Ready Jet Go! | 2 | 0.2 | 0 | Cancelation Predicted |
Molly of Denali | 1 | < 0.1 | 0 | Cancelation Predicted |
Elinor Wonders Why | 1 | Unknown | Unknown | |
Pinkalicious & Peterrific | 2 | Unknown | Unknown | |
Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum | 1 | Unknown | Unknown |
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Wild Kratts, and Curious George
All three of these shows have two things in common. First, they are long-running shows, and second, their Parrot Analytics audience demand multipliers are currently in the double digits. For the former two, this is despite not having all that much attention in the press. As for Curious George, its deal with Peacock makes it the streaming service’s most in-demand original program. Even if PBS decides to clean house, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Wild Kratts, and Curious George will almost certainly be safe.
Dinosaur Train
Dinosaur Train doesn’t quite have the demand of the three shows discussed above, but it’s been on for multiple seasons and still has a demand much higher than most PBS Kids shows. A renewal appear much more likely than a cancelation.
Odd Squad
Three seasons into its run, Odd Squad currently has almost three times the average audience demand. That doesn’t make it one of PBS Kids’ top shows, but it’s also far from the bottom. There are no clear signs indicating Odd Squad won’t return.
Clifford the Big Red Dog
Given its iconic name brand, some would be surprised Clifford the Big Red Dog isn’t higher on this chart. Still, it’s far from a flop and would have an easier time growing an audience in future seasons than the other newer shows.
Cyberchase
It’s been almost nine months since an original episode of Cyberchase aired. Given PBS tends to air new seasons once every two years now, it’s likely Cyberchase’s multiplier will go lower than it is now, but a somewhat low demand isn’t all that surprising given the circumstances. With this in mind, it is important to point out how Cyberchase has an uphill battle proving itself to be a PBS Kids staple.
Esme & Roy
Esme & Roy has less demand than the average show, which is certainly not promising. Doubling as an HBO Max original, Esme & Roy’s renewal prediction is only due to HBO Max renewing the lower-demanded kids show Tig n’ Seek.
Hero Elementary
Sure, Hero Elementary’s demand is bordering on abysmal. The ‘Renewal Predicted’ label is because it does better than that in nine different countries. That might not be as big a factor on PBS as it is on a streaming service or broadcast network, but likely counts for something.
Pocoyo
Like Hero Elementary, don’t be impressed by Pocoyo’s audience demand. It’s very risky to bet on a cancelation for a show that has been on so long, though. Oddly enough, it does better in 14 other countries than its home country, the United Kingdom. A renewal is predicted, but a cancelation for Pocoyo wouldn’t be as shocking as would one for most shows previously discussed.
Nature Cat & Ready Jet Go!
Both of these shows are in the same situation. They’re not new series, but neither have been on for longer than three seasons. A demand multiplier of 0.2 is inexcusable.
Molly of Denali
Despite only having aired for one season, Molly of Denali has already won a Peabody Award. The audience demand multiplier is beyond abysmally low, though. What’s more, the multiplier in the USA is over 1000% more than that of its home country of Canada. With demand so minuscule, there’s not much going for it.
Elinor Wonders Why, Pinkalicious & Peteriffic, and Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum
With no audience demand multipliers provided by Parrot Analytics, not enough is known to make predictions on these shows.