Thanks to CNN’s Brian Stelter for the nice mention in Thursday’s Reliable Sources newsletter:
A Look At ‘Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood’
One of the real delights of PBS KIDS original programming is the live action/animated musical series Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood.
Produced by Fred Rogers Productions and based on the ionic children's TV series Mister Roger's Neighborhood and the work of Fred Rogers, the series centers around the lives of Daniel Tiger (son of Mom Tiger and Dad Tiger), and other children of the characters from the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. The show uses music to teach preschoolers emotional intelligence, kindness, and human respect.
Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood premiered in 2012 and is currently kicking off season eight with two episodes premiering Monday, August 10th on PBS KIDS.
Here are the official loglines of the two episodes:
“Daniel Asks Before Touching Someone Else/Jodi Asks Before Touching Someone” introduces preschoolers to a brand-new strategy song: “Before you touch someone, ask if it's okay.” When they're at the playground,** **Daniel and Prince Wednesday learn to ask permission before touching someone else. And when Jodi wants to touch Miss Elaina's hair, she learns it's important to ask first.
Another new episode highlights helpful routines – very timely for getting kids ready for the back-to-school season! In “Daniel's Morning Routine with Grandpere/Miss Elaina Gets Ready for Bed,” Daniel is excited to go to the pool for his swim lesson, but first, Grandpere helps him with his morning routine. And families can join Miss Elaina for her bedtime routine, which includes donning her bonnet as well as a special lullaby.
In addition, one of the series' “go-to” parenting strategy songs, “Grownups Come Back,” takes center stage once again in another new episode, “Grownups Come Back to the Music Shop/Katerina's Mommy Comes Back Home,” also now streaming – just in time for back-to-school!
Ahead of the premiere, I recently had the opportunity to speak with Chris Loggins, Supervising Producer Of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood about his long history with the show, the importance of making kids programming that is available for free as well as his favorite character on the show (other than Daniel).
Here is the link to our entire conversation, and here is a brief excerpt of the interview:
It's interesting to me that, in a lot of cases, an icon like Fred Rogers would have simply been remembered as a great guy, and that would have been it. But the fact that his legacy has continued through new productions is an interesting and really inspiring twist.
Chris Loggins: Yeah, I'm so happy to see that as well. I would go back to Kevin Morrison and Bill Isler, who have since retired. They had the foresight to say that we needed to get back into production and then thought to partner with Angela Santomero, who is such a great creative force in children's media, to make Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood a reality.
I know Fred Rogers himself was thinking about animation during his lifetime. I never had the great fortune to meet him. He passed away before I was in the Pittsburgh area and before I became part of the company.
I know he was asked once what he thought would happen to his show after he was gone. The interviewer even said something like, "This is kind of a strange question, but what do you think happens to your show after you're not here?" And he said, "When it comes to creativity, the sky's the limit."
I like to think about that, and I hope we're honoring him in everything we do.
I wasn't here from the beginning of Daniel Tiger, and there was no guarantee it would be successful. But we put our best work into it. We put a lot of thought and care into every aspect of the show. People could have seen it and said, "This isn't Mister Rogers," and no one could ever replicate Mr. Rogers—I agree with that. We were doing something new. We were making a new show for a new generation of kids.
We're so fortunate that people have embraced the show.
You mentioned there was no guarantee it was going to be a success. Was there a point where everyone realized, "Okay, this is going to work. Kids are going to respond to this"?
Chris Loggins: I think we all felt confident that what we were making was good, but you never really know until it's out in the world and you get that feedback.
Another part of the creative process is testing episodes with children. We were doing that, too, so we knew from that process that children were responding to what we were creating.
I talked to the head of PBS KIDS a few weeks ago, and she was talking about navigating all the funding cuts and how PBS KIDS in general is making fewer episodes because there's less money available now. Has any of that impacted what Daniel Tiger is doing?
Chris Loggins: It hasn't impacted what we're doing from a creative standpoint. We're still dedicated to inspiring enthusiasm for learning and making the show with the same quality we've always had. We may make fewer episodes, but we're always doing everything we can to keep creating new, relevant episodes for kids and families.
The newest season of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood premieres Monday, August 10th on PBS KIDS.
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Odds & Sods
Rockstar Games announced today that it will be sharing what it describes in an press release as an "Extended Look" at Grand Theft Auto VI on Netflix on August 27th at 3:00 ET, and then it will also be available on Rockstar's YouTube channel at 9:00 ET the same day.
Peacock has renewed The Five Star Weekend for a second season.
The Martin spin-off The Varnell Hill Show will premiere globally Tuesday, September 1st on Paramount+. If we’re doing Martin spin-offs, then it should be time for a Grace Under Fire spin-off Russell’s Drugs.
Melania producer Marc Beckman on Monday during an interview on the conservative media network Real America’s Voice that a new documentary series on first lady Melania Trump is coming this fall. He said the series will provide “a completely different look at her world” than Melania.
I started reading Goldmine Magazine back in the 70s when it was a weird newspaper-like publication that catered to record collectors. Stories about forgotten artists and pages of ads from record stores. The magazine and record collecting has changed a lot in recent years, but I was sad to hear Goldmine was one of the Veeps-owned publications that was gutted by layoffs yesterday. Also, the page format of Paste absolutely sucks.
As stars of The Bear, a comedy-drama about a fine-dining restaurant in Chicago, Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach have learned a lot about friendship and professional kitchens. Their bond extends offscreen, too: The two are close friends and avid home cooks, who, like many of us, rely on a few go-to recipes.
The new 102-minute special, 102 Minutes Inside the Towers premieres Friday, September 11th on the History Channel. Here is the official logline: “The special features the untold stories of key figures who were inside the buildings during the attack and escaped. From window washers and bankers to building security staff and first responders, these are the chilling first-hand accounts of what those who were inside the North and South Towers saw, heard, and experienced as the shocking events unfolded around them and they raced to survive.”
Robin Roberts Presents Angel in the Rubble: The Genelle Guzman Story premieres Saturday, September 12th on Lifetime. Here is the official logline: “Sherri Shepherd stars as Genelle Guzman, a New York City transit employee who was the last survivor pulled from the debris at Ground Zero. Dondré Whitfield portrays Genelle’s boyfriend Roger McMillan and the film is based on Guzman-McMillan’s memoir Angel in the Rubble: The Miraculous Rescue of 9/11’s Last Survivor.”
Hard To Believe The Daily Wire Is Losing Money If They Are Cranking Out This Kind Of Quality Material
Jonathan Majors has a new movie coming out on Daily Wire and the logline for Run Hide Fight: Infidels reads like a Mad Libs AI version of every conservative talking point about Muslims:
When radical Islamic terrorists hijack a liberal college's pro-Palestine encampment to enforce barbaric Sharia law on students and execute infidels in a makeshift caliphate, a ragtag band of red-blooded students, a security guard tired of 'Uncle Tom' smears, and a Delta Force vet must arm up to save their clueless peers and keep America from surrendering to the enemy on its own soil.
What’s Coming Tonight And Tomorrow
THURSDAY, AUGUST 6TH:
Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard And Soft: The Tour (Live) (Paramount+)
D.O.P.E. Unit Series Premiere (ALLLBLK)
Escape From Alcatraz Series Premiere (Discovery)
Monsters Of God (HBO)
My Life With The Walter Boys Season Three Premiere (Netflix)
FRIDAY, AUGUST 7TH:
Age Inappropriate Series Premiere (WE tv)
Alley Cats Series Premiere (Netflix)
Anna Pigeon Series Premiere (USA)
Death Inc. (Netflix)
Life, Larry & The Pursuit Of Unhappiness Season One Finale (HBO)
My Lottery Dream Home Season Premiere (HGTV)
Operation Safed Sagar: The Untold Story Of The Kargil War (Netflix)
Our Sticky Love Series Premiere (Netflix)
Sugar Season Two Finale (Apple TV)
The Last House (Netflix)
The Secret Lives Of Suburban Housewives (LMN)