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Reading Rainbow returns this week after nearly 20 years with new host Mychal Threets, thanks to Kidzuko and Sony Pictures TV.
Posted in: TV, YouTube | Tagged: Reading Rainbow
Reading Rainbow: LeVar Burton-Hosted PBS Series Rebooted for Kidzuko
Reading Rainbow returns this week after nearly 20 years with new host Mychal Threets, thanks to Kidzuko and Sony Pictures TV.
It's been nearly 20 years since LeVar Burton hosted his final episode of PBS's Reading Rainbow in 2006, and now, Mychal Threets is looking to reboot the beloved educational series on KidZuko, the kids-focused YouTube channel operated by Sony Pictures Television. The series will be produced by Buffalo Toronto Public Media out of Buffalo, New York, with the digital creator and librarian looking to host the latest incarnation.
Reading Rainbow Set to Return in October on KidZuko
Premiering on October 4th, new episodes of Reading Rainbow will be available Saturdays through October 25th and will be accompanied by companion vertical videos, according to a spokesperson for BTPM. The original series made its debut in 1983 with Burton as host long before he captured the imaginations of audiences in his iconic role on Star Trek: The Next Generation as the visually-impaired helmsman-turned-chief engineer of the USS Enterprise-D, Georgi La Forge. The actor hosted 156 episodes of Reading Rainbow across 21 seasons. While Burton's time with Reading Rainbow ended in 2006, the actor took his talents to the podcast sphere in a similar type of program called LeVar Burton Reads that ran from 2017 to 2024, producing 207 episodes, described as "Reading Rainbow for adults," where he would read a short work of fiction in each 30-45-minute episode. Burton hasn't commented on the new series yet.
Several celebrity guests will appear on Threets's show, including Dancing with the Stars' Rylee Arnold and Ezra Sosa, and Fantastic Four: First Steps star Ebon Moss-Bachrach. Adam Devine, John Legend, and Chrissy Teigen will narrate books. The return of Reading Rainbow comes at a time when funds for public broadcasting were gutted for $1.1 billion by Congress, delivering a devastating blow to outlets like PBS and NPR. As the impact of those cuts continues to be felt, it will be interesting to see how other show revivals are impacted.
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