...But where the heck are Spider-Man and J. Arthur Crank?!

This afternoon I finally got to watch the new version of The Electric Company on PBS. It's a revival of the very fondly remembered original series from the 1970s.

So what did I think of it? I watched many of the episodes of the original The Electric Company a few years ago when they ran on Noggin, and was surprised at how well the show had held up over the years. The Electric Company circa 2009 remains faithful to the purpose of its parent... but is a fresh and rapid-fire delightful update aimed at a new generation. And I was surprised at how many homages to the Seventies series there are: right down to paying tribute to Rita Moreno's immortal warcry "HEY YOU GUYSSSSSS!!!" Didn't spot an appearance by Letterman (no, not the late night TV host) but there was an animated spoof of 24, among other clever sketches. The one with the farmer and his mixed-up signs: can't help but wonder if the original show would have ever tried to be, dare I say it, "risque"? :-)

All in all, I thought that the new The Electric Company holds a lot of promise, and maybe even quite a bit of entertainment value for (ahem...) those of us among the "older" set. There's a lot of potential here for PBS to have another classic show on its hands.

Now all it needs is something on par with Morgan Freeman taking a bath in a casket...

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"HEYYYY YOUUU GUYYYYYSSS!!!" PBS is turning on THE ELECTRIC COMPANY again

Previously (like, 1977) on The Electric Company ...

The cast sings "That's All" for the final scene of the very last episode of the original The Electric Company

As it turns out, that's not all!

Before this day is over with, somewhere in New York City, the first filming will have been done for PBS's updated version of The Electric Company. The first episode is scheduled to air in January 2009.

Here's a taste of what's to come: Chris Sullivan as new character Shockwave...

The original The Electric Company was produced from 1971 to 1977, and then had repeats until 1985. Some years ago I found that the educational cable channel Noggin was showing repeats. I tuned in every time it was on, and was blown away by how consistently good this show was more than thirty years after it first aired. The Electric Company was created by Children's Television Workshop (today called Sesame Workshop, which is also producing the revived series) as something of a "companion piece" to Sesame Street. The Electric Company's format was geared toward helping older children learn to read, and as such it featured considerably more "mature" comedy (i.e. without Muppets, although Big Bird and Grover from Sesame Street did wind up visiting the show a number of times).

What most people will probably remember The Electric Company for though was the cast. What other show in television history can boast of having Bill Cosby, Rita Moreno, Morgan Freeman, Gene Wilder, Mel Brooks, and Joan Rivers? The regulars also included Luis Avalos and Jim Boyd, who never ceased to crack me up with his character of J. Arthur Crank.

Head over to The New York Times website to learn more about the new series. And I can't think of anything better to celebrate the return of The Electric Company than with the original intro from 1971...

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