The Electric Company

The Electric Company
Show name	The Electric Company
Genre	Children's television series, educational television
Created by	Paul Dooley, Joan Ganz Cooney, Joanna Brian
Starring	Morgan Freeman, Rita Moreno, Bill Cosby, Judy Graubart, Lee Chamberlin
Narrated by	Joan Ganz Cooney
Country	United States
Original language	English
No of episodes	780
Executive producer	Joan Ganz Cooney, Mike Mills
Producer	Saul Jaffe, Joey Shapiro
Company	Children's Television Workshop, Sesame Workshop
Channel	PBS
First aired	1971
Last aired	1977

The Electric Company

The Electric Company was an American children's television series produced to improve literacy and reading skills among young viewers. Funded and distributed by PBS and produced by Children's Television Workshop (later Sesame Workshop), the series combined sketch comedy, animation, music, and puppetry to teach phonics, vocabulary, and grammar. Over its run the program featured a rotating ensemble of performers from Broadway, television, and film and collaborated with writers and educators from institutions such as Harvard University, Columbia University, and the University of Pennsylvania.

Overview

The series premiered on PBS in 1971 as part of a wave of educational initiatives following the success of Sesame Street and the advocacy of Joan Ganz Cooney and Larry J. Kolb for media-based learning. Designed by Children's Television Workshop in partnership with literacy researchers at Harvard Graduate School of Education and curriculum specialists from Bank Street College of Education, the show targeted elementary-aged viewers with a mix of comedy sketches, serialized narratives, and animated segments. The program aired nationally on public broadcasting stations and was supported by grants from foundations such as the Ford Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Production and Development

Development drew on expertise from producers and educators including Joan Ganz Cooney, Saul Jaffe, and consultants from Columbia University Teachers College. Pilot episodes were developed in collaboration with writers and directors from New York City theatre circles including alumni of The Public Theater and Lincoln Center. Production utilized soundstage facilities affiliated with WNET and post-production houses in Manhattan. Funding models included grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and sponsorship relationships with nonprofit partners such as the Aspen Institute. Creative contributions came from composers and lyricists with credits at Broadway houses like the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center and the New York Shakespeare Festival.

Format and Educational Goals

The Electric Company employed short-form sketches, serialized drama, puppetry, animation, and musical numbers to reinforce phonemic awareness, morphological structure, and syntax. Segments were informed by research from literacy programs at Harvard University, Stanford University School of Education, and the University of Chicago reading clinics. The curriculum emphasized segmenting words, decoding, and vocabulary expansion through recurring features and catchphrases, aligning with standards advocated by organizations such as the National Reading Panel and the American Library Association. The show's format mirrored techniques used in Sesame Street with quick cuts and repetition, while introducing more advanced content appropriate for older children, aligning with grade-level frameworks used in districts like New York City Department of Education.

Cast and Characters

The ensemble cast included performers from Broadway and Hollywood such as Morgan Freeman, Rita Moreno, Bill Cosby, Judy Graubart, and Lee Chamberlin. Recurring characters and ensembles drew on talent associated with companies like Second City and The National Theatre; writers and directors included alumni of Carnegie Mellon School of Drama and Juilliard School. Guest performers ranged from actors known for roles in The Godfather and All in the Family to singers with credits at The Metropolitan Opera and Apollo Theater. Puppetry and animation were crafted by artists from studios collaborating with Rankin/Bass and animation departments tied to Columbia Pictures Television.

Episodes and Seasons

Across six seasons and approximately 780 episodes, the program presented serialized story arcs, theme weeks, and milestone episodes that tackled spelling, syllabic division, and vocabulary. Episode production schedules coordinated with broadcast seasons on PBS and educational calendars in districts including Los Angeles Unified School District and Chicago Public Schools. Certain seasons featured crossover specials and promotional tie-ins with institutions such as the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution. Archival copies and episode guides have been cataloged by repositories including the Paley Center for Media and the Library of Congress audiovisual collections.

Reception and Legacy

The Electric Company received critical acclaim from reviewers at publications like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Time (magazine), and earned awards from bodies including the Emmy Awards and the Peabody Award. Educational evaluations published in journals associated with Harvard Educational Review, Journal of Educational Psychology, and reports by the Rand Corporation documented improvements in phonics and sight-word recognition among viewers. Its legacy influenced later children's programming produced by Sesame Workshop, Nickelodeon's educational initiatives, and international adaptations commissioned by broadcasters such as the BBC, CBC, and Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archival materials and retrospectives have appeared at venues including Museum of the Moving Image and retrospectives at Tribeca Festival.

Category:American children's television series Category:PBS Kids shows