HEYYYYY YOOOOU GUUUUUYS! "Electric Company' to return
Posted: Thursday, May 15, 2008 3:49 PM by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
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TV
I mentioned the lovely and talented Rita Moreno (she's won an Emmy, an Oscar, a Grammy AND a Tony) in my post about her show, "Cane," being canceled.
But one of her old shows has found new life. I grew up in the 1970s, and I think I loved "Electric Company" even more than "Sesame Street," "Mister Rogers," "Captain Kangaroo" and "ZOOM" all put together. (At last summer's TV Critics' summer press tour, one of my colleagues went up to Moreno and simply said "Thank you for teaching me to read.")
Anyway, this week, the New York Times is reporting that "The Electric Company" is returning to PBS and has already started shooting in New York. Moreno has apparently been offered a cameo.
The show is reportedly a mix of the old show and new elements. It will debut in January.
"Electric Company" fans, join me in the comments: What sketches and recurring characters do you recall most fondly? Should they be resurrected for the new show?
Off the top of my head:
- The Short Circus. What little girl didn't want to be Julie?
- Letterman. Ripping a G from his varsity sweater..."
- Easy Reader, although Morgan Freeman's pay has gone up quite a bit since those days
- Spider-Man. "Where are you coming from, Spider-Man? Nobody knows who you are!" As a kid, though, it bugged me that he did not talk.
- Jennifer of the Jungle. How fun did vine-swinging look?
- Love Of Chair. To this day I cannot hear the name "Naomi" without wanting to ask, "But what about Naomi?"
I've purchased the DVD set and can relive the old show until the new one comes along (as can my daughter, when she's old enough). But the one sketch that always gave me creeps and still does? The Monolith sketches, nodding to "2001." Sailed over this little kid's head.
