Sesame Street: Elmo's Playdate

Sesame Street: Elmo's Playdate
Based on	Sesame Street by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett
Directed by	Matt Vogel
Starring	See cast
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	Melissa Dino Benjamin Lehman Jodi Nussbaum Nick Florez Ken Scarborough
Running time	25 minutes
Production company	Sesame Workshop
Original release
Network	HBO PBS Kids TBS TNT truTV HBO Latino Cartoon Network Boomerang (simulcast)
Release	April 14, 2020 (2020-04-14)

Sesame Street: Elmo's Playdate is a 2020 American television special which was broadcast on April 14, 2020 by HBO and PBS Kids, and simulcast on WarnerMedia-owned networks. The special, which was an extension of Sesame Workshop's Caring for Each Other initiative in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, features Elmo and other Sesame Street characters having a virtual playdate, along with a few celebrity guests. HBO and WarnerMedia's parent company, AT&T was the program's sole sponsor, with United Health Care sponsoring the PBS Kids broadcast.

A second special, Elmo's Playdate: Scavenger Hunt, aired on August 6, 2020.

Synopsis

The television special follows Elmo (with the help of his father Louie) as he has a virtual playdate with Grover, Cookie Monster, Abby Cadabby, and some of his other friends over at Sesame Street through video conferencing, together with a few celebrity guests, figuring out new ways to play together considering the limitations of social distancing. The show also highlights the roles of emergency medical technicians, doctors, and other everyday heroes who are helping people throughout the COVID-19 public health crisis.

Cast

Sesame Street Muppet Performers

• Jennifer Barnhart – Zoe
• Tyler Bunch – Louie
• Leslie Carrara-Rudolph – Abby Cadabby
• Frankie Cordero – Rudy
• Stephanie D'Abruzzo – Prairie Dawn
• Ryan Dillon – Elmo
• Eric Jacobson – Bert and Grover
• Peter Linz – Ernie
• Carmen Osbahr – Rosita
• Martin P. Robinson – Telly Monster
• David Rudman – Cookie Monster
• Matt Vogel – Big Bird and Count von Count

Human cast

• Alan Muraoka as Alan
• Suki Lopez as Nina

Special guest stars

• Tracee Ellis Ross - Herself
• Lin-Manuel Miranda - Himself
• Taye Diggs - Himself (archived performance of "Let's Go Driving" with Elmo)
• Anne Hathaway - Herself

Broadcast

The special was broadcast at 7pm EDT on HBO and PBS Kids and was simulcast on WarnerMedia-owned networks TBS, TNT, truTV, HBO Latino, Cartoon Network, and Boomerang. It also re-aired on select PBS stations across the United States.

In Canada, the special was simulcast on April 15 at 4pm on Corus Entertainment networks Global, Teletoon, YTV, Cartoon Network, and Treehouse TV.

In Singapore, the special was broadcast on Mediacorp's Channel 5 through its children's programming block Okto. It aired on Sunday, April 19 at 10am, following the network's telecast of One World: Together at Home.

In the United Kingdom (where Elmo and Cookie Monster appeared as characters in spin-off shows, Sesame Tree and The Furchester Hotel), the special was broadcast on CBeebies on May 8 at 5:15pm and repeated on BBC One on May 30 at 1.15pm, marking the first time Sesame Street has been broadcast on the BBC's main domestic television network.

In Japan, the special was broadcast on NHK Educational TV on May 17 at 7:00 pm. Broadcasting in Japan is the first in 13 years since it ended in September 2007. However, the scene where Taye Diggs appeared was cut.

In Australia, the special was broadcast on ABC Kids on May 30 at 9:30am.

External links

• Sesame Street: Elmo's Playdate at IMDb