New HBO documentary will show us how we got 'Sesame Street'

STREET GANG: HOW WE GOT TO SESAME STREET

(Image credit: HBO)

Ever wonder how Sesame Street came to be? Well, if so, HBO has a documentary for you! HBO Documentary Films will present Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street, a doc that will explore the minds of the various creators, artists, writers and educators who helped create one of the most beloved children's shows in history. We'll also get an in-depth look at key players like Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett, and their mission to create a show that would matter to kids. And, yeah. Obviously you're going to find out how the legendary Jim Henson got involved in the project.

The show will focus on the first two decades of the pivotal show, and will be available on HBO and to stream on HBO Max.

Check out the press release below for full details:

HBO Documentary Films’ STREET GANG: HOW WE GOT TO SESAME STREET takes audiences inside the minds and hearts of the “Sesame Street” creators, artists, writers and educators who together established one of the most influential and enduring children’s programs in television history. The film will debut in 2021.

The documentary will air on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max.

In the late 1960s, socially conscious media executive Joan Ganz Cooney and Sesame Workshop co-founder Lloyd Morrisett took on a revolutionary experiment: To harness the burgeoning power of television and create an educational,  impactful, and entertaining show that could reach children nationwide. Cooney recruited visionary Muppets creator Jim Henson and acclaimed children’s television writer and director Jon Stone to craft the iconic and uplifting world of “Sesame Street.”

Inspired by the civil rights movement, STREET GANG: HOW WE GOT TO SESAME STREET focuses on the first two experimental and groundbreaking decades of “Sesame Street,” highlighting this visionary “gang” that audaciously interpreted radical changes in society and engaged children in ways that entertained and educated them like never before.

HBO Documentary Films presents a Macrocosm Entertainment production, in association with the Exchange, Bondit Media Capital, and Citizen Skull Productions. It is directed by Marilyn Agrelo; produced by, Trevor Crafts, Ellen Scherer Crafts; producer, Lisa Diamond; executive producers, Brian O’Shea, Nat McCormick, Matthew Helderman, Luke Taylor, Mark Myers, Heather Kenyon; co-executive producer, Michael Davis; editor, Ben Gold.