Top 10 Best PBS Kids Shows
PBS Kids is a programming block aired by the Public Broadcasting Service. Since its launch in 1994 it has aired educational television series aimed at children.
I am 24 years old and I still watch reruns of this show from time to time. I like how it shows the audience that people are different. I also like how it talks about neurodiversity (I have autism) and how they made an episode about food allergies (I have multiple and I think that episode could help children and adults alike how to be a good friend to those who have them).
This show is unlike most other PBS Kids shows because of the fact that it doesn't specifically aim towards little kids. In fact, I think people of all ages could learn something from this show. While Sesame Street gets kids ready for school, Arthur gets kids ready for life. This show tackles subjects such as cancer, dyslexia, 9/11, and Aspergers. This is also one of the few PBS Kids shows that doesn't shove some sort of lesson into your face (math, science, reading,) instead, it shows you how to be a good person and how to be a good friend. In my opinion, this show is much better than Sesame Street and deserves the number 1 spot.
Hey Arthur fans! Let's get Arthur back to number one! That's the way it was before, and that's the way it should be! We Arthur fans shouldn't get thumbs down for liking Arthur! Unlike Sesame Street, which just helps kids get ready for school, Arthur helps kids deal with more important things like cancer and dyslexia! Vote for Arthur! And Sesame Street fans, instead of shoving your opinions down our throats, just make a remix of the list!
Arthur was one of the highest ranked PBS kids shows I grew up with. I was only a baby when this show first aired, and I found out that Arthur and I have a lot in common. We both wear glasses, we both love to read books, and we are both great friends to everyone around us. Arthur helped me recognize unpleasant realities and illnesses, such as cancer, asthma, dyslexia, and even autism. When I was in second and third grade, my class would watch Arthur VHS tapes on Fridays, and it was the best thing I have ever experienced during my youth. Also, whenever we went down to the computer lab, I would go on Living Books, a CD rom game that helps kids read, and it contained Arthur books on it. I also read the Arthur books too. Watching the Arthur T.V. show, and reading the Arthur books made reading and learning about real world problems fun and interesting.

I simply adore and embrace Sesame Street! This show has been around since November 10th, 1969, and it is still on T.V.! I have been watching this show ever since I was a baby, and my favorite characters are Big Bird, Elmo, Oscar the Grouch, Cookie Monster, Grover, and Ernie & Bert! I really like 90s and 00s Sesame Street the best, because I had VHS tapes of my own that were released during that time. I loved all the songs they sang, taught me to be nice to friends, and the characters were cute, colorful and charismatic! I even read a book that talks about the history of Sesame Street when I was thirteen, and I learned way more than I did about Sesame Street! This show is the crown jewel of PBS, this shows longevity are one of the things that make Sesame Street special.
Sesame Street is a truly globally historic piece of artwork for television, it helps kids learn about everything around the world and helps kids know about it, it makes kids smarter and it has comedy at the same time, there's no replacement for Sesame Street because it changed the way we watch television forever.
Whoever said that Sesame Street deserves a season 46 was right. Good news: HBO has produced seasons 46 AND 47 & will be the main channel for future seasons. PBS produced past seasons, BUT there's even better news.
PBS (thankfully) still airs Sesame Street, even the season 46/47/eventually 48 episodes first aired on HBO.
Now that's what I'M thankful about.
I love watching Sesame Street until they permanently put Zoe in a tutu (I prefer Zoe's older appearance)...
Old School Sesame Street is great for just little kids but for adults, too. My favorite characters are Bert & Ernie, followed by Elmo or Cookie Monster. I love to watch starting from Seasons 25 to 32.

I'm 15 now and honestly, out of the dozens of PBS kids shows I watched as a kid this was the king of all of them, not only was it my favorite, I still love it today, all these other shows that I watched I started to hate by around the age of 6. But not this one. Sometimes I'll watch this show on my own and I love it every bit as much as I did when I was a kid.
I really like this show, especially the episodes taking place at the country house. The show is great for the whole family, and takes me back to a simpler time. I've learned a few things from watching George with my kids, that I was really surprised to learn.
This is the best show ever I am under 18, and this is one of the best shows ever so cute and heartwarming. Some of the episodes are educational for teens which is what I really like.
This series is based of a Movie that was shown in theaters in Feburary 2006. I really enjoy this show. The characters are very nice and the animation is well drawn.

I grew up watching this show. It's really educational and informative. I learned so much about animals all over the world.
But it's also entertaining. I love all the main characters. And the villains are really fun too.
Great show. Never a dull moment. It really influenced my childhood in a wonderful way.
This show is amazing! I can watch it with my kids anywhere at anytime by either watching it on television or on computer. We can learn about any animals from different countries and it's also really funny because of adventure comedy. The characters are very friendly and very helpful. Creature powers are awesome and epic for having super powers of any animals and very useful to fight against villains in the show. This show is really worth both the education and entertainment for anyone!
This show is amazing. My daughter has seen every episode eight times, and the Kratt brothers have taught her so much about animals that she spouts information all the time. She even pointed out to her teacher that the "alligator" picture in a textbook was actually a crocodile, because Wild Kratts taught her the differences. I didn't even really know the difference! This show is our household #1.
My favorite Wild Kratts episode is Whale of a squid! Giant Battles, Awesome! Way better then the Praying Mantis episode because on the Praying Mantis episode Martin couldn't fight just because Martin is not a girl and that wasn't fair! I Like Martin. And I like when the Kratt brothers get to save the day not Aviva with her girl power nonsense. But I still like Wild Kratts, I just don't like girl power!

I understood math thanks to this show, and it still teaches me even today. It even shows you how to apply that math in nature and pretty much everyday life, and if you don't know how it will help you, you got those funny For Real segments to give you an example. Cyberchase is pretty much the only PBS Kids show that I still watch, and it still airs new episodes, even if they take a long time. Despite it's simple math, you will still learn because it sometimes shows subjects you either forgot or didn't learn to apply well. And not just the educational part is awesome, the adventure is so much fun, and expect to have a great time with the characters, where even the secondary ones manage to get major development once in a while.
Cyberchase is the best show ever made! I didn't hear about it until season 8 was premiering, because I was living in Florida when the series first premiered, and I don't get the show in Florida. But now that I love in New York, where they do air it, I can use it anytime I need to study for math. Oh, and it was never cancelled after season 8. Season 9 premiered with 3 new episodes from November 4th to 6th in 2013, followed by the Cyberchase movie in April of 2014. It also recently aired season 10 from November 9th to 13th in 2015. So there's that, it's still running new episodes, and I rely on it when I need to study for math.
I watched many educational shows growing up, but I don't think any other taught me AND kept me entertained quite as much as Cyberchase. This show takes an actual storyline and mixes it with math lessons in ways that are easy to remember and put to use.
This is supposed to be number 1, not Sesame Street, Sesame Street has no god visuals or plot, just talking, shaking and yapping, but the good part is that there's lessons and things to teach, Cyberchase had everything a kid could love.

I loved Dragon Tales as a child. It's the first show along with Blue's Clues, Thomas the Tank Engine, and Theodore Tugboat that I remember watching.
Dragon Tales- One of the very few shows from my childhood I still love to this day. I don't even know where to begin. I guess I'll have to break this review into three categories: the writing, the delivery, and the unforgettable memories this show brought to me as a child. But first, a little backstory.
Back in 2008 or 2009, I remember getting up every morning to watch this bright, colorful series. It would always come on at 9 or 10 in the morning. I was stunned by the amazing character designs and the bright colors this series put in my mind. A year later, PBS Kids stopped airing it, which made the series hard to come by. In 2011, I saw the show once again on another local station one Saturday morning, which made me smile.
Skipping forward to December of 2016, when my family first got Netflix. I was so excited when the service had Dragon Tales. I watched the series as much as I could before a tragic day occurred- March 1st, 2017. Netflix no longer had Dragon Tales in ...more
I used to watch this show when I was little and it is good for kids. The only character that is bad sometimes is max because he talks a lot. It's sad that this show doesn't make episodes anymore and I don't see dragon tales repeated episodes that much.
This was a great show! The characters have great personalities! The animation is beautiful! And the music is really well done! I use to watch this show a lot.

Here's something that a lot of you people don't know. Fred didn't only act in this show. He also wrote the scripts, he wrote the music, and did the Neighborhood of Make Believe Puppuets. And something that I find interesting is that he can appeal not just to little kids and babies. But to people of all ages. Heck, I had barely even heard of this show when I was little, but when I was in 5th grade, I watched it on Saturday mornings because the PBS station in the city that I live in broadcasted it on Saturdays, and I enjoyed it. How he appealed to so many kids, I'll never guess, but he was the '80's version of Barney in my eyes (in the respect that all the little kids loved him, not the stupidity level). Thumbs up if you have ever been enchanted by Fred Rogers
Remember when Mr. Rogers flipped off millions of kids during his song about the fingers? I thought that was very very VERY hilarious!
As kids, my brother and I never wanted to miss an episode of Mister Rogers', even if it was one we'd seen before. We were throughly entertained, but learned so much. In a world full of educational toys ready to teach even one years their ABCs, it was important that someone taught us about our emotions/feelings and how to handle them. We all had a friend in Mister Rogers.
There will never be a show for children as influential and important as Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. His friendly presence made him a great person for kids to watch. He also made it easy for children to understand scary concepts, such as the Assassination of John Lennon, and communism.

I used to watch this show a lot till I turned 7 or 8. I think there is nothing wrong with this show. My favorite character is Mac. The spinoff Clifford's puppy days was good but not as good as Clifford the big red dog. It's sad that this show was cancelled in 2003. It was cancelled because the person who played Clifford was going to die during that time. They still show this show usually when pbs kids ends for each day during the week.
My favorite is Cleo, my sister's favorite is Mac, we both love Clifford the big red dog!
Who wouldn't like Clifford the big red dog! Clifford is so loveable!
I loved Clifford the Big Red Dog as a child and still like it.

I love this show and I hate children's shows. This, Ben and Holly, and Lazy Town are baby shows that I like. But sadly in 2014 a dumb reboot online about internet safety was cringe. And the new one is dumb. Now Ruff cares about himself more than the kids. And on the 24/7 block it comes on at 5 AM who stays up till 5 just to watch a great baby show- Carolina Panthers/Nirvana fan.
I'm 15 and science is a little boring and complicated to me but with fetch with gives it life and makes it interesting. Humor and education really go well together and yet pbs took away
Best Pbs show ever! It's like a game show mixed in with cool stuff to learn about. And that dog is HILARIOUS!
Although maybe not the best in overall quality it (in my opinion) is the most entertaining one kid show.

While Thomas the Train wasn't my personal favorite PBS Kids show, my younger brother watched it when he was little. He owned a lot of Thomas DVDs, and all other merchandise. I think I remember seeing Thomas and the Magic Railroad on T.V. when I was four. I am not saying I don't like it all, it's just that I thought it was more of a boys show. However, I was more interested in watching episodes where the animation is in CG, and the characters have their own voices, I think the new animation makes it more lively and puts more development in the characters. I always wondered what their actual voices wod sound like, and my wish came true.
For 20 years this show has always been my number 1 favorite, from the Railway Series books to the TVs. People say I'm too old for this, but what do I say? no one, and I mean NO ONE is too old for a classic children show that had been airing for many years, and Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends is one of them. This show may not be shown to be in number 1 in this list right now, but it definitely has a spot in my number 1 of being my most favorite.
I used to watch this show when I was little and I had Thomas and friends toys. My favorite character is James the red engine. My favorite movie was Thomas and the magical railroad. My favorite part in that movie was when diesel 10 fell of the bridge he deserves it for hating Thomas and his friends. This show also has very good ratings so this show shouldn't get cancelled.
I used to watch Thomas and Friends a lot. I was born when Season 8 was starting. My favorite narrator is George Carlin, Ringo Starr, and Michael Brandon. I would get my parents to get me toys of this show. I really liked it when they didn't have those CGI faces.

I was obsessed with this show when I was a child. I even had an Odd Squad themed birthday party. I just loved it so much!
I've only seen seasons 1-2 though. I watched the first episode of season 3. Out of curiosity...But it didn't have any of the characters from seasons 1-2 in it. The ones I grew up with.
Odd Squad had a big influence on my childhood.
Whether you like this show or not, you have to admit that it is unique for a PBS Kids show as there is one thing that sets it apart from all other PBS Kids shows. And that is that by far this is the ONLY PBS Kids show I have ever seen that every season has an ongoing mystery set up in the first episode, a select few episodes in the middle of the season that can be used as clues as to what is going on and gets resolved in the last episode of the season. Seriously, do you know any other PBS Kids show that does this because I was not expecting something at that level of writing, planning and foreshadowing from a PBS Kids show. And they go all out with this concept in Season 2.
Spoilers ahead warning:
In Season 2 the huge reveal in the finally is that Agent Otis used to be a villain raised by ducks. Well on a video exclusively on PBSKids.org we see Olivia talking about her top 5 favorite Odd Squad villains and for a brief second we see a picture of Otis. That is what I am talking ...more
One time, One of mom's friends had me babysit her two boys and one girl. While I was babysitting them they were watching Odd Squad. At the end of the show, The girl told me she liked Odd Squad but the two boys told me they hated it. The oldest of the two boys told me he would rather watch Martha Speaks. About that, some of the episodes are funny but others are just weird. As I said in the longest comment about Martha Speaks on the worst PBS Kids shows list, although creepy and retarded, Martha can be funny. I would rather watch SpongeBob than this crap.
I was watching T.V. with my little cousin, and Odd squad came on. I watched some of it with him, and I was REALLY impressed by how good this show was. The show ingenuously teaches math concepts that I didn't think kids could comprehend, but also mixes it in with comedy and smart writing that even adults will get a chuckle out of. Show it to your kids, it's good stuff.

I am 15. I'm home schooled. I always have been. Sometimes you wonder if you're learning as much as the kids in school.
So, when I was little, my sister and I always watched The Magic School Bus. It is so informative and educational. I learned so much!
The first episode I ever watched was about our body's digestive system. I learned how our bodies need energy. And food gives us energy. Our bodies break down the food and get rid of the waste.
One of my favorite episodes was when they lost in space with Arnold's cousin. Janice? I loved learning about all the different planets. I love learning about anything space related. Planets, moons, or stars and constellations. You name it. I actually got a telescope for my birthday this year and I'm excited to try it out.
Another one of my favorite episodes was when they were baking a cake for Miss Frizzle's birthday. Baking is one of my hobbies nowadays. I didn't know how to bake when I was a kid. But it was still really cool learning ...more
My sister is crazy about this show but she worries about huge insects. I like the show too cause it teaches children about science and I love science.
This is my favorite show to watch on Netflix. It's technically not on PBS Kids anymore, but I'll still watch it on Netflix and YouTube until the end of time.
This is the best show ever no contest. my 5th grade teacher put this on (probably to get a break from this kids) and everybody started groaning and going on about how dumb this show is. yeah I know 11 is kind of old to be watching this but I was the only one paying attention. also I did not know this show used to be on pbs
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I haven't watched it yet but a couple months ago (around the time I made my previous comment on here) I heard good things about it. I will probably watch it in the future.
This show has always been so useful for me! I discovered so many new vocabulary words from when I was 8 (at the time the show started airing) up until I was 12 or 13! And I STILL find a few new vocabulary words that I may have heard of, but seldom use because I don't know the complete definitions of them. I don't understand why this show had to end, it was so well though out and put together!
This show is by far the most AWESOME! Personally, it give kids a relatable kid hero to look up too. Plus, it adds humor for the whole family. It is an AMAZING show!
The main character is alright, but the villains are way better. It's one of those shows that you want the villain to win instead of the hero. It's still cool show to watch.

I loved this show growing up. But not as much as my sister. She LOVED it. Possibly too much...
She was convinced Martha was a boy though. I'm not sure why. Martha doesn't exactly sound like a masculine name in my opinion. She told me that Martha was a boy because she has freckles and only boys have freckles...
(I have freckles. And I'm a girl.)
Well, that's big sisters for you!
I think this and Arthur are one of the greatest PBS Kids shows of all time. Except I think it's kind of animal-racist that Martha keeps saying she hates cats. And I think Helen is more of a robot than an actual human being at times. AND I wish the voices were the same still, (although TD and Milo's voice changes were understandable because their voices were getting deeper) but other than that the show is great and teaches kids words.
I don't really hate this show, it was actually pretty good. But martha is the real reason the show got cancelled. Other than her fat and super ugly mouth, the show isn't bad.
Why would they cancel this. It was awesome and the theme song was just amazing. The animation was peaceful.

My Favorite PBS program of all time! I tapes a whooping 10 volumes of this show! Every now and then I return to it now as an adult and cherish it.
I heard that the guy who did this show once read the very first Martha Speaks. That book was published 16 years before the show.
Is Reading Rainbow going to make a Comeback to PBS? I hope so! I loved this show growing up! Levar Burton Rocks!
We used to watch a lot of Reading Rainbow episodes during 2nd grade. They were so fun!

I used to like this show, but now I don't watch it anymore. Not that I don't like it anymore. I just.. forgot about it when I grew up. So now I don't watch it anymore. I'm more into BFDI, Inanimate Insanity, and Arthur. I don't know if I will watch it ever again. No hard feelings to it, I mean, I DID like it in the past. I just don't watch it anymore.
It's based on the books

No explanation needed, just a higher ranking.
It airs on the Decades channel every Saturday morning that's awesome

How is this not in the top 10? It's a CLASSIC! Sure, the lions kind of scared me in my first viewing but ever since then, I have learned to love this show. I watch it with my little cousins every time they come over and we can't get enough of the show! But somebody please explain, why did they cancel this show? And not cancel some real bullcrap like Super Why? Overall, BTL was and will always be one of the best children shows of all time!
This show is PURE GOLD!
The characters are witty, and lovable. Their language format is RICH and SOLID throughout the entire program, and it's just plain FUN. I was torn up when the show went off air, I have two "late-in-life" children that could have gained so much from this program, and its hard to find DVDs of the show!
My 20 Year old sister Loved the show when she was 5 or 6 years old. I Was Always in there with her watch PBS Every Weekday Morning. I thought the lions faces were a bit creepy but I was 15 back then so I didn't care
Do I really need to explain how great this show was? This one will always one of the greatest kids shows of all time.

This show needs more attention. Its one show I will keep on watching the Remakes til I'm bored.
I loved this show! It's educational, entertaining, funny, and emotional all at the same time!
One of the only shows I enjoyed in school.
This barely counts as a PBS kids show.

This show deserves to be in the Top Ten, it's good to know and realize that PBS Kids has finally made something good for once after all those years, when there were no good shows. First of all, There's a good plot. Also there's no laugh track. The quality is also very good and watchable, unlike the quality of the other shows, which seem bad in comparison, also the characters are nice in both looks, words and actions, yet this show also has good morals, and it also has an improvement method in the acting that doesn't happen in the other shows in this era. And this is the first time in years that PBS Kids has finally made a show that drew millions of viewers that are actually fans, which makes this show the most successful Nick show in a long time, and it became such a big hit that they're making a one hour special of it soon, and it better be a good one.
The show is a rare gem in the realm of modern day children's cartoons. It is very in-depth, educational, and informative about space, astronomy, science, technology, and teaches great morals in every episode about friendship and teamwork. It has unique and detailed animation, top-notch songs, zany humor, likable, relatable, and deep characters, and just about the best of literally anything in a cartoon targeted at the under-fives. It has plot and lore, real drama, suspense, and who knows what else, but they keep it appropriate for children. It's also getting a film where Sean and Sydney go to Bortron 7 with the Propulsion family! It's also getting a second season, and will roll out tons of merchandise. Space Explorers (ready jet go fans), get ready to ready jet GO!
The only thing I hate about this show is that there aren't that much episodes. Ready Jet Go has 29 episodes, each have two 11-minute stories. The last episode premiered in December, FOUR months ago. And they haven't been airing any new episodes since then. Meanwhile lucky Australia has been airing episodes of RJG that haven't aired in the US such as Total Eclipse of the Sunspot and To Pluto With Love. Also, one of the 29 episodes is a Halloween special. Its April, so they can't show reruns of the Halloween special until October. So that means that they only have 28 episodes to air reruns of. I mean I've seen the same episodes lots of times. I can't wait until August, where PBS will worldwide premiere the Ready Jet Go movie.
My Fair Jet, which premiered today, is now my new favorite episode! It has a great song, witty humor, and a real plot with real suspense. This is one of the only reasons why I watch PBS. A lot of modern PBS Kids shows are cheesy and feel like they're pandering to the lowest common denominator, but not this show. While this show is obviously not better than Arthur, Sesame Street, and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, it is better than modern Arthur, modern Sesame Street, and every preschool show of the 2010s. It deserves to be in the top ten for sure, it is educational, and keeps everyone entertained.

This show is actually funny! It has a likable voice cast, fast pasted humor, and a God plot. Nature cat is the funniest and best show for young kids!
Fun fact: The person who played Hal also played Panda from the Cartoon Network show We Bare Bears.
Nature Cat himself looks a bit like Top Cat which makes me love the show even more!
This is an good show it deserves to be here. At least its not like Odd Squad.
Tally Ho!

I don't hate this show but Super Why is kinda weird! I mean it takes 11 minutes before they can go in the book! And the drawings in the books look weird!
I love this show! It should be in 2nd place! They have all 26 letters in the alphabet! My favorite letters are all 26 of them! Why should be Y? the 25th letter in the alphabet!
Needs to be higher than all the shows above it. Some of those shows are good, the others are bad.
I love how Super Why teaches kids about reading. Something every kid should want to do.

I used to watch it, I liked it. Now, It still isn't too bad, but Its not worth watching full episodes all the time anymore. Its now one of the few shows I actually enjoy looking back at, unlike Caillou and Barney.
This show is so sweet and funny. I love Zoboomafoo! Sometimes I feel like crying watching this show,only because of nostalgia though. The show itself is not sad, rather entertaining.
I remember my mom saying this was the only show we watched on PBS when we were kids that she actually enjoyed.
Sadly, the lemur who played Zoboo died a few years ago (as of Jan 2016). A moment of silence for our great friend.
Created by Joe Murray, who also created Rocko's Modern Life, which is one of Nick's best shows.
Best cartoon ever. And from the creator of Rocko
This is a nice show.

Raise this show to number one please. Sesame Street doesn't belong here. It's a boring.
This should be number one on the list. Sesame Street sucks and so does Arthur.
Great show. It's my number 2 favorite show. Its pretty good. Kids would love it.
This show has good animation. I don't know why people hate it.