Kermit’s AARP card is in the mail. The two-hour documentary “Sesame Street: 50 Years of Sunny Days” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-14) glances back at a half-century of educational television served up with music, verve, heart and Muppets.
Along the way, “Sunny Days” looks at how the series went out of its way to gently explain difficult subjects to its juvenile audience. A memorable episode showed how the naive Big Bird could not understand why shopkeeper Mr. Hooper is no longer around. Will Lee, the actor who played Hooper, had recently died. Instead of replacing him with another performer like Darren on “Bewitched,” the show’s producers used his passing as a teachable moment. The scene was shot in a single take, and the tears on the actors’ faces were real.
We also see some scenes that were never broadcast. Begun in 1969, the show became a de facto babysitter for millions of children growing up as divorce rates skyrocketed. From Tammy Wynette’s 1968 hit “D-I-V-O-R-C-E” to the 1979 drama “Kramer Vs. Kramer,” pop culture could not avoid the subject. Writers and producers decided it was time to explain this issue to young viewers and created a scenario where Snuffleupagus saw his parents split and his father move out to his own place. A test panel of children were traumatized by the scene and it was never aired. It’s hard not to sniffle for Snuffleupagus even now.
We learn how “Sesame Street” has created new characters to impart lessons in understanding and empathy, from Julia, a girl on the autism spectrum, and the recent arrival of Wes and Elijah Walker, introduced in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement.
“Sunny Days” welcomes cast members from decades back as well as guest stars and fans who grew up watching the show. Look for first lady Jill Biden, W. Kamau Bell, Gloria Estefan, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Whoopi Goldberg, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Christopher Jackson, Angelina Jolie, John Legend, Lucy Liu, Olivia Munn, John Oliver, Rosie Perez, Questlove, Chrissy Teigen and Usher. Stevie Wonder reworks the theme song for the documentary.
Among the reasons that “Sesame Street” remains beloved is that it is a product of a time when society thought children’s television should be educational and free of commercialization.
Most people still think so, but decades of corporate lobbying have reduced FCC oversight of children’s programming. A recent congressional study of YouTube Kids decried a “vapid wasteland” filled with “inappropriate” and “highly commercial” content.
— Hulu streams “Exposure,” a six-episode contest series featuring eight photographers competing for a coveted assignment.
— Acorn begins streaming the Swedish crime thriller “Baeckstroem.” Two umlauts in one word may be a record for this column!
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— A mommy blogger’s birthday bash goes haywire on “9-1-1” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
— Daniel Day-Lewis won his third best actor Oscar for his portrayal of the 16th president at the close of the Civil War and only weeks before his assassination in the 2012 biographical drama “Lincoln” (8 p.m., HBO Signature), directed by Steven Spielberg.
— Julia Roberts won an Oscar for her performance in the 2000 biopic “Erin Brockovich” (8 p.m., Sundance, TV-14). Her character has inspired the ABC drama “Rebel,” starring Katey Sagal.
— You be the judge on “All Rise” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— Two scoops of horror on “9-1-1: Lone Star” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
— A two-hour “Frontline” (9 p.m., PBS, check local listings) examines a year of COVID.
— The trial gets under way on “Prey, Obey, Kill” (9 p.m., HBO, TV-14).
— A killer may have been an abuse victim on “Bull” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— A woman vanishes on “Debris” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— Street demonstrations unravel on “The Good Doctor” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
CULT CHOICE
A time warp sends a supermarket clerk (Bruce Campbell, “The Evil Dead”) to medieval England armed with a chainsaw and a ‘73 Oldsmobile in the 1992 fantasy spoof “Army of Darkness” (7:35 p.m., MoMax).
SERIES NOTES
George Lopez appears on “The Neighborhood” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … “The Voice” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) … College scouts on “All American” (8 p.m., CW, TV-14) … Hurt feelings on “Bob Hearts Abishola” (8:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … A dark cloud looms on “Black Lightning” (9 p.m., CW, TV-14).
LATE NIGHT
Anthony Anderson is booked on “Conan” (11 p.m., TBS, r) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Magic Johnson, Kate Upton and Moneybagg Yo on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Anna Kendrick, Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC).
