Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
HBO’s animated Esme & Roy from Sesame folks
It’s almost enough to make me wish we still had a precocious preschooler in the house.
Almost.
The last time that happened was around 1986 to 1988 — an era in the Storey household known as the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
years, which morphed into the age of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
All of which included a fascination with the far less bellicose Fraggle Rock. (We had some good times, Cotterpin Doozer.)
Parents of young’uns these days will have a more refined educational option when Esme
& Roy debuts at 8:30 a.m. Saturday on HBO. Providing the voices of the two main characters are Millie Davis (Odd
Squad) and Patrick McKenna
(Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs).
The 26-episode series is the first new animated offering
from Sesame Street producer Sesame Workshop in more than a decade. The show follows the adventures of young Esme (pronounced EHZ-may) and her shaggy, yellow BMF (best monster friend) Roy, as they baby-sit little monsters in Monsterdale.
The colorful streets of Monsterdale are teeming with nonscary monsters of all sorts. The homes also reflect the monsters that live in them — flying monsters live in Victorian bird cages, aquatic monsters live in giant fishbowl houses.
A little house in Esme’s backyard serves as Monster Sitters’ HQ , with a cozy chair for Roy and a place for his very own pet monster, Dumpling, a sort of purplish guinea pig that doesn’t speak.
Other regulars include Snugs, Simon, Fig, Tillie and Hugo, a flying 4-year-old Ooga monster.
The series underscores how important play is to early childhood development as Esme and Roy help the younger monsters work through childhood situations with which all parents should be familiar, such as losing a favorite toy, trying new foods and dealing with scary thunderstorms.
According to HBO, “When children play together, they are physically, cognitively and socially engaged. Motivated by their own curiosity and interest, they learn to collaborate, self-regulate, communicate and empathize with others during play sessions. As modeled in Esme & Roy, learning through play allows children to develop these critical life skills in a safe environment.”
At the recent TV critics summer press tour in Los Angeles, Sesame Workshop, senior vice president Kay Wilson Stallings said, “By incorporating the latest thinking about mindfulness and learning through play into the fabric of this show, we hope to reinvigorate playtime and give today’s kids the tools they need to manage their emotions in a positive way.
“These characters — these little monsters — have meltdowns, big emotions, frustration, anger, disappointment. You see it and it’s very visible and very clear. You don’t often see that on TV.”
Fortunately, Esme and Roy are there to help.
That’s fine with me. Back in the ’80s, He-Man would just hop on the back of Battle Cat, ride out of Castle Grayskull and bash the evil Skeletor. All would be right with the world. This sounds like a better way.
■ Something new. Freeform has ordered a pilot episode of
Breckman Rodeo (working title) from creator/writer Steve Lerner and the executive producers of The Americans, Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields.
The ensemble drama follows a group of young rodeo riders in Cheyenne, Wyo., and centers on Ashley and her boyfriend Brant “as they reconcile the traditional values of their sport and their upbringing with the changing realities of the 21st century.” We’ll see if the pilot makes it to series.
■ Mickey Mouse. The little rodent looks pretty good for 90. Mark your calendar for Nov. 4 when ABC will air a two-hour event, Mickey’s 90th Spectacular. Mickey made his animated film debut in Steamboat Willie
on Nov. 18, 1928.
■ Going Homeland. Showtime has confirmed that Homeland will end following Season 8. The series, starring Claire Danes as CIA agent Carrie Mathison, will have a “fairly big time jump” for the final season of 12 episodes which will begin in June.
■ More than Friends. David Schwimmer, who played Ross on Friends, will guest star as a love interest for Debra Messing’s Grace when Will & Grace returns to NBC on Oct. 4. Other guest stars will include Alec Baldwin, Chelsea Handler and Mary McCormack.
■ Seriously? CBS has bought the rights to produce an American version of the hit British reality show Love Island, which currently can be seen on Hulu. In it, a gaggle of hot and hedonistic 20-somethings are paired off in a villa on an island and the cameras follow their relationships. Viewers are able to vote couples off.
Now we know where all those Bachelor and Bachelorette rejects can go.