‘Sesame Street’ viewers to greet autistic friend Julia on Monday

It's no surprise that "Sesame Street," which is still the gold standard in educational children's television after 47 seasons and counting, can with great respect and ease welcome a new Muppet character in Monday morning's episode named Julia, who happens to be autistic. If anything, "Sesame Street" feels a tad late to the idea, given how parents have nervously watched autism rates increase over the past couple of decades and children have learned to relate to peers who are on the autism spectrum.

Viewers meet Julia as she is coloring with Elmo, Abby Cadabby and their grown-up friend Alan (Alan Muraoka), who owns Hooper's Store. Big Bird drops by and introduces himself to Julia, but she won't talk to him. He wonders if she's shy, because, he says, "I can feel shy sometimes too."

But it's not that. Alan and the gang very quickly and directly explain Julia's autism and how it affects her personality ("She might not answer you right away," Alan says) and that's that — Big Bird totally gets it. Thus "Sesame Street" has once again done its job with little fanfare or self-congratulatory narrative. The only lesson here is the same message "Sesame Street" has been transmitting since 1969: We all belong here, we are all friends and sharing is the best way to get along.

Soon enough Julia has introduced the gang to an impromptu game of what she calls "boing-boing" which Abby then terms "boing tag." Julia is upset by the sound of a passing police siren, but her friends have learned how to comfort her and patiently wait for her to redirect.

In other words, all seems well on "Sesame Street" these days, but noticeably different — especially if it's been a while since you've visited.

(The last time I wrote about "Sesame Street," Al Roker dropped by in a prime-time special to explain the Great Recession to Elmo, after Elmo's mother was laid off and everyone in the neighborhood was feeling the nation's economic malaise.)

The show, produced by the Sesame Workshop (which used to be called the Children's Television Workshop), moved to HBO in 2015 in a multiyear development deal. Though the switch from PBS still has its critics, who worry that "Sesame Street" might not reach poorer households the way it used to, it's hard to argue with the logic or the terms of the agreement: In exchange for never having to scrounge for funding, new "Sesame Street" episodes air first on the premium cable network and then make their way to public-television stations nine months later, at no cost to the stations.

In return, HBO can use the power of "Sesame Street" (still considered essential viewing for preschoolers) to compete with Amazon and Netflix, both of which have made significant strides in children's programming.