Pick of the week
Post-Gazette TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week
MONDAY “Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum,” 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays, WQED-TV.
It’s a busy week in children’s television with the debut of two new series. PBS Kids’ “Xavier Riddle” is based on the Brad Meltzer book series that offers biographies of American historical figures.
The animated TV show features episodes on Amelia Earhart, George Washington Carver and Helen Keller, among others.
“This series explores a simple idea, that the people who shaped history were not born heroes,” said Lesli Rotenberg, general manager of children’s media and education at PBS, during the Television Critics Association winter 2019 press tour. “Every hero was once a kid struggling with a question or a tough choice, just like our viewers. But
social‑emotional through development and character skills like courage and resilience, they grew into people who changed the world.”
“Blue’s Clues & You,” 1 p.m., Nickelodeon.
Writer/producer Angela Santomero (“Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood”) revisits the 1996-2007 series she co-created with this reboot featuring the return of the puppy Blue and the arrival of a new host, Josh (Joshua Dela Cruz, Broadway’s “Aladdin”).
The premiere episode features past hosts Steve (Steve Burns) and Joe (Donoan Patton) returning to pass the baton to Josh, who gets some new tech that wasn’t in the original show, including an updated Handy Dandy Notebook that’s now equipped with smartphone technology, allowing Josh and Blue to receive emails and video calls.