'Sesame Street' Brings Back Classic Characters, Songs, and Guests for a 50th Anniversary Special

Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration airs Thursday, November 21 at 9:00 pm and is available to stream. Learn about your favorite characters, find classic videos, and share your memories of the show at our Sesame Street 50 site.

Can you count to 50? That's how many years Sesame Street has been teaching children to count, learn their letters, and practice compassion. To celebrate those five decades of education, music, and joy, the show's 50th season opens on WTTW and the 24/7 PBS Kids channel on Sunday, November 17 with a special anniversary celebration hosted by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. As the characters prepare for a big party, they revisit classic segments and songs with the help of old friends like Kermit the Frog and almost all the human cast members who have visited the street, including Roscoe Orman and Sonia Manzano, among others, as well as retired puppeteers Fran Brill and Caroll Spinney. Plus, celebrities from Whoopi Goldberg to Norah Jones, Itzhak Perlman, and Elvis Costello join in on the fun.

Following that exhilarating kick-off, the 50th season will add a new neighbor, an 8-year-old child of military parents named Charlotte or Charlie. Chrissy Teigen, Charlie Puth, Dave Grohl, Maren Morris, Misty Copeland, Michael Che, and Chloe Kim will all appear throughout the season as guests, and Big Bird will host a new segment in which he learns what kids around the world love about their homes (some of these segments were filmed during Sesame Street's summer road trip, so there might be one featuring Chicago!).

Don't miss Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration on November 17 or its rebroadcast on November 21 at 9:00 pm. If you can't wait, dive into the show's five decades at our special Sesame Street 50 website, and share your favorite memory of the show!