Iconic children's show "Arthur" canceled after 25 seasons

The children's show "Arthur" will be canceled after 25 seasons. The final season of the iconic show will air next year, executive producer Carol Greenwald said in a statement to CBS News. 

"Arthur is the longest-running kids animated series in history and is known for teaching kindness, empathy and inclusion through many groundbreaking moments to generations of viewers," Greenwald said. "In the winter of 2022, the 25th and final season of Arthur will debut."

The show will continue to be available on PBS Kids and be shared on a variety of platforms going forward. Greenwald said that producer GBH and PBS Kids will continue to work together on "additional" Arthur content. While short on explaining any specifics, Greenwald told the Boston Globe that they're "just trying to evolve to meet the kids' needs in places they are now." 

Greenwald's statement comes as an original developer of the show, Kathy Waugh, revealed the show's conclusion during a "Finding DW" podcast episode published on July 13. She said the team had a wrap party two years ago and the show is no longer in production. 

 "I think [PBS] made a mistake, and I think Arthur should come back, and I know I'm not alone in thinking they made a mistake," Waugh said.

"I don't know if it was a ratings issue or if it felt like it needed to be retired," she added. "To me, it just felt evergreen, like it was never going to end. But it did end." 

The show debuted in 1996 and featured Arthur, an aardvark, and his adventures with friends. The series is based on the popular book series by Marc Brown, who created the character in 1976. 

For decades, the show had many memorable episodes that focused on diversity and inclusion. Among them, during the premiere episode of season 22, Arthur's teacher, Mr. Ratburn, came out as gay and married to a man. 

In addition to life lessons, the show spawned many memes, including Arthur clutching his fist and his sister, D.W., staring from outside a park gate.