Review: Sesame Street: 50 Years of Sunny Days

Sesame Street is the most joyful, educational, and longest-running children’s show in American television history. Sesame Street: 50 Years of Sunny Days is a brand-new, two-hour special that chronicles the history and impact the show and its iconic characters have had over the past half century. Sesame Street may be a show for children, but this documentary is squarely aimed at adults in the audience.

The special event runs through a list of many so-called ‘controversial’ issues tackled by the series so far, including homelessness, multicultural representation, autism, refugee crises and addiction. It’s kind of amazing how an educational show for kids starring colorful Muppets has gotten away with being so direct all these years.

From autism to AIDS to racial injustice, Sesame Street has something to say. Even though I was never a huge viewer as a kid, even watching clips of Big Bird’s reaction to his friend’s death got me choked up a little. There’s something really special about using these larger than life characters to address real issues in our lives. And the documentary also highlighted the creation of a Black family of Sesame Street Muppets as part of new racial justice initiative.

Alongside clips of the Muppet characters themselves, the documentary features a number of celebrity cameos talking about what the show has meant to them over the years. People like Gloria Estefan, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Christopher Jackson, and Usher all join the program to shout out their favorite episodes, moments, and memories. I would’ve liked to see a few less celebs and a few more stories from children and parents themselves, but hey, famous people attract more views.

50 Years of Sunny Days covers so many important topics, but at its heart, it’s really a celebration of the show and what it has accomplished so far. From sensitive social topics of days past to the current pandemic related woes that today’s youngsters are facing, Sesame Street is sure to be right there with them.