Good news for families who have been missing a certain little monkey. Curious George is showing up on the PBS Kids channel schedule again, with the show listed to return in about six weeks (December 1st) in the same 7:30 AM morning slot it held before it quietly disappeared.
The listing was first spotted by animation fan Jason on X, and it is easy to check on PBS member station schedules. The Rocky Mountain PBS schedule for the PBS Kids channel on December 1st has Curious George airing from 7:30 AM to 8:00 AM with the episode "George Gets Slimed; Seesaw Saturday." The holiday special Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas is also on the lineup later that morning at 9:30 AM.
Where Did Curious George Go?
The return is a big deal because the show has been missing from the channel for weeks. The same station schedule shows Curious George in the 7:30 AM slot on September 30th. The next day (October 1st), that slot went to Donkey Hodie, and George was nowhere to be found on the PBS Kids channel after that.
Fans also noticed that the series was removed from Peacock around the same time, which left a lot of parents wondering what was going on with the show's rights. Neither PBS nor Universal, which produces the series, has made any public statement about the exit or the return, so there is no official word on why George left or what kind of deal brings him back.
That has not stopped people from guessing. Some fans think the rights deal between PBS and Universal simply ran out and was renegotiated, while others have connected it to the wider money troubles facing public broadcasting this year. Until PBS or Universal says something, all of that remains speculation.
You Can Still Watch It Online
Kids who cannot wait until December do have another option. While the show is off the channel, full episodes of Curious George are still available to stream for free on the PBS Kids website. That has been one of the more confusing parts of the situation, since the show kept its online home even after it lost its spot on TV.
For now, the December listing is the strongest sign that George is coming back to the channel for good. The December 1st schedule is the only one published so far, so it is not yet clear whether he will be back every weekday morning right away. Still, landing in the exact slot he left behind is a very good sign.
A Long History On PBS Kids
Curious George has been a PBS Kids favorite for almost 20 years. The animated series, based on the classic books by H.A. Rey and Margret Rey, follows George and The Man with the Yellow Hat as the monkey's curiosity gets him into one mess after another. Each episode also slips in some simple science, math, and engineering lessons, which is a big part of why it became such a staple of the PBS Kids morning block.
The show has also been a big part of Peacock in recent years, with newer seasons and specials premiering on the streaming service. That made its sudden disappearance from both places at once feel even stranger to longtime viewers.
The Christmas special on the December 1st schedule is also a nice touch. A Very Monkey Christmas has been a holiday favorite for years, and getting it back on the channel right at the start of the holiday season should go down well with a lot of families.
If the schedule holds, kids will be able to start their mornings with George again in just a few weeks. It might be worth checking your local PBS station's listings closer to the date, since schedules can change and some stations run the PBS Kids channel a little differently.
Are you happy to see Curious George back on the PBS Kids channel, or do you think its time on TV has passed now that it is so easy to stream?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.