The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo
The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo is an American late-night talk show hosted by the Muppet character Elmo.[1] It is a spin-off to Sesame Street, and was developed exclusively by Sesame Workshop for the HBO Max streaming service. The series, consisting of 13 episodes, debuted on HBO Max on May 27, 2020. The first three episodes were available at launch, after which new episodes were premiered weekly.[2] Each episode runs for 15 minutes.[3] In March 2021, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on September 30, 2021, when the show moved to the service's Cartoonito section.[4][5] However, in August 2022, the series was removed from HBO Max.[6]
| The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Based on | Sesame Street by Joan Ganz Cooney Lloyd Morrisett Muppet characters by Jim Henson |
| Presented by | Kevin Clash |
| Starring | Kevin Clash Frank Oz Jennifer Barnhart Jim Henson Richard Hunt Carroll Spinney Stephanie D'Abruzzo Jerry Nelson David Rudman |
| Narrated by | Frank Oz |
| Opening theme | "It's Elmo" (instrumental break) by Mama Bear and the Monsters |
| Ending theme | "Night-Night (aka. Elmo's Goodnight Lullaby)" by Elmo (season 1) "It's Elmo" (season 2) (instrumental break) |
| Composer | Ryan Shore |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 29 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 15 minutes |
| Production company | Sesame Workshop |
| Original release | |
| Network | HBO Max |
| Release | May 27, 2020 – December 30, 2021 |
Premise
changeThe host of the late-night talk show series is the Muppet character Elmo. The American program's main curricular goals are centered around children's bedtime routines, of which each episode demonstrates a different aspect.[2] The Israeli program focuses primarily on long-form, in-depth celebrity interviews, designed to help younger viewers connect with others on a deeper level.[7]
Episodes
change| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 13 | May 27, 2020 | August 6, 2020 | |
| 2 | 16 | September 30, 2021 | December 30, 2021 | |
Season 1 (2020)
change| No. overall | No. in season | Guest | Musical guest | Original release date [8] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Jimmy Fallon | Kacey Musgraves | May 27, 2020 | |
|
Before bedtime, Elmo takes on the role of talk show host. For his first episode, Elmo's guests are Jimmy Fallon and Kacey Musgraves, who sings a classic Sesame Street song. | |||||
| 2 | 2 | The Jonas Brothers | The Jonas Brothers | May 27, 2020 | |
|
The Jonas Brothers drop by Elmo's show to compete in a Silly Freeze Dance contest and sing a song about tooth-brushing. Abby Cadabby's magical fix causes havoc in the control room for Bert and Ernie. | |||||
| 3 | 3 | John Mulaney | Lil Nas X | May 27, 2020 | |
|
Elmo looks inside some goody bags before challenging guest John Mulaney to a nail-biting tricycle race and dueting with Lil Nas X. Ernie leads a backstage tour in the middle of the show and Cookie Monster gets a special visitor. | |||||
| 4 | 4 | Batman | Pentatonix | June 4, 2020 | |
|
Batman (Victor Joel Ortiz, uncredited) plays a contest of Beach Ball Ballyhoo with Elmo until the Bat Signal appears on the curtain. In search of a perfect bedtime story, Elmo welcomes acapella group Pentatonix, who perform a medley of lullabies. Rosita looks for three sheep so she can tell her favorite bedtime tale and sings a goodnight song. | |||||
| 5 | 5 | Nature Nick | Jordin Sparks | June 11, 2020 | |
|
Animal Trainer Nature Nick brings some animal friends on-set to help teach Elmo about nocturnal creatures. Jordin Sparks sings one of her favorite preschool songs, the "Itsy Bitsy Spider", and shares her favorite thing about night-time. Correspondent Grover goes to Sesame Street to investigate whether the sun should be in bed and to investigate whether it is night. | |||||
| 6 | 6 | Miles Brown | The Joyous String Ensemble | June 18, 2020 | |
|
Elmo competes in a nursery rhyme rap battle contest with Miles Brown and the Joyous String Ensemble play a medley of familiar Sesame Street tunes. Cookie Monster babysits his little niece, who runs around the studio before her bedtime. | |||||
| 7 | 7 | Blake Lively | Dan + Shay | June 25, 2020 | |
|
Elmo and Cookie Monster talk about weird dreams before Blake Lively returns to Sesame Street for a contest of "Cookie Monster Says". Duo Dan + Shay perform "I Don't Want to Live on the Moon". Oscar the Grouch prepares to get his chance in the spotlight for "Trash Talk". | |||||
| 8 | 8 | John Oliver/Kwame Alexander | Sofia Carson | July 2, 2020 | |
|
Elmo finds out which animal John Oliver would be and they compete in the world's slowest and most dramatic race. Sofia Carson sings a lullaby and Kwame Alexander recites an impromptu poem about Elmo. | |||||
| 9 | 9 | Hoda Kotb | Ben Platt | July 9, 2020 | |
|
Elmo learns about Hoda Kotb's morning routine and challenging her to a contest of "Hot Potato". Ben Platt sings "C Is For Cookie" in a duet with Cookie Monster. Grover offers to pack Elmo's backpack for school. | |||||
| 10 | 10 | Mykal-Michelle Harris/Jonathan Van Ness | H.E.R | July 16, 2020 | |
|
Elmo brings in "monster makeover specialist" Jonathan Van Ness to unleash the gorgeous monster inside Sesame Streeter Alan (Alan Muraoka), before Elmo and Cookie unveil hair and makeup transformations of their own. Mykal-Michelle Harris gives hosting a whirl and faces off with Elmo in a "No Laugh Challenge", and H.E.R. performs a song about her beautiful, versatile hair. | |||||
| 11 | 11 | Andy Cohen | Josh Groban | July 23, 2020 | |
|
It's time for Elmo's show, but his first guest, Grover is nowhere to be found! Not to worry, Andy Cohen steps in to do his best impression of the MIA monster Grover, while Josh Groban takes Oscar's lead in singing a "trashy" refrain. | |||||
| 12 | 12 | Olivia Wilde | Sara Bareilles | July 30, 2020 | |
|
The Count helps Elmo keep an eye on the clock in preparation for jammie time. Elmo welcomes Olivia Wilde for a contest of "Teddy Bear Dress Up." Musical guest Sara Bareilles brings out two of her besties (Mona Tavakoli and Choska Potter) -- plus an extra special Sesame Street friend Big Bird -- to help her perform her very own version of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." | |||||
| 13 | 13 | Jason Sudeikis | Ciara | August 6, 2020 | |
|
Elmo isn't timid about an important part of his bedtime routine: potty time (party time)! After he challenges Jason Sudeikis to a round of the "Silly Dance Game" contest, Ciara stops by to share an inspiring musical message called "Believe In Yourself". Meanwhile, Grover shakes things up as he plays usher. | |||||
Season 2 (2021)
change| No. overall | No. in season | Guest | Musical guest | Original release date [8] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | Drew Barrymore | Keedron Bryant | September 30, 2021 |
| 15 | 2 | Seth Meyers | Kelly Rowland | September 30, 2021 |
| 16 | 3 | Brady Noon | WanMor | September 30, 2021 |
| 17 | 4 | Amber Ruffin | Bebe Rexha | October 7, 2021 |
| 18 | 5 | Jenna Bush Hager | Sophie Fatu | October 14, 2021 |
| 19 | 6 | Ames McNamara | Leslie Odom Jr. | October 21, 2021 |
| 20 | 7 | Dani & Dannah Lane | AJR | October 28, 2021 |
| 21 | 8 | Rohan Chand | Kane Brown | November 4, 2021 |
| 22 | 9 | Busy Philipps | N/A | November 11, 2021 |
| 23 | 10 | Aidy Bryant | Hello Sunday | November 18, 2021 |
| 24 | 11 | MacKenzie Hancsicsak | Juanes | November 25, 2021 |
| 25 | 12 | Sway Bhatia | Tori Kelly | December 2, 2021 |
| 26 | 13 | Shahadi Wright Joseph | Madison Reyes | December 9, 2021 |
| 27 | 14 | Tamron Hall | Brandon Niederauer | December 16, 2021 |
| 28 | 15 | Big Bird (Matt Vogel) | Kelvin Dukes | December 23, 2021 |
| 29 | 16 | Isaiah Russell-Bailey | James Monroe Iglehart | December 30, 2021 |
International broadcast
changeIn Southeast Asia, the series is aired through HBO Go and episodes are released alongside their HBO Max releases in the United States. In Canada, the series premiered on Treehouse TV on September 5, 2020.[9][10] In New Zealand, the series premiered on TVNZ OnDemand on January 8, 2021.[11] The show began airing on Cartoon Network in the United States on January 28, 2022 under the Cartoonito brand.
Sesame Workshop announced the production of an Israeli adaptation of the series, titled The Talk Show with Elmo (תוכנית האירוח של אלמו), which is slated to premiere on Hop! Channel in October of the same year. 14 episodes have been produced.[7]
Production
changeThe pilot show was directed by Benjamin Lehmann and was produced in January 2019,[12][13] and features special guest Kacey Musgraves performing "Rubber Duckie".[14] Full production of the series took place in November and December 2019.[15]
In addition to Musgraves, confirmed guests were Jimmy Fallon, the Jonas Brothers, John Oliver, an uncredited actor Victor Joel Ortiz portraying Batman, Jason Sudeikis, Kwame Alexander, Sara Bareilles, Miles Brown, Ciara, Andy Cohen, Dan + Shay, Josh Groban, Mykal-Michelle Harris, H.E.R., Hoda Kotb, Lil Nas X, Blake Lively, John Mulaney, Pentatonix, Ben Platt, Jonathan Van Ness, Olivia Wilde and Sofia Carson.[16][17] On March 29, 2021, HBO Max renewed the series for a second season.[4]
Reception
changeThe Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo received positive reviews. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the first season of the show an 81% "fresh" rating based on 16 reviews with an average rating of 7/10. The critical consensus is: "With great guests, fun games, and a lot of silly songs, The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo is a fitting bedtime show for tots that parents may even enjoy as well".[18] Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100, assigned a rating score of 70 based on 8 critic reviews, meaning favorable reviews for the first season.[19]
The show has been reviewed by The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, The Week, and Comic Book Resources among others.[20][21][22][23]
Accolades
change| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | GLAAD Media Awards | Outstanding Children's Programming | The Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo | Won | [24] |
References
change
Some content in this article was copied from the Muppet Wiki, which is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA 3.0) license.
- ↑ "'Sesame Street' star Elmo to interview celebrities on his own 'Not Too Late' talk show". USA TODAY.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Sesame Workshop to debut 'The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo' on HBO MAX on Tuesday, May 27, 2020 | Sesame Workshop". www.sesameworkshop.org. Archived from the original on May 30, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
- ↑ "Muppet Elmo readies for his own starry HBO Max talk show". AP NEWS. May 14, 2020.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Petski, Denise (March 29, 2021). "'The Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo' Renewed For Season 2 By HBO Max". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ↑ "Cartoonito Pre-K Block Debuts Sept. 13 on HBO Max & Cartoon Network". August 16, 2021.
- ↑ White, Peter (August 17, 2022). "'Ellen's Next Great Designer', 'The Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo' & 'My Mom, Your Dad' Among Unscripted & Animated Titles Pulled From HBO Max". Deadline. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 msherwin (August 19, 2022). "'The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo' is getting a star-studded Israeli adaptation". St. Louis Jewish Light. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo Episode Listings". The Futon Critic.
- ↑ Milligan, Mercedes (June 23, 2020). "Corus Ent. Bolsters Specialty Portfolios, Including Toons for All Ages". Animation Magazine. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- ↑ Milligan, Mercedes (August 26, 2020). "Corus Plans Fall Harvest of Animated Premieres on YTV, Teletoon & Treehouse". Animation Magazine. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
- ↑ Ward, Tara (December 15, 2020). "True blue: We talked to Grover, the best little monster on Sesame Street". The Spinoff. Archived from the original on January 12, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
- ↑ Sesame Street Art Department [@sesame_street_art_dept] (January 14, 2019). "Busy day with so many details to sort out and so little time. . . #sesame50 #sesamestreet #productiondesign #scenicdesign…" – via Instagram.
- ↑ Musgraves, Kacey [@spaceykacey] (January 15, 2019). "Made a new BFF today ❤️ Can't wait for this to come out!" – via Instagram.
- ↑ Today: The man behind new ‘Sesame Street’ songs feels a ‘responsibility’ toward kids, March 3, 2019.
- ↑ "what has Stephanie been doing?". www.stephaniedabruzzo.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
- ↑ Bareilles, Sara [@sarabareilles] (December 10, 2019). "Had a bit of a day. So special to be around this biggest bird...especially this week...thinking of his origins and his legacy...and sharing…" – via Instagram.
- ↑ "Official Trailer". YouTube.
- ↑ "The Not Too Late Show with Elmo: Season 1" – via Rotten Tomatoes.
- ↑ "The Not Too Late Show with Elmo" – via Metacritic.
- ↑ "'The Not Too Late Show With Elmo' : TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. May 26, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
- ↑ Framke, Caroline (May 18, 2020). "'The Not Too Late Show With Elmo' on HBO Max: TV Review".
- ↑ "The Not Too Late Show with Elmo is pure Sesame Street gold". The Week. May 27, 2020.
- ↑ "The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo Is EXACTLY What We Need Right Now". Comic Book Resources. May 30, 2020.
- ↑ "Disclosure, Schitt's Creek, Sam Smith, Happiest Season, I May Destroy You, CHIKA, Veneno, Star Trek: Discovery, The Boys in the Band, The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo among award recipients at the 32nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards". GLAAD. April 8, 2021. Archived from the original on April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
Other websites
change- The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo at Sesame Workshop
- "The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo". Archived from the original on July 3, 2022. on HBO Max (archived)
- The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo on IMDb
- The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo on Muppet Wiki, a Fandom wiki