The PBS long-running series Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood will air its last new episode this summer, ABC.com reports. The network will continue to air daily reruns from a rotating library of over 300 episodes.
After a run of 33 years, Fred Rogers, who hosted the show since its inception, intends on keeping busy. He is presently working on the narration for a traveling planetarium show, The Sky Above Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. He also is working on several books and has many speaking engagements to keep him busy. Rogers also wants to develop a computer program that would have him reading bedtime stories that children could view on their computers.
Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood has taken on many subjects over the years, including a June 1968 show in which he discussed the assassination of presidential candidate Bobby Kennedy. Worried about the graphic and violent images that were being shown on television, Rogers helped his young viewers understand the word “assassination” and asked them to talk about what they were seeing and feeling. A few years ago, he also worked on a public service announcement to help families cope with the Gulf War.
The last new episode, which was taped in December, will air sometime in August.
