Season 2 premieres with a week of new episodes in June;
ODD SQUAD: The Movie – guest-starring Jack McBrayer and Hannah Simone – debuts August 1
Arlington, VA, June 15, 2016 – On Monday, June 20, PBS KIDS will premiere a new season of the hit series ODD SQUAD with a one-hour special, followed by additional episode debuts throughout the week. This season, the multiple Emmy-winning show from The Fred Rogers Company and Sinking Ship Entertainment will present all-new adventures when two new recruits, Agents Olympia (Anna Cathcart) and Otis (Isaac Kragten), join the Odd Squad. Following the ODD SQUAD premiere week in June, guest stars Jack McBrayer (30 Rock) and Hannah Simone (New Girl) bring their comedic talents to the PBS KIDS summer event of the season, ODD SQUAD: The Movie, which debuts Monday, August 1.
“ODD SQUAD has become a hugely popular phenomenon, reaching 10 million children in the past year alone* and with more than 600 million streams on digital platforms to date**,” said Lesli Rotenberg, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Children’s Media and Education, PBS. “With the new episodes and first-ever movie from ODD SQUAD this summer, we hope to reach even more kids with a series that research has shown is highly effective at developing the kinds of problem-solving skills that they will need to thrive in the digital economy of the future.”
In the upcoming ODD SQUAD: The Movie, when a rival group of adults called Weird Team arrives with a gadget that fixes any odd problem, Odd Squad is run out of business. The agents are forced to disband and return to life as regular kids. When they learn the gadget isn’t solving problems, but only covering them up, the original Odd Squad agents, Olive and Otto, return to team up with the new Odd Squad. Together, they use math and teamwork to disprove Weird Team and prevent rampant oddness.
In each episode of ODD SQUAD, the agents use math and collaboration skills to solve problems. In a recent study from WestEd, “Odd Squad: Learning Math with PBS KIDS Transmedia Content at School and at Home,” first-graders’ knowledge of algebraic thinking, as well as numbers and operations, increased significantly after using ODD SQUAD digital and hands-on resources.
New digital content from ODD SQUAD will include “Cases,” an online game that invites kids to use math skills and deductive reasoning to find the culprit behind some very odd happenings. The first four cases will kick off with Season 2 on June 20, while the remaining cases will launch in tandem with the movie in August. More new ODD SQUAD games will be added as part of the free PBS KIDS Games app.
The movie will also be available to stream starting August 1 on pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Video App, which is available on a variety of mobile devices and on platforms such as Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Xbox One and Chromecast. In addition, new ODD SQUAD games will be available on pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Games app.
ODD SQUAD is created by Tim McKeon (Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Adventure Time, The Electric Company) and Adam Peltzman (The Electric Company, The Backyardigans, Wallykazam!), and produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment and The Fred Rogers Company.
ODD SQUAD is funded in part by the Heising-Simons Foundation and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).
Program Descriptions and Air Dates (check local listings)
ODD SQUAD: AGENTS OF CHANGE
Air Dates: June 20-24
When Olive and Otto set off to run their own Odd Squad bureau, Ms. O must find two new recruits who can fill their shoes. A one-hour special premieres June 20 with additional new episodes premiering later in the week.
ODD SQUAD: The Movie
Premiere Date: August 1
In this feature-length ODD SQUAD event, a rival group of adults that calls itself Weird Team arrives with a gadget that fixes any odd problem. As a result, Odd Squad is run out of business and all the agents are forced to disband and go back to their lives as regular kids. Using math skills and teamwork, the kids discover Weird Team isn’t actually solving problems, but just covering them up. The Season 2 cast teams up with the Season 1 cast to stop Weird Team and save the world from destruction.
*Source: Nielsen NPOWER, 3/30/15-3/27/16, L+7 M-Su 6a-6a, Reach 50% uni, 6+ qual, P2+ and K2-11.
** Source: Google Analytics, October ’14 – April ‘16
About PBS KIDS
PBS KIDS, the number one educational media brand for kids, offers all children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, digital platforms and community-based programs. Kidscreen- and Webby Award-winning pbskids.org provides engaging interactive content, including digital games and streaming video. PBS KIDS also offers mobile apps to help support young children’s learning. The PBS KIDS Video App is available on a variety of mobile devices and on platforms such as Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Xbox One and Chromecast. For more information on specific PBS KIDS content supporting literacy, science, math and more, visit pbs.org/pressroom, or follow PBS KIDS on Twitter and Facebook.
About The Fred Rogers Company
The Company was founded by Fred Rogers in 1971 as the non-profit producer of MISTER ROGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD for PBS. In the years that followed, it not only created hundreds of episodes of this much-loved program, but also extended Fred’s values and approach to other efforts in promoting children’s social, emotional and behavioral health and supporting parents, caregivers, teachers and other professionals in their work with children. The Fred Rogers Company continues to build on Fred’s legacy in innovative ways through a wide variety of media, and engaging new generations of children and families with his timeless wisdom. The company’s highly-rated children’s TV series include DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD, PEG + CAT, and ODD SQUAD. For more information, visit www.fredrogers.org.
About Sinking Ship Entertainment
Sinking Ship Entertainment is a multiple Emmy® Award-winning production and distribution company specializing in kids’ live-action CGI blended series. Since its launch in 2004, Sinking Ship Entertainment has produced over 500 hours of content, filmed in over 35 countries, and built 33 playgrounds. The company has rapidly earned a reputation for high-quality, groundbreaking original series and companion interactive experiences. Most recently in 2016, Sinking Ship Entertainment won an additional 4 Daytime Emmy® Awards and in March 2016 won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Preschool Series for ODD SQUAD. The company operates a Toronto-based VFX and Interactive Studio, home to over 125 shipmates. Find out more at www.sinkingship.ca.
About the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government's investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of nearly 1,500 locally owned and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology, and program development for public radio, television and related online services. For more information, visit www.cpb.org and follow us on Twitter @CPBmedia, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
About Heising-Simons Foundation
The Heising-Simons Foundation is dedicated to advancing sustainable solutions in the environment, supporting groundbreaking research in science, and enhancing the education for the nation’s youngest learners. Learn more at heisingsimons.org.
Contacts
Lubna Abuulbah, PBS; 703-739-8463; labuulbah@pbs.org
Roberta Lee, 360 Public Relations; 347-801-2342; rlee@360pr.com
Alison Grand, Grand Communications (for The Fred Rogers Co.); 212-584-1133; alison@grandcommunications.com
