BEING A SORT OF spin off of their highly successful and now iconic series, SESAME STREET, the Children's Television Workshop brought us this somewhat abbreviated dose of the same medicine two years after the "parent series". Although the objectives of keeping the little rug-rats entertained; while at the same time, slipping in some generous helpings of educational material.AS FOR THE differences between the two series, we note the obvious half length of the newer show. With SESAME STREET's running for a full hour, this ELECTRIC COMPANY was allotted half of the screen time. Perhaps this is yet another indication of our next assertion that this EC series was designed and marketed to the kids who were just a tad older. These children were apt to have the patience to sit and watch as long as their younger brothers and sisters.THE GENERAL TONE of the show is far more lively than its older brother. Right from the opening credits we are made aware of this quality. Its theme song sets the tone and it never really slows down. There are no Muppets in evidence and a smaller cast of regulars is employed.IT IS ALSO a sobering thought that whatever accomplishments connected to this series were tempered with the knowledge that this production company had the benefit of funds from Federal Programs such as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the National Endowment for the Arts and other sources. This Children's Television Workshop is certainly no example of :Free Enterprise" and "Rugged Individualism". AS WE SIT here, waxing nostalgically, there is really not much that we can recall that was typically a symbol of he show. The only two features that we can name are: THE ELECTRIC COMPANY's inclusion of brief vignettes of Marvel Comics' SPIDER-MAN and for being the venue to which we were introduced to actor Morgan Freeman.

Hey You Guys! I really loved the Electric Company even though it was five years before my time. I can say that I learned a lot from this show. Just basic reading and grammatical skills that so many kids are lacking these days. This show was really fun and there were a lot of people who made it that way. They really need to make more educational programs just like this so that kids can keep an opened mind as to what's out there rather than relying on other TV shows that don't really have any educational value and do very little to stimulate young minds.I'm surprised that this show isn't in syndication and hasn't been released on DVD and VHS because the Children's Television Workshop could profit very well from it.

Although I love its great predecessor, "Sesame Street," this show was a lot more beneficial to me as a child because I learned to read at an early age. I have been told that the reason the show ceased was because of production costs, but I still think it holds value today as a teaching tool. I think "Electric Company" was one of the best educational shows PBS ever produced. The clothing and hair may be retro, but the songs (by Tom Lehrer and also the late, great Joe Raposo, a truly talented composer for both "Electric Company" and "Sesame Street," as well as the composer of the infamous "Three's Company" theme, "Come and Knock on Our Door") are timeless. "T-I-O-N," "N'T," the "If" song, "L-Y," and "I Like Fish Food" are my top five "Electric Company" songs. Noggin has done a great service by airing the reruns of all six seasons (not the final two seasons as PBS did in the 1980s). Thanks, Nickelodeon (even if you are a subsidiary of Viacom)!

The Electric Company has returned on Noggin, Nickelodeon's "other" station. I catch it in the wee hours of the morning. It's great to watch, even at 27. I'm going to record the episodes so that my kids can see them, too!Check your local listings (if you have Noggin) for times.