Season 46 ( 2016 ) " Sesame Street s 46th season " ' premiered on HBO on January 16 , 2016 , and September 12 on PBS . Overview . The show ' s 46th experimental season features several changes to the show ' s curriculum , format and set . Curriculum and Format . The season ' s main educational goal is how to demonstrate kindness and conveys the lessons through episodic themes relevant to the lives and interests of a typical preschool child ( such as bedtime , boo - boos and animals ) . Fewer celebrity and parody segments are employed this season , as studies have shown fewer parents ( whom the segments are often geared toward ) are co - viewing with their children . The show also begins to tighten its focus in on a smaller number of select characters : Debuting in the season is a new Cookie Monster segment , " Smart Cookies . " New editions of " Elmo the Musical " also debut ( now running seven minutes ) , and " Elmo ' s World " is reintroduced to the show , with re - edited , high - definition versions of older segments . Also introduced are new opening and closing song sequences , the former marking the first time the theme sequence has taken place on the street set itself . The " What ' s the Word on the Street ? " cold opens have been discontinued and replaced by brief scenes of the Muppet characters introducing the topic of each show . The Word of the Day segments have been cut as well . The season also marks the show ' s move to a new channel . The episodes debut first - run on HBO and then air on PBS following a nine - month window . The season also introduces a shortened , half - hour format , completely dropping the hour - long run time . Cast changes . Following the retirement of Fran Brill the previous fall , Stephanie D ' Abruzzo takes over the role of Prairie Dawn and Jennifer Barnhart takes over the role of Zoe . Joey Mazzarino departed from Sesame Workshop a few months prior to the season ' s premiere , making this his last season involved with the show . Sonia Manzano retired prior to the season taping and therefore does not return as Maria . Also leaving the cast are Nitya Vidyasagar ( Leela ) and Ismael Cruz Córdova ( Mando ) . Joining the cast is a new recurring human character named Nina , played by actress Suki Lopez . On July 28 , 2016 , it was announced that Bob McGrath , Roscoe Orman and Emilio Delgado would not be returning to the show ; however , this was later explained as a misunderstanding as no scenes had been written for them this season . Set changes . The season introduces many changes to the set in an effort to get viewers to associate the Muppet characters with specific locales , evoke a greater sense of community and to modernize the look of the street . Changes include : The changes were designed by David Gallo . The new set elements were constructed by Showman Fabricators and Gotham Scenic ( who built Oscar ' s new enclosure , the newsstand and Big Bird ' s nest ) . Production . Initial elements for the season were taped in early February 2015 , with primary filming taking place from April 14 to June 5 . Celebrity segments were shot in Los Angeles the week of March 30 , 2015 . The season marks the first use of a StediCam in studio for the show . Episodes . " Episodes 4601 - 4635 ( 35 episodes ) " Airing . First - run episodes of " Sesame Street " began airing on HBO in 2016 . The season debuted on Saturday , January 16 , 2016 , with two new episodes ( 4601 and 4602 ) airing back - to - back at 9 : 00AM ET / PT . In the subsequent weeks , a new episode aired on HBO every Saturday at 9AM , followed by a repeat at 9 : 30 . New episodes debuted each Saturday morning for 33 weeks , running from January 16th until the end of the season . Episodes were simulcast in Spanish on HBO Latino , and new and library episodes air each weekday on HBO Family . The final episode of the season ( 4635 ) aired on October 29th . The show continues to air on PBS as well , where episodes from Season 46 reached public broadcasting outlets on September 12 , 2016 , airing in a different order than HBO . External links . _ _ NOWYSIWYG _ _