Curious George (TV series)

***Curious George*** is an American animated children's television family comedy series based on the children's book series of the same name which features Jeff Bennett as the voice of Ted Shackelford (credited as "The Man with the Yellow Hat" --formerly called that in the original series books and telefilm books). Frank Welker, who voiced George in the 2006 feature film, returns as the voice of him. The show premiered on PBS Kids on September 4, 2006, and originally ended after nine seasons on April 1, 2015 before returning in 2018.

On September 3, 2018, season 10 premiered on Family Jr. in Canada. Seasons 10-13 debuted on NBCUniversal's streaming service Peacock in the United States when it launched in July 2020. Seasons 1-9 of Curious George are available to stream for Peacock Premium subscribers since September 20, 2020, which is also available to stream on Hulu. Season 10 of Curious George premiered on PBS on October 5, 2020.

*Curious George* is a production of Universal 1440 Entertainment (Universal Studios Family Productions before 2013), Imagine Entertainment, and WGBH-TV (WGBH Kids) (before season 13), and animated by Toon City. Each episode has two animated segments per half hour episode, and a short live-action segment after each.

The live-action shorts illustrate and explain various concepts in math and science, and shows a class with kids engaging in experiments, that teach the math or science concept featured in the previous story. This was shown for seasons 1–9 during its first runs. They were removed from re-runs starting after season 10, and future airings of older episodes also remove them.

## Settings

* **City**: George and the Man live in an apartment in the city. The Doorman keeps a pigeon coop on the roof and is the guardian of Hundley, his dachshund dog. The apartment is near the Endless Park, the museum where Professor Wiseman works, and the zoo. Chef Pisghetti's restaurant is nearby, as are a donut shop, Dulson's Toy Store, Mabel's Department Store (a parody of Macy's and its erstwhile competitor Gimbels), the supermarket, and the pet shop. These are recurring locations.
* **Country**: George and the Man vacation in a small house in the country. The house is near Lake Wanasink, a stream, and a river that eventually flows past the city and to the ocean. George is friends there with five-year-old Allie and the teenage paperboy, Bill.

## Cast

*Main article: List of Curious George characters*

* Frank Welker — Curious George, Tony Pizza, Dumpling Duck, Stig, Flint Quint, Bill's Bunnies, Various characters
* Jeff Bennett — Ted Shackelford (credited as "The Man with the Yellow Hat"), Alvin Einstein, Mr. Renkins, Various characters
* William H. Macy (Season 1)
Rino Romano (Season 2–present) — Narrator
* Rob Paulsen — Compass, Charkie, Mr. Glass, Hamilton the Pig, Jagger the Rooster, Blanche the Goat, Mr. Dulson, Mr. Ruffweek, Various characters
* Jim Cummings — Chef Pisghetti, Jumpy Squirrel, Mr. Quint, Rodney, Various characters
* Debi Derryberry — Gnocchi (Season 1), Lucky the Kitten, Mrs. Dulson
* Bill Chott (Season 1)
Lex Lang (Season 2–present) — The Doorman, Hundley
* Dee Bradley Baker — Gnocchi (Season 2–present)
* B.J. Ward — Aunt Margaret
* E.G. Daily — Steve, Andie, Various characters
* Grey DeLisle — Betsy, Marco, Dorothy, Molly Zucchini, Various characters
* Susan Silo — Netti Pisghetti
* Lara Jill Miller — Allie
* Kevin Michael Richardson — Dr. Baker, Toots, Stew, Various characters
* James Taylor — Leo Zucchini
* Tara Strong — Claire Zucchini, Various characters
* Carlos Alazraqui — Mr. Zoobel
* Jess Harnell — Dinwoodie
* Amber Hood — Carla
* Annie Mumolo — Bill
* Rolonda Watts — Professor Wiseman
* Kath Soucie — Mrs. Renkins

## Episodes

*Main article: List of Curious George episodes*

The setting for most episodes is either the city, where George lives in an apartment building with the Man in the Yellow Hat, or the country, where they share a small house near a lake called Lake Wanasinklake. This allows George to mirror the experiences of kids who live in an urban environment and those who live on farms and in suburbs. A few episodes take place in alternate but familiar settings, like an airport or a train station.

## Broadcast

The show premiered on PBS through PBS Kids and Wii Kids in the United States in 2006 and Family Jr. in Canada in 2015. Season 10 premiered on PBS and the series made its debut on the PBS Kids 24/7 channel the same day. All seasons are available on Peacock and Kyletown+ with the first 9 seasons exclusive to Peacock Premium and Hulu.

*Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas*, an animated television film, was released on November 25, 2009. It was distributed by PBS and produced by Imagine Entertainment and Universal Animation Studios. The film is a holiday television special featuring George, as featured in the TV series. The film is part of the show as well. It is shown every Christmas season on PBS Kids.

## Awards

**Emmy Award**

* 2008 – Outstanding Children's Animated Program
* 2010 – Outstanding Children's Animated Program

## Gallery

Magazine ad for the PBS Kids' series premiere (August 2006)