The Poodles

***The Poodles*** is an American animated television soap opera that originally aired on public television network PBS from November 7, 2005 to August 31, 2012, and on CC Network from September 10, 2012 to October 25, 2013. Created by former *Fred and the Nature Gang* writer Andrea Hansen and produced by PBS's affiliate Connecticut Public Television, *The Poodles* follows the lives, loves, and various adventures of the residents of suburban New Yorkshire. PBS broadcasted the show's 1,000th episode on September 4, 2009.

PBS cancelled *The Poodles* in January 2012, and the series was subsequently picked up by CC Network. The series aired its final episode on PBS on August 31, 2012, with new episodes continuing on CC Network starting on September 10. In December 2012, just months after picking up the series, CC Network decided not to renew its contract for *The Poodles*, and the studio was subsequently unable to sell the series elsewhere. The final episode was broadcast on October 25, 2013.

## Series history

### **PBS television debut**

*The Poodles* debuted on PBS as part of their PBS Kids block in 2005 with major fanfare. Creator Andrea Hansen had been credited for a large amount in the ratings for *Fred and the Nature Gang* years before, thanks to innovative storylines like that of main characters Milo, Alfred, Stella, and Hudson, but also tended to attract new fans. With *The Poodles*, Hansen was able to start with a blank slate and no pre-existing fanbase to please. The series replaced the Procter & Gamble-produced animated soap *Beautiful Times*, which ended its 37-year run in October 2005, on PBS Kids' schedule.

### **PBS cancellation and move to CC Network**

The series was not renewed by PBS for a full eighth season in January 2012, with PBS instead deciding to add a new show, *Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood* to its schedule. Shortly after, PBS began shopping the series to other networks. In March 2012, CC Network bought exclusive broadcasting rights from PBS to continue airing *The Poodles*, with most principal voice actors and characters staying on. As the series was coming to a close on PBS, *The Poodles Interactive Talk* series hosted by former Milkshake! presenter Naomi Wilkinson premiered in July 2012 every Friday afternoon on CC Network, giving fans the chance to interact live with the animated characters, making *The Poodles* the first and only animated soap to ever have a live interactive show in cartoon history. *The Poodles Interactive Talk* continued to air on Friday afternoons after the series moved to CC Network, until January 14, 2013.

*The Poodles* ended its PBS run on August 31, 2012, and new episodes began airing on CC Network on September 10, 2012, making *The Poodles* both the first animated soap broadcast on a television channel and the first series to make such a transition from public television. The series ran Monday to Friday at 4:00 pm ET/3:00 pm CT on CC Network, with repeats airing on weekends. pbskids.org continued to maintain *The Poodles*' official website after the series move from PBS to CC Network, however, the newer episodes were no longer available at pbskids.org for free streaming or for purchase at iTunes. *The Poodles* reached its 2,000th episode milestone on July 7, 2013.

On December 16, 2012, *Cartoon Brew* and several voice actors confirmed that CC Network had decided not to renew *The Poodles* for another year, but ordered additional episodes to be made through April 2013. New episodes of the series were broadcast until October 25, 2013, with CC Network airing four episodes per week starting January 2013. Production on *The Poodles* wrapped up on June 28, 2013. The cast and crew were told at the wrap party that efforts to find a new outlet had failed and that the cancellation was final. Though *The Poodles* had been the highest-rated original series on CC Network, it was reported that the network had failed to meet the projected number of viewers they had hoped to attract with the series.