After 20 years off the air, “Reading Rainbow” is soaring back into the spotlight—and this time, it’s taking flight in the digital age.
The beloved PBS classic, which ran from 1983 until 2006 with LeVar Burton as its legendary host, will relaunch Oct. 4 as a digital series on Sony’s KidZuko YouTube channel. Buffalo Toronto Public Media, the station behind the original production, announced that new episodes will roll out every Saturday through October 25, complete with companion vertical videos.
Stepping into the role of host is librarian and digital creator Mychal Threets, who doesn’t hide how much the show means to him, or how much Burton shaped his journey.
“There have been two hosts in the history of Reading Rainbow,” he wrote on Threads. “The Legend of Literacy, LeVar Burton! And… me, Mychal Threets, a librarian 🤯🥹 I was raised on Reading Rainbow, LeVar Burton is my hero. I am a reader, I am a librarian because LeVar Burton and Reading Rainbow so powerfully made us believe we belong in books, we belong everywhere.”
That spirit of belonging is what Threets says will guide his version of the show. “I am so happy for all of us that Reading Rainbow is returning! YOU all did this! 😂 We’re flying twice as high, butterflies in the sky! Stay tuned…”
When fans shared disappointment that Burton isn’t reprising his role, Threets was quick to point out that he shared those same feelings. “Oh! If you’re upset because I’m not LeVar Burton… GET BEHIND ME! 😂 I am at the front of that line!” he joked in a separate Threads post. “I will be like Donald Glover in Community if I ever get to meet LeVar Burton. We all want the LeVar Burton Reading Rainbow Storytime read aloud treatment! I’ll be doing all I can to make him and all the library kids proud.”
The return of “Reading Rainbow” comes during what has been an otherwise difficult year for public media. Earlier this year, the Trump administration successfully rescinded $1.1 billion in federal funding for public broadcasters, including PBS and NPR. Now, this revival feels like a glimmer of hope for parents who valued the PBS’ educational programming.
The reboot will reportedly feature appearances from celebrity guests like “Dancing With the Stars’” Rylee Arnold and Ezra Sosa, “Fantastic Four” actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and storytime narrations by Adam Devine, John Legend, and Chrissy Teigen, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Watch the new ‘Reading Rainbow’ on October 4.
