It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood, as the theme song goes, and Mister Rogers fans have cause for celebration. Fred Rogers Productions has partnered with Little Dot Studios to bring the iconic kids' show Mister Rogers Neighborhood, which ran from 1968 to 2001, to YouTube. The show will have a dedicated YouTube channel featuring full episodes and short-form video content, such as clips and compilations.
"Mister Rogers' Neighborhood continues to inspire viewers young and old across four generations," said Paul Siefken, president and CEO of Fred Rogers Productions. "We're excited to partner with Little Dot Studios on this new YouTube Channel that will make the wonder, kindness, and human connection of the series more discoverable and accessible than ever."
The details, first reported by Deadline, are sparse. Little Dot Studios is tasking its US team with putting the channel and its content together with help from Fred Rogers Productions. A PBS spokesperson told CNET that the expected release date is summer 2026 and that the channel will feature a rotating selection of episodes from the show's entire catalog.
Little Dot Studios manages over 1,100 YouTube channels, including those of many automakers and game developers, such as Ubisoft. The company also had exclusive rights to air the Diddy: In Plain Sight documentary in 2025.
Other TV shows from Fred Rogers Productions, such as Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Donkey Hodie and Alma's Way, will remain on PBS Kids.
The show, which aired from 1968 through 2001, has 895 episodes across 31 seasons. It also hosted many guests, including famous chef Julia Child, Koko the Gorilla, musicians, dancers and astronauts. A visit from Star Trek's LeVar Burton in 1998 was particularly memorable. The show is unavailable in its entirety anywhere, though Amazon Prime Video comes closest.
PBS told CNET that the show will continue to stream in a continuous loop on Pluto TV, and that episodes will continue to air on regular TV via PBS, with a selection available for streaming on PBS Kids. Amazon Prime Video will also keep its collection intact. Episodes can also be streamed for free on PBS Retro via Plex, Roku, Vizio, TCL and LG smart TVs.
A new generation of neighbors
While it was primarily aimed at preschoolers, the show's endlessly positive messaging has resonated with people of all ages. When news of the YouTube channel spread on Thursday, it was met with exceptionally positive responses on social media, with longtime fans vowing to watch every episode and share it with their kids.
"My daughter is 8 months old, and lately I've been thinking about stuff like Mr. Rogers and how consequential it was to me growing up," one commenter wrote. "I didn't know if there was anything like that out there now, but I'm glad to know this will be available as she gets older and can watch."
Fred Rogers passed away in 2003. He still makes news occasionally, including during Mitt Romney's 2012 US Presidential campaign, when Rogers' emotional 1969 Congressional testimony went viral after Romney promised to cut funding for PBS.
A documentary about Rogers, Won't You Be My Neighbor, was released in 2018 to widespread acclaim.
