It will be a lot harder to find the way to certain episodes of Sesame Street as HBO Max has removed many classic episodes from the streaming service. In 2019, Sesame Workshop and HBO signed a five-year deal where the new season would premiere on HBO first before airing on PBS. When HBO Max launched, the service had access to new episodes of Sesame Street but also many of the classic episodes including the series pilot, and was a great way for families to have access to one of the most popular kids' shows in the world.
In the wake of the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, they have been removing programs from HBO and it appears Sesame Street is a major victim. According to Variety, HBO Max removed almost 200 episodes of classic Sesame Street episodes. Previously HBO Max had 650 episodes of Sesame Street on the service including episodes from season 2 through 4, season 6, and every episode from season 8 onwards but now only 29 classic episodes before seasons 39 are available on the streamer bringing the episode count now to 456.
This move comes just one day after HBO Max removed 36 movies and television series including the HBO Max original The Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo. Warner Bros. Discovery cutbacks to HBO Max have primarily been targeting kids and family entertainment, as the studio said they were no longer investing in kids' animation during their recent investor call. While some may not notice the removal of Sesame Street episodes from the service, it seems disrespectful to one of the great long-lasting television series.
Source: Variety