Arthur

I am 32 years old. I started watching the show just because I had PBS on for my son. Now I watch it even when he's not there! There is so much subtle humor for adults in this show. I, too, dislike the way they sometimes get heavy-handed with the "lessons," but that's an educational kids' show for you. This show illustrates how people aren't perfect (Francine is too bossy, Muffy is spoiled, etc.) and that is soooooo refreshing! Plus, they make fun of themselves (The Andy and Company episode, the Magic Toolbox, etc.) Arthur is written in such a way that it is appealing to kids AND their parents, whereas most kids' shows make their parents want to vomit.

Arthur is such a great show because, it has everything for kids like learning, playing, and kids sticking up with each other. It's much like watching "Flying Rhino Junior High" and "Recess", too. I had first seen this show back in 1996 (right before 1997). Let me tell you a few funny parts: Arthur imagines that he was Oliver Twist; Buster shrieks after he daydreams about the substitute teacher (which was Mr. Ratburn's sister); Francine sings loud while beating her drums and interupted everywhere in Elwood City; and D.W. pretends to be Arthur and pretends to be the audiences sleeping. Oh, yeah. D.W. makes fun of Arthur's Crunch cereal commercial song that's with the line, "my brother stinks like a piece of cheese." Man. I wuv this show and it rocks!

This show is so great. it deserves a lot more credit. its a show for all ages. its not just for the little ones, which most people assume. Also, its WAY different than the books. The books are for kids, and the show is for everyone. Which is why i love this show so much! Actually it reminds me of the show doug, a cartoon that aired on nickelodeon a few years ago. I recently found out that doug arthur have the same writer! But arthur is a lot better. I heard that there is gonna be an arthur movie? did any one else hear this?

A recent article in (I believe) USA Today named a critic's picks for top shows of the 1990s. As someone who despises mainstream movies and television, I laughed at every show picked. With the notable exception of one. "Arthur." Now there was a show the critic and I could agree on. Arthur features more intelligence, wit, humour and maturity than just about anything else out there and that includes prime time shows. Arthur is a rare children's series that can be enjoyed by both children and adults and truer words were never spoken. Arthur is not "dumbed down" in any way. It refuses to treat it's young audience with anything but respect for their intelligence and feelings. Problems are dealt with in a realistic manner and each of the characters has a distinct personality and come from diverse backgrounds. This is shown in several stories that do not focus on Arthur and his sister, DW (she steals the show by the way) but the supporting cast like Buster, Muffy and my favorite character, the tomboy Francine. Muffy is a rich priss, Francine and her family come from a working class background, the gluttonous Buster's parents are divorced, Sue Ellen and her family have travelled the world and the perceived bully, Binky Barnes, is anything but. The producers need to be commended in their effort to make every character a seperate individual and to give them stories in which they can shine.

I'm 28 and cannot miss an episode of this series. Arthur proves that children's shows can (and should) "grow up." TV wouldn't be such a vast wasteland if more shows (for children and grown ups) would take a lesson from Arthur. It really is "that good."

Arthur is a great show for kids that is not only charming, relate- able and fun and taught great morals to watch but also had great characters. Like the ever reliable best friend Buster who had a running gag of eating questionable food, the tom boy Francine who is hinted to be a love interest for Arthur, Binky the on and off again bully, Fern the adorable shy girl and many more. But for every good character on this show there is a bad trait put in to 1 of the worst characters of any show ever DW! DW is annoying, bratty, mean, selfish, loud, snot nosed, whiny, rude, greed and just plain a shot in the foot to the show for having so many episodes with her put in the lead role. For a show called Arthur their sure is a lot of his sister and some episodes really could have been better if they just swapped her out for someone else. Their are good episodes with her in the lead role like the fire drill episode or Bleep. But there are the bad ones like the one where she gets an allowance but is jealous that her friends get more and does some pompous bull crap to trick her parents into giving her more or one of the episodes I hate the most, "Never, Never, Never" where she has to donate toys she doesn't play with anymore but obviously she doesn't want to get rid of them, so you know what she dose, she gives legit all her toys to the tibble twins and like the brats they are don't give them back and she acts like a brat for the rest of the episode and doesn't really learn anything at the end of episode. Or The episode DW flips she could have been replaced with Sue Ellen or any other girl character. Overall I was just ranting about DW a bad character in a show full of great ones.....but really there should have been less of her.