The Good Night Show
The Good Night Show was an American television programming block on Sprout which premiered the same day as the channel’s launch date, on September 26, 2005 (when the channel was extensively known as PBS Kids Sprout), and ended on March 31, 2017. It was Sprout’s longest running programming block. Programming started at 6:00pm ET each evening.[1] Throughout the three-hour block, which unlike any of the other blocks on Sprout, was repeated twice over the course of the evening, viewers (referred to as "Sproutlets") were encouraged to participate in host-led games, songs, crafts, and lessons in yoga and sign language. Activities and games generally revolved around a theme, and took place between theme-appropriate cartoon episodes. These themes included issues of interest to preschool children and their parents, such as imaginary friends, teddy bears, shadows, opposites, dreams, or babysitters.
| The Good Night Show | |
|---|---|
 A picture of Nina and a photographer | |
| Launched | September 26, 2005 |
| Closed | March 31, 2017 |
| Network | Sprout (6:00 pm–3:00 am) |
| Owned by |
|
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) (2005-2013) 1080i (HDTV) (2013-2017) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
| Website | https://www.universalkids.com/preschool/shows/good-night-show |
Segments
The Good Night Show features a variety of segments. Some of them were removed in 2012.
The first segment involves a different form of constellations as Nina and Star look at the sky with their telescope, and will either have nighttime birthday remainders from The Sunny Side Up Show.
The next segment features an animated game titled Lucy, Light the Way!, where Lucy, a firefly puppet, (who introduces the shows that come between the block), will light up and viewers need to guess where Lucy is.
The next segment involves a different craft based on the day’s theme. The crafts were removed in 2012, and were replaced by the Sandy Story segment, where Nina would tell a story and draw the pictures in sand.
The next segment involves Nina and Star to spin a moonbeam wheel, and translate a word in Spanish.
The quarter-final segment deals with cleaning up, where Nina and Star put up a musical number to sing.
The penultimate segment deals with brushing teeth and washing your face, and Star would go to sleep. Before this segment, an assigned advertisement for Aquafresh would be shown, that would involve animated toothpaste nurdles that teach you how to brush your teeth through song and dance. This commercial would play up to 6:00 am.
The final segment involves Nina to encourage viewers to give their wishes to Hush, their pet goldfish, with a poem. After that, either Sprout friends sleeping to the iconic Pajanimals song “La-La-Lullaby”, or the repeated Aquafresh commercial would be seen. The Pajanimals song was removed in Somewhere in 2016, and the Aquafresh advertisement was removed in November 2013. In the new Nina version (2014-2017) before the Hush the fish segment, Star is reluctant about going to bed so he can get plenty of rest so he's ready for tomorrow. He says, "I'm not ready to go to sleep yet". But Nina tells him that it's time for bed and "dream about the wonderful adventures that one can have tomorrow". In the end, Star (obedient about "getting some rest") is able to say goodnight, and he goes to sleep. Then the "Hush the fish" segment plays (after Nina tucks Star into bed).
Hosts
Final hosts
- Nina, played by Michele Lepe,[2] She debuted as the permanent host on December 18, 2006.[3] She is of a Spanish heritage. Lepe's fourth season premiered on November 7, 2009,[4] and her fifth season premiered on August 27, 2012. The sixth season premiered on July 27, 2015. Michele (as Nina) guest-hosted The Sunny Side Up Show in 2011 and 2014.
- Star, a star-shaped puppet, portrayed by Stacia Newcomb, was the show's co-host. Star served as the child character of the show, asking questions about the evening's theme, commenting to Nina about the segment (such as the Good-Night Game), or encouraging viewers to follow him as he performed nighttime routines such as brushing his teeth or reading a bedtime story. Star debuted shortly before the departure of the program's original host, Melanie. His puppet was updated on November 7, 2011 and again on August 27, 2012. He appeared as a character in the prequel Nina's World, living with Nina, even though Star accompanied Melanie and Leo prior to Nina's arrival.
- Lucy was a firefly puppet used to introduce the shows that come between the block. She was also featured in games, such as "Lucy Light the Way"; in this game, viewers were shown parts of a picture (as though they were illuminated by a firefly's light) and then guessed what the picture represented. Her puppet was updated in mid-2009. She also appears as a character in the prequel Nina's World, living with Nina, even though she was introduced alongside Leo before Nina arrived.
- Hush was a real-life goldfish who was originally used to introduce the shows that come between the block, until Lucy was introduced. He appeared at the end of every show, with Nina closing the show by saying good night and reciting a poem in which viewers were encouraged to "make a wish." He appears in the prequel Nina's World living with Nina as a child even though he began with Melanie.
Previous hosts
- Melanie, portrayed by Melanie Martinez, was the original host when the block premiered in 2005. She introduced the shows that come between the block with the aid of Hush, a live-action goldfish. In July 2006, Martinez was fired because of concerns over inappropriate dialogue in two 30-second videos, I Have a Future (July 2000) and Boys Can Wait (February 2001), spoofing abstinence-only public service announcements, in which she had played the role of a student, before joining PBS Kids Sprout.[5][6][7] At first, it was just her and Hush, but shortly before Melanie’s dismissal, the cast was expanded to include Star.
- Leo, played by Noel MacNeal, was the interim host between Melanie's dismissal and Nina’s arrival as well as the only male human host. He debuted on September 10, 2006 as a special guest host. Both Star and Hush remained as recurring characters during his tenure, but the cast was also expanded to include Lucy. MacNeal had a long background in children's television, including his portrayal of "Bear" on Playhouse Disney's Bear in the Big Blue House,[8] Magellan on Nick Jr's Eureeka's Castle, and Leon MacNeal from the PBS Kids television show The Puzzle Place.
List of Known Episodes
| Episode |
|---|
| Time & Clocks |
| Exercise |
| Food |
| Holidays |
| Dreams |
| Life Underwater |
| Sunrise and Sunset |
| The Dark |
| Moon and Stars |
| Bath & Bubble Time |
| Imaginary Friends |
| Pets |
| Fairies |
| Night Noises |
| School |
| Nocturnal Animals |
| Babysitters |
| Farm |
| Riddles & Rhymes |
| Penguins |
| Construction |
| Halloween 2011 Live Episode |
| Dance |
| Dinosaurs |
| Bedtime Routines |
| Snuggly Favorites |
| Rainy Days |
| Grandparents |
| Bodies |
| Where we live |
| Seasons |
| Lullabies |
| Bugs & Insects |
| Where we sleep |
| Dress Up |
| Trains |
| Cats & Dogs |
| Sharing |
| Sports & Games |
| Homes |
| Spanish |
| Love |
| Siblings |
| Healthy Sproutlets |
| Lets Get Silly |
| Red, While & Blue |
| Gardens |
| Birthdays |
| Shadows |
| Gift Giving |
| Wonder |
| Our Earth |
| Thankfulness |
| Letters |
| Jobs |
| Growing |
| Moon |
| First Steps |
| Family |
| Parents |
| Babies |
| Friendship |
| Colors |
| Reading & Storytelling |
| Shapes |
| Numbers |
| Hats |
| Safety |
| Imagination & Make Believe |
| Travel |
| Around the World |
| Animals |
| Feelings |
| Art |
| Nature |
| Creativity |
| Camping |
| Heroes |
| Sports |
| Five Senses |
| Fish |
| Beach |
| Circus |
| Desert |
| Transportation |
| Trees |
| Space "2014 Live Episode" |
| Weather |
| Poems |
| Helping Out |
| People who work at night |
| Theatre |
| Putting on a show |
| Reptiles |
| Pirates |
| Musical |
| Birds |
| Safari |
| Mother's Day 2009 Live Episode |
| Emotion |
| Parks |
| Magic |
Programming
- Driver Dan's Story Train
- Jim Henson's Pajanimals
- Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps
- Wibbly Pig (now on Qubo)
- 64 Zoo Lane
- Olive the Ostrich
- Sarah & Duck
- Clangers
- Stella and Sam
- Lily's Driftwood Bay
- Astroblast!
References
- TV Schedule | PBS KIDS Sprout
- "MICHELE LEPE :: actor".
- "Sprout Finds New Good Night Host". Multichannel News. November 6, 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-11-09.
- "Good Night Show". SproutOnline.Com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2011.
- PBS | Ombudsman | More About Melanie
- Jensen, Elizabeth (2006-08-05). "PBS Firing of Host of 'The Good Night Show' Draws Protests". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
inappropriate for her role as a preschool host
- Schoenberg, Nara (2006-07-28). "Anger sprouts online to Good Night Show firing". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
- "Bear in the Big Blue House" (1997)
- Archived web page of the Sprout Online website dating back to November 29th, 2011, which lists episodes of The Good Night Show. Retrieved 28 Oct '19
- Lost Media Wiki Article listing known episodes. Retrieved 30 Oct '19