Entertainment
Elmo Is Canceled By The Ultimate Grouch
By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
News broke last week via The Hollywood Reporter that Sesame Street would soon be without a streaming home after Warner Bros Discovery decided not to renew the show’s contract with HBO. Since 2018, the most popular children’s educational show in history has been part of HBO and, later, Max, where it will remain, or at least should remain, through 2027, when the streaming contract runs out. What that contract doesn’t cover, though, is the new seasons, with Season 55 being the last one available on Max, and the fate of Season 56 is up in the air.
Sesame Street Is Homeless
Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav may be making shareholders happy with his cost-cutting measures. Still, he’s managed to anger thousands, if not millions, of consumers. By pulling entire animated shows off Max without licensing them out to another company, the amount of shows that may never see the light of day again has spiked under his leadership. Sesame Street, despite being an American institution, was not spared from his cost-cutting, as hundreds of episodes have already been pulled from Max.
Though it was under Zaslav’s direction that Sesame Street had been purged, the massive amount of episodes, over 5,000, appeals to other streaming services that aren’t run by a CEO who thinks the best way to gain viewership is through another spin-off of Property Brothers. Sesame Workshop, the independent company behind the series, still has its deal with PBS. The Public Broadcasting Station has been under fire for years as a potential federal budget cut, and even if it sticks around, its future is uncertain. It can’t support the show on its own anymore, hence the need for a broadcast partner.
Sesame Street Is Going Through Major Changes
Season 56 of Sesame Street may not happen for a while, but when it does, it will not only be the first of the new seasons with its new streaming partner but will also be a dramatic format change. The classic short segment style of the series is being retooled into shorter episodes with a more narrative, Tales from 123. The show has changed formats before, dropping from 60 minutes in 2016 to 30 minutes, but no matter what happens, Elmo’s hatred of Rocco has to be carried over.
The switch to more narrative segments that include world-building might be a response to the current king of children’s programming, Bluey, the unbelievably charming Australian program about what life with kids is really like. The difference between the two is that Sesame Street is more like a traditional classroom, with each segment focused on a lesson to learn, and while it’s fun, thanks to the Muppet characters, it’s obviously learning. Bluey encourages a different type of learning, one that’s focused more on understanding the world and the importance of play in children’s development, and both are exceptional together; they are some of the finest shows ever made, but it’s clear why the older PBS series is again changing with the times.
No One Knows What Warner Bros Is Doing
Warner Bros. Discovery is also going through a period of change, which is why leadership decided that Sesame Street no longer fits the type of content they want on Max. Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Elmo, Abby, Rosita, Bert, Ernie, and all the rest have been sent out onto the streets because Warner Bros Discovery wants to focus on “family” shows, like the upcoming Harry Potter series no one asked for.
Someone, either Amazon or Netflix, will likely scoop up Sesame Street, but until 2027, the show’s entire back catalog will be trapped on Max, which means you can count on whoever picks up the show to have a huge celebration when all 5,000+ episodes are available again, while at the same time, Zaslav wonders why Max is the laughingstock of the streaming industry.
Entertainment
Get a free Samsung Galaxy S26 from T-Mobile without trading in your old phone
FREE SAMSUNG GALAXY S26: Sign up for a T-Mobile Experience Beyond plan for 24 months and get a free Samsung Galaxy S26 (256GB) which ordinarily costs $899.99. Existing T-Mobile Go5G Plus members also qualify for the deal.
It’s tough to find a free deal these days. We usually have a massive amount of fine text to read, but T-Mobile is making this deal pretty simple. Sign up for two years of coverage (which you probably needed anyway) and get a free Samsung Galaxy S26 (256GB). Here’s how to qualify.
To get a free Samsung Galaxy S26 (256GB) instead of paying the list price of $899.99, sign on for 24 months of a T-Mobile Experience or Better Value plan. You’ll save the $900 over the next 24 months of bill credit at T-Mobile. No trade in is required to cash in on this deal.
Announced in February, the Samsung Galaxy S26 is the latest model from the major iPhone competitor. It comes with added features like better AI capabilities and a 50 megapixel camera. Samsung also mentions improvements in display clarity with the new S26, giving off better colors and sharper details.
If you’re one for selfies, the Samsung Galaxy S26 could be a great option. Samsung designed the front-facing camera to have a wider view, making it easier to capture selfies with the group.
Mashable Deals
If you’re going with T-Mobile coverage, it’s well worth hopping on this free Samsung Galaxy S26 deal. The cell phone bill was inevitable so you might as well snag a free upgraded phone in the process.
Entertainment
Buy a $300 Delta gift card and get a free $20 Starbucks gift card
BUY A DELTA GIFT CARD FOR $300+ AND GET A FREE STARBUCKS GIFT CARD: Through May 11, buy a Delta gift card for $300 or more and get a free $20 Starbucks eGift card.
Credit: Delta / Starbucks
The price of flying these days is shocking. If you plan on traveling soon on a route served by Delta, it’s well worth checking out this deal to get something for free. It’ll help ease the pain of the ticket price.
Through May 11, purchase a Delta gift card worth $300 or more and get a free $20 Starbucks eGift card. It’s as simple as that. You can also qualify for the deal by buying multiple gift cards that total at least $300. The deal with apply automatically and you’ll receive a separate email containing the free Starbucks card.
Booking flights these days is not much fun. Prices are ahh…. abnormal, but Delta has eased the pain a bit thanks to this deal. The carrier is positioning this free Starbucks gift card deal as a good option for Mother’s Day, but realistically, it’s useful for anyone who plans to book with Delta soon.
Keep in mind the Delta gift card and Starbucks card will never expire. Delta mentions this offer is valid until May 11 at 11:59 p.m. ET or for the first 11,000 purchasers, whichever comes first. That means it might be smart to hop on this deal soon since there’s no way to know if it’ll last until May 11.
Mashable Deals
If you plan on flying soon or want to gift a special someone a Delta gift card worth $300 or more, snag this deal to get a free $20 Starbucks eGift card. It’s a win-win situation for those who plan to fly with Delta.
Entertainment
Snag a pair of Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones for $50 off
SAVE $50: As of May 6, get the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) for $399 at Amazon, down from their usual price of $449. That’s a discount of 11%.
$399
at Amazon
$449
Save $50
If you want to experience your favorite music to the fullest, you need headphones that are up to the task. Bose can typically be counted on to provide that kind of quality, especially with its QuietComfort lineup. You can try its newest model for less right now for less thanks to this Amazon deal, which heavily discounts the cans so you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg on them.
As of May 6, get the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) for $399 at Amazon, down from their usual price of $449. That’s $50 off and a discount of 11%.
Though an incremental upgrade from the previous QuietComfort model, these have some new features you’ll want to try out. But mostly, these comfortable headphones are all about feeling great on your ears and sounding fantastic. They offer noise cancellation and spatialized audio so it sounds as though you’re right where the music is. The new Cinema Mode can help to spatialize and balance background and sound and sound effects when watching movies to help put you right into the film as well.
Beyond that they can be used to take calls with their built-in microphones. They’ll last a long time while you’re on the phone too, with 30 hours of play time when listening to songs, podcasts, or taking meetings.
Mashable Deals
Mashable Lead Shopping Reporter Bethany Allard took the headphones for a spin in her review and and called them a “well-rounded pair of headphones”, praising their blend of “comfort, noise cancellation, and sound”.
If you’re ready to pick up a new pair of headphones at a discount that’ll tick all the boxes for you, grab these before the discount disappears.
Get a free Samsung Galaxy S26 from T-Mobile without trading in your old phone
Buy a $300 Delta gift card and get a free $20 Starbucks gift card
