“Reading Rainbow Live” is an interactive and livestreamed reboot of the original series created for the next generation of young viewers.

Reading Rainbow Live is an interactive and livestreamed reboot of the original series created for the next generation of young viewers. The classic educational TV series that ran from 1983 to 2006 got a live reboot that premiered on livestream and interactive platform, Looped, this past Sunday. The reboot was initially described as a live event full of music, dancing, and games. Original host LeVar Burton wasn’t included in the reboot, instead Reading Rainbow Live is hosted by “a handful of 20 somethings dubbed The Rainbows.” And according to creative director Amy Guglielmo, young viewers were able to interact with the cast, and said livestreaming on a platform like Looped gave kids the opportunity to “pop in from home, sort of like a souped up Zoom party.” Sunday’s event was produced by the Buffalo Toronto Public Media, the umbrella for WNED, and the same PBS station behind the original series. (NPR)