Reading Rainbow Returns to Kidzuko Oct. 4, 2025

Reading Rainbow is returning after nearly 20 years as a digital series that will debut Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, on Kidzuko (Sony’s kids-focused YouTube channel), with new episodes scheduled to premiere Saturdays at 10 a.m. ET. Viral librarian and TikTok personality Mychal Threets (Mychal the Librarian) will succeed LeVar Burton as host, framing the revival as a continuation of the show's mission to inspire readers. The reboot is produced with WNED/Buffalo Toronto Public Media and Kidzuko and features a refreshed short-form format that includes hands-on craft segments and vertical video to better reach today's audiences. Celebrity guests and narrators teased in promotional materials include John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Gabrielle Union, Adam DeVine, Jamie Chung, Ebon Moss‑Bachrach and Dancing With the Stars pros Rylee Arnold and Ezra Sosa. The original Reading Rainbow (1983–2006) won a Peabody and 26 Emmys, and the revival — positioned amid concerns about public media funding — aims to motivate children to read and spotlight libraries and literacy.