The Best TV Shows on PBS Kids

Every PBS Kids Show Ranked From Best To Worst

PBS Kids has delivered an expansive roster of over 20 shows, dating from 1969 all the way to 2015. For top-tier entertainment, PBS Kids delivered Sesame Street and Barney & Friends in 1969 and 1992. As of April 2026, our compilation of PBS Kids’s top-rated series boasts over 20 unique shows.

  • Peep and the Big Wide World
    Peep and the Big Wide World (2004)8.5

    Peep is a newly hatched chicken who goes on daily adventures with his friends Chirp the robin and Quack the duck. The pals live a large urban park they call "the big wide world" and is the setting for all their lessons. Peep learns specific science concepts on his travels, while the series also incorporates real kids playing and experimenting in their own big wide worlds.

  • Adventures from the Book of Virtues
    Adventures from the Book of Virtues (1996)8.2

    Growing up can be confusing! When Zach and Annie face difficulties in their lives, they go to special place called Plato’s Peak. There, Plato—a talking buffalo!—and his friends are always willing to lend a helping hand.

  • Wishbone
    Wishbone (1995)8.0

    Wishbone is a children's television show. The show's title character is a Jack Russell Terrier of the same name. Wishbone lives with his owner Joe Talbot in the fictional modern town of Oakdale, Texas. He daydreams about being the lead character of stories from classic literature He was known as "the little dog with a big imagination". Only the viewers and the characters in his daydreams can hear Wishbone speak. The characters from his daydreams see Wishbone as whatever famous character he is currently portraying and not as a dog.

  • The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!
    The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! (2010)7.9

    The Cat in the Hat is back -- and this time, he's teaching Sally and her brother, Nick, some awfully nifty things to think about!

  • The Magic School Bus
    The Magic School Bus (1994)7.7

    An eccentric schoolteacher takes her class on wondrous educational field trips with the help of a magical school bus.

  • Cyberchase
    Cyberchase (2002)7.6

    The series takes place in Cyberspace, a virtual world, and chronicles the adventures of three children, Jackie, Inez, and Matt, as they use math and problem solving skills to save Cyberspace and its leader, Motherboard, from The Hacker, the villain.

  • Dragon Tales
    Dragon Tales (1999)7.4

    Two siblings, Max and Emmy, find an enchanted dragon scale capable of transporting them to a whimsical fantasy land inhabited by colorful anthropomorphic dragons by reciting a rhyme. They befriend four friendly dragons Cassie, Ord, Zak, Wheezie and Quetzal.

  • Sesame Street
    Sesame Street (1969)7.1

    On a special inner city street, the inhabitants—human and muppet—teach preschoolers basic educational and social concepts using comedy, cartoons, games, and songs.

  • Ghostwriter
    Ghostwriter (1992)7.0

    Ghostwriter is an American television program created by Liz Nealon and produced by the Children's Television Workshop and BBC One. It began airing on PBS on October 4, 1992, and the final episode aired on February 13, 1995. The series revolves around a close knit circle of friends from Brooklyn who solve neighborhood crimes and mysteries as a team of young detectives with the help of an invisible ghost named Ghostwriter. Ghostwriter can communicate with the kids only by manipulating whatever text and letters he can find and using them to form words and sentences. The series was filmed on location in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.

  • Martha Speaks
    Martha Speaks (2008)7.0

    Martha, a beloved family dog, is accidentally fed alphabet soup — this gives her the power of speech and the chance to speak her mind to anyone that will listen.

  • Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood
    Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood (2012)7.0

    The life of 4-year-old Daniel Tiger and his friends as they learn fun and practical strategies and skills necessary for growing and learning.

  • Zoboomafoo
    Zoboomafoo (1999)6.7

    Zoboomafoo is an American children's television series that aired from January 25, 1999, to April 28, 2001, and is still shown today in syndication depending on the area, and it is regularly shown on PBS Kids Sprout. A total of 65 episodes were aired. A creation of the Kratt Brothers, it features a talking Coquerel's Sifaka, a type of lemur, named Zoboomafoo, or Zoboo for short, and a collection of repeat animal guests. Every episode begins with the Kratt brothers in "Animal Junction", a peculiar place in which the rules of nature change and wild animals come to visit and play. After January 16, 2004, the show was pulled from its weekday airing on most PBS stations, though some continue to air the show.

  • Clifford the Big Red Dog
    Clifford the Big Red Dog (2000)6.6

    The adventures of a larger-than-life red dog on Bridwell Island.

  • Clifford's Puppy Days
    Clifford's Puppy Days (2003)6.6

    Set two years before the events of Clifford the Big Red Dog, the series focuses on when Clifford was a tiny red puppy. Clifford was the runt in a litter of puppies born to the pet dog of Emily Elizabeth's neighbor, Mr. Bradley (who appeared in an episode of the previous cartoon series, "Little Clifford"). He was adopted by Emily Elizabeth before he grew up into a giant red adult dog, forcing the Howard family to move out of their small apartment so Clifford would be able to live comfortably. The series shows Clifford and Emily Elizabeth's life and friends before they moved from the city to Birdwell Island. Clifford's Puppy Days was produced by Scholastic Entertainment and Mike Young Productions and overseas animation services was by Sunwoo Entertainment and Yeson Animation Studios.

  • Dinosaur Train
    Dinosaur Train (2009)6.4

    Join Buddy, a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and his adoptive Pteranodon family on a whimsical voyage through prehistoric jungles, swamps, volcanoes and oceans, as they unearth basic concepts in life science, natural history and paleontology.

  • Sid the Science Kid
    Sid the Science Kid (2008)6.2

    Sid is an "inquisitive youngster" who uses comedy to tackle questions kids have about basic scientific principles and why things work the way they do.

  • Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks
    Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks (2003)6.1

    The adventures of Piggley, a spunky eight-year-old pig, and his friends Dannan the Duck and Ferny the Bull on Raloo Farm in Ireland.

  • Barney & Friends
    Barney & Friends (1992)5.8

    Barney & Friends is an American children's television series aimed at children from ages 2 to 5. The series, which first aired on April 6, 1992, features the title character Barney, a purple anthropomorphic Tyrannosaurus rex who conveys educational messages through songs and small dance routines with a friendly, optimistic attitude.

  • Nature Cat
    Nature Cat (2015)5.3

    Nature Cat can’t wait to get outside for a day of backyard nature excursions and bravery! But there’s one problem; he’s still a house cat with no real instincts for nature. That doesn’t stop this passionate and curious feline, who loves learning and experiencing all he can about nature.

  • Teletubbies
    Teletubbies (1997)4.4

    Pre-school fun, fantasy and education with colourful rotund characters Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po in a magical land called Teletubbyland.