We know that our readers trust and depend on PBS Kids for quality kids programming as much as we do and last month, at the PBS Annual Meeting, we were given some Top Secret Information that we think you are going to be very excited about. PBS Kids upcoming math show Odd Squad is sure to become a favorite of both kids and parents. The new mystery show guarantees laughs as it teaches essential math skills to children ages 5-8. Odd Squad will premiere Wednesday, November 26, 2014, on PBS KIDS with a special one-hour broadcast of two back-to-back episodes, along with integrated digital and offline content. The series will air on weekdays following the premiere.
from left: Agent Oscar, Miss O, Agent Olive, Agent Otto
Odd Squad is a live action media property created by Tim McKeon and Adam Peltzman and produced by The Fred Rogers Company and Sinking Ship Entertainment. The show follows two young government agents, Olive and Otto, who use math skills and collaboration to investigate weird and unusual phenomena.
Each episode of ODD SQUAD includes two 11-minute cases in which the agents investigate weird and unusual phenomena around them and use math to put things right. From recapturing a gallon-sized blob that has separated into smaller pieces, to dealing with a slew of unicorns, dinosaurs and wizards that have escaped from books, there is no occurrence that is too strange for the Odd Squad as they face off against various villains that wreak havoc around town.
From time to time, Olive and Otto are overwhelmed with information and need to work out a problem, at which point they teleport to the futuristic “Mathroom,” where they have all the tools they need to work toward a solution. In each adventure, the Odd Squad agents navigate a complicated underground system of giant tubes that allow them to travel to and from headquarters in just seconds. Each case is followed by an interstitial, such as an agent training video, a guide to the Odd Squad headquarters or demonstrations of how to use the Odd Squad’s odd gadgets – from the “Pudding-Inator” to “The Make-Anything-Within-Reason-Machine.”
Characters:
Ms. O – the director of Odd Squad and gives Olive and Otto their assignment at the beginning of each episode. Ms. O is an overworked, lovable grump who is always barking orders and talking about how she’s “getting too young for this.” A former Odd Squad agent herself, Ms. O also goes into the field to help with difficult missions
Agent Oscar – a member of the government agency Odd Squad. Agent Oscar runs the Odd Squad lab and provides gadgets to help with missions. There is always something odd happening in his lab, and Oscar often enters scenes covered in blob or feathers or slime due to an experiment gone wrong.
Agent Olive – 12-year-old veteran Agent Olive has been with the squad for approximately 12 years. Whip-smart and confident, Olive usually reacts stone-faced to the oddness since she’s seen it all before. But she’s not above having fun – cracking one-liners, without cracking a smile.
Agent Otto – Odd Squad agent on a mission to save the day. Wild card! Thrill-seeker! Life of the party! Rookie Agent Otto just joined up with the squad and is seeing all this weird, unusual, bizarre stuff for the first time and loving every minute of it. While Olive is cool and calculating, Otto usually goes with his gut. This combination makes them the perfect team.
We were lucky enough to sit down with the cool Odd Squad creators Tim McKeon and Adam Peltzman and learn about their odd new show.
Some things that make them cool:
1. They grew up in my home state of Massachusetts and have known each other since High School.
2. They compared the humor in the show to one of the best comedies of all time, Airplane!
3. They are using this humor to teach essential math skills to kids.
We were also shown some clips from the upcoming episodes and I instantly knew that this was a show my 6 year old daughter was going to love. You know how there are some kids shows you actually enjoy and find yourself laughing out loud while watching with your child? That’s Odd Squad. Entertaining while educating our kids, you can’t go wrong! Odd Squad is part of a multiplatform media experience that will include free interactive content online and on mobile. ODD SQUAD’s digital content will put kids in the driver’s seat, giving them the opportunity to sign up and join the Odd Squad, solve cases and stop oddness, just like Olive and Otto. The show’s interactive features will include games, parent resources, mobile apps and more. I, for one, can not wait for the premier!
* We did not receive monetary compensation for this review. Tee and Erika attended the Annual Conference courtesy of PBS. We are sharing our experience and the exciting news about Odd Squad. This will in no way sway our opinion of the product or service.
