Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street

Sesame Street is an institution nowadays, but it wasn't an easy sell. This is that story, how one person (Joan Ganz Cooney) saw the TV as an opportunity to bring education to the disadvantaged . . . With the help of Muppets.

And it's a moving one. The filmmakers highlight the key personnel involved in the crafting of the show; sure, Jim Henson is a star player, but I loved seeing his dynamic with Frank Oz (real life Bert and Ernie! ) and it hasn't been touched on on the docs I've seen up to this point. Even more so the coverage of Joe Raposo, the man behind all of our favorite songs.

This is a thoughtful, honest work that hit me right in the solar plexus; and such positivity is ever fleeting in this world.

I last watched "Sesame Street" when I was eight years old; I'm now 55. But even after all this time, I take its lessons to heart. Besides, you don't have to have grown up on the show to appreciate this fine chronicle of its history and influence.

I could go on for several paragraphs about why this movie works, but I'll simply say that STREET GANG does for "Sesame Street" what WON'T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR did for "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" in 2018. I give it my highest recommendation.

I have seen a few Documentaries on S2. Most have focused on JH or particular cast members. This is the first I have seen about the people who created the show.

It shows how the creators decided on inclusion. While other shows only had white cast members and guests, S2 made sure every child could recognize themselves in one form or fashion.

It also showed the push back for non inclusive people and places. As well as the blinding effects of what tobacco and alcohol marketing was having on children of the 60's.

This is a great legacy piece that showcases the care and joy that went into many of our most vivid pre-teen memories.

They glossed over quite a few people/events, including one of the guys who played Gordon (granted, the second guy wasn't there for long). Such is life with this kind of documentary, I suppose. You show me a talking heads documentary, I'll show you someone's story being left out. It really could/should have been a mini-series.

Still, there's some priceless material here, including funny Muppet outtakes and some great interviews, both old and new. The ones with composer Joe Raposo ("Bein' Green", "Sing", "I'm an Aardvark", etc.) were my favorites, and the behind the scenes footage of the show's creators was very cool to see.

The content of the Street Gang is immensely enjoyable. The history of Sesame Street is a fascinating story and there's plenty of entertaining material included here.

Being the huge fan of the show that I am I would have liked to seen a few more areas covered. It didn't shy away from the behind-the-scenes antics of the Muppet performers which was wonderful to see. I wished they had featured more of the players outside of Henson and Oz, both the puppet performers and human actors. And I would've liked if the creators had gotten into role of actor Northern Calloway more, who played David, a very likable screen presence whose erratic behavior off screen got him fired from the show (his life ended tragically).

Still this is a good documentary that is definitely worth watching.