The Best TV Shows on PBS Kids

Every PBS Kids Show Ranked From Best To Worst

As of October 2026, our compilation of PBS Kids’s top-rated series boasts over 20 unique shows. With its programming history stretching from 1969 to 2015, PBS Kids offers an impressive lineup of over 20 shows. For top-tier entertainment, PBS Kids delivered Sesame Street and Barney & Friends in 1969 and 1992.

  • The Puzzle Place
    The Puzzle Place (1995)9.5

    The Puzzle Place is an American children's television series produced by KCET in Los Angeles, California and Lancit Media in New York City, New York. It premiered on the Public Broadcasting Service on January 16, 1995, and ran for about four years, airing its final episode on December 4, 1998. Reruns were continued until March 31, 2000. The show followed a multi-ethnic group of kids from different parts of the United States who hung out at "the Puzzle Place", which is a teen hangout themed around jigsaw puzzle pieces. In each episode the characters were confronted with an everyday conflict usually encountered in childhood and even early teenagerdom, such as making moral decisions, sharing, racism, sexism, etc.

  • 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.

  • The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!
    The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! (2010)8.0

    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.

  • Ghostwriter
    Ghostwriter (1992)7.3

    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.

  • Dragon Tales
    Dragon Tales (1999)7.3

    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.

  • Martha Speaks
    Martha Speaks (2009)7.3

    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.

  • 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.

  • Super Why!
    Super Why! (2007)7.1

    Super Why! or The Reading Adventures of Super Why! is a CGI animated show developed by Angela C. Santomero and Samantha Freeman Alpert. The TV series is produced by New York City-based Out of the Blue Enterprises and Toronto-based DHX Media through its Decode Entertainment division. The show debuted on PBS stations on September 3, 2007. The series airs on PBS Kids and PBS Kids Sprout in the USA, Kids' CBC in Canada. Thai PBS from Thailand broadcasts the shortened version, the episodes are 5 years behind the U.S.

  • Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood
    Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood (2012)7.1

    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.

  • Clifford the Big Red Dog
    Clifford the Big Red Dog (2000)6.7

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

  • Clifford's Puppy Days
    Clifford's Puppy Days (2003)6.7

    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.

  • George Shrinks
    George Shrinks (2000)6.5

    George Shrinks is a French-Canadian/American/Chinese animated television series. It is based on the children's book by William Joyce, produced in China by Jade Animation and in Canada by Nelvana, in association with Public Broadcasting Service. It tells the story of a ten-year-old boy named George who, one night dreams that he is three inches tall, only to wake up and discover that it is true. The show details his adventures with his friends and family going all through his adventures on his mini machine's that George and his musical father have created.

  • Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks
    Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks (2003)6.4

    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.

  • 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.

  • Barney & Friends
    Barney & Friends (1992)6.2

    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.

  • Sid the Science Kid
    Sid the Science Kid (2008)6.0

    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.

  • Nature Cat
    Nature Cat (2015)5.5

    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.