A Poorer Neighborhood
-- Broadcasting & Cable, 11/20/2000
After 33 years and almost 1,000 episodes, the final stanza of public television's Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, which taught children about everything from sharing to dealing with divorce, will be taped next year. Family Communications, the show's production company is already hard at work on the last five episodes. They'll air next August.
Fred Rogers, 71, best-known for his cardigan sweaters and gentle demeanor, has decided to stop production but will not retire. Said David Newell, who has played the show's Mr. McFeely since the beginning, "His goal 30 years ago was to create a legacy of programs, a library of programs."
