Reading Rainbow (Johnsonverse)

Reading Rainbow is an American half-hour educational children's television series based on the 1983-2006 series of the same name. Hosted by LeVar Burton and produced by Johnson Television, WNED-TV, and LeVar Burton Entertainment, the series has run on PBS since August 5, 2014.

As with the original series, the revival has been critically acclaimed. It won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Series in 2019.

Show details
The revival of Reading Rainbow follows the same format of the original series. Reading Rainbow is hosted by LeVar Burton, who also serves as an executive producer. Every episode features a different book, often narrated by a celebrity. The featured story's illustrations are shown on the screen.

After the featured story, Burton visits many places relating to the episode's theme, often featuring interviews with guests. The last segment of each show, called Book Reviews, recommended by children, begins with Burton's introductory catchphrase, "But you don't have to take my word for it," and features children giving capsule reviews of books they like. At the end of almost every episode, Burton signs-off with "I'll see you next time."

Theme song and opening sequence
The original recording of the show's theme song, "Butterfly in the Sky", was used. It was written by Steve Horelick, Dennis Neil Kleinman, and Janet Weir; as with the original, Horelick also serves as the show's music director.

The opening sequence is based on the original show's opening that was used from 1983 to 1999. Burton appears in the new version at the end.

Development
After the series ended, Burton acquired the rights to the Reading Rainbow franchise from WNED-TV. An app based on the series was launched on June 30, 2012. Around this time, Johnson Industries CEO Tim Johnson called Burton and began negotiations on bringing Reading Rainbow back on the air.