So, you’re looking for Arthur where to watch because you’ve got that "Everyday when you're walking down the street" song stuck in your head. It happens to the best of us. Whether you’re a nostalgic millennial trying to relive the library card song or a parent realizing your kid actually enjoys educational TV that doesn’t involve screaming puppets, finding the Aardvark can be surprisingly tricky.
Arthur ran for 25 years. That is a massive amount of content. When Marc Brown first brought this character to PBS in 1996, nobody really guessed we’d still be meme-ing DW’s glasses or Arthur’s clenched fist three decades later. But because the show spanned so many eras of television—from VHS tapes to 4K streaming—the rights are scattered like a deck of cards.
The Best Way to Watch Arthur Right Now
If you want the most reliable, high-quality stream, your first stop has to be the PBS KIDS Video app or their website. It’s free. Totally free. No hidden subscription fees or "premium" tiers that lock out the good episodes.
The catch? They rotate the episodes.
You won't find all 25 seasons there at once. Instead, they cycle through chunks of the series to keep things fresh for the target audience. It’s great for a quick fix, but it’s frustrating if you’re trying to do a chronological marathon from the pilot to the 2022 series finale. Honestly, the app interface is built for five-year-olds, so it’s easy to navigate, though it might feel a bit clunky if you're used to the slickness of Netflix.
For those who need the full library, Amazon Prime Video is the heavy hitter. Most people don’t realize that while Arthur isn't "free" with a standard Prime sub, it lives within the PBS Kids Amazon Channel. You have to pay an extra monthly fee—usually around $4.99—to unlock the vault. This is where you get the deep cuts. Season 1, Season 5, the middle years where the animation style started to shift from the hand-drawn look to digital Flash animation—it’s all there.
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What About YouTube?
YouTube is a bit of a Wild West for Elwood City fans. The official PBS KIDS YouTube channel uploads clips and some full-length specials, which is perfect for a five-minute distraction. However, you'll also see a lot of "bootleg" uploads. These are usually pitched-up audio or weirdly cropped screens to avoid copyright bots.
Avoid those. They look terrible.
The audio is usually tinny, and they often get taken down right as you're getting into the plot. Stick to the official channels. Interestingly, the official Arthur YouTube channel has been leaning into the nostalgia lately, acknowledging that a huge portion of their "viewers" are actually adults who grew up with the show. They even hosted a marathon leading up to the series finale.
Why the Earlier Seasons Are Harder to Find
There’s a weird tension in the Arthur fandom between the "Classic Era" and the "Modern Era."
Season 1 through about Season 15 has a specific warmth. The backgrounds were hand-painted. The characters had a bit more "squash and stretch" to their movements. As the show moved into later seasons, the production shifted to 9 Story Media Group and started using digital animation. Some fans find the newer episodes a bit too "clean" or stiff.
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If you are specifically looking for the classic episodes—the ones with the original voice of Arthur, Michael Yarmush—you really have to dig into the PBS Kids subscription on Amazon or look for physical media.
Believe it or not, DVDs are still a thing for this show. Because of licensing shifts, some of the 90s episodes aren't even on streaming services due to music rights or old contracts that didn't account for "internet broadcasting" back in 1997. Check your local library. It’s exactly what Arthur and Buster would want you to do anyway.
International Viewing: It Gets Complicated
If you aren't in the United States, your "Arthur where to watch" journey is going to look different. In Canada, Arthur is a staple on TVO Kids. Since the show was a co-production between WGBH in Boston and Cinar (later Cookie Jar) in Montreal, Canada has a strong claim to the series.
In the UK, the BBC used to be the home for Arthur, but now it’s more likely to pop up on Sky Kids or specialized streaming platforms.
The weirdest part?
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Some regions have different voice actors for certain characters to match local accents, though the North American voices remain the "standard" for most global fans. If you're traveling and find that your PBS app is geoblocked, you're going to see a "content not available in your region" screen. That's just the reality of international media licensing.
The Finale and the Future
In early 2022, the show officially "ended." We saw the kids as adults. It was a whole thing. Arthur is a graphic novelist. DW is a cop. Buster is a teacher.
Even though new episodes aren't being produced, the "Arthur where to watch" search isn't slowing down because PBS is keeping the brand alive through digital shorts and podcasts. The Arthur Podcast actually adapts classic episodes into an audio-only format, which is a clever way to bypass the need for a screen altogether.
Pro Tip for Parents and Fans
If you're trying to save money, don't just subscribe to the PBS Kids channel on Amazon and forget about it.
- Use the free PBS Kids app first.
- Check the "Live TV" section of the app. Arthur often airs in blocks.
- If you can't find your favorite episode (like "Arthur's Almost Boring Day"), then go for the one-month Amazon sub, binge the nostalgia, and cancel it.
Most of the "specials," like Arthur's Perfect Christmas or Arthur - It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (the one with the Backstreet Boys), are often siloed off. They might not appear in the standard season lists. You usually have to search for them by title specifically on platforms like Apple TV or Vudu, where they are available for digital purchase for a few bucks.
Actionable Steps for Streaming Arthur
To get your Elwood City fix without the headache, follow this sequence:
- Check the PBS KIDS Video App first. It is available on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire Stick, and mobile devices. It costs $0. Start here to see which episodes are currently in the free rotation.
- Search for "Arthur" on your local library’s website. Many libraries use Hoopla or Kanopy, which often carry educational series like Arthur for free with a library card.
- Use the PBS Kids Amazon Channel for specific deep-dive marathons. This is the only place where you can reliably find the middle-era seasons (10-20) in high definition.
- Look for "Arthur's Missing Pal" and other specials on VOD platforms like Google Play or iTunes if you want to own them permanently, as these rarely stay on free streaming for long.
- Download the Arthur Podcast if you're on a road trip. It’s a great way to experience the stories without needing a data-heavy video stream.
The show might be "over," but the accessibility is better than it was ten years ago. Just remember that the rotation is key—if an episode isn't free this week, it probably will be next month.