Kids don’t just want to play video games, they like watching other people play them—and that appetite is what PBS KIDS is tapping into with its new short-form series Odd Squad Gaming Unit. 

This partially scripted series (pictured above, 40 x four- to seven-minutes episodes) focuses on two agents from the Odd Squad universe playing PBS KIDS video games. The episodes are filmed as if the characters are on a video call, and they react to the games and each other. They’ll play games based on PBS KIDS series such as Arthur, Wild Kratts and Lyla in the Loop. 

Agents Oaklynn and Olindo. Credit: Darren Goldstein. Courtesy of PBS KIDS.

Sinking Ship Entertainment and Fred Rogers Productions produced the series, which premieres tomorrow on the PBS KIDS Games YouTube channel, and next month on the PBS KIDS YouTube channel and PBS KIDS digital platforms.

Odd Squad Gaming Unit is meant to emulate popular gameplay videos on YouTube. In fact, half of all PBS KIDS viewers aged three to eight watch these kinds of videos, according to the pubcaster. This is the first time PBS KIDS is making a series that taps into this popular type of content. 

Beyond mining this trend, the series can draw more eyes to PBS KIDS’ gaming titles, and extend how kids interact with its games, according to the company. On average, its games receive an impressive 43 million plays on its website and 44 million on the PBS KIDS Games app each month. To take advantage of this popularity, the pubcaster launched the gaming-focused YouTube channel PBS KIDS Games (27,000 subscribers) in October 2024. 

The series is the latest expansion of Sinking Ship and Fred Rogers’ popular Odd Squad franchise. Premiering in 2014, the series features young agents who use math to investigate mysterious occurrences. Odd Squad, which spans 114 x 22-minute episodes and a 66-minute movie, has sold all over the world. BBC Studios Kids & Family and Sinking Ship made a UK version of the series, which premiered last year.