TV Sesame Street sets premiere date for 48th season Can you tell me when to watch, when to watch new 'Sesame Street'? By Maureen Lee Lenker Maureen Lee Lenker Maureen Lee Lenker is a senior writer at Entertainment Weekly with over seven years of experience in the entertainment industry. An award-winning journalist, she's written for Turner Classic Movies, Ms. Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, and more. She's worked at EW for six years covering film, TV, theater, music, and books. The author of EW's quarterly romance review column, "Hot Stuff," Maureen holds Master's degrees from both the University of Southern California and the University of Oxford. Her debut novel, It Happened One Fight, is now available. Follow her for all things related to classic Hollywood, musicals, the romance genre, and Bruce Springsteen. EW's editorial guidelines Published on October 10, 2017 06:35PM EDT Photo: PBS Get ready to go back to Sesame Street. The children’s program will return for its 48th season with a primetime special Nov. 11 on HBO. The first episode of the new season, an hourlong special titled “The Magical Wand Chase,” follows actress Elizabeth Banks as she and the Sesame Street regulars visit three New York neighborhoods to demonstrate the universality of kindness and human connection. Banks won’t be the only big name to visit Sesame Street this season: Other stars set to stop by include Lucy Liu as a reluctant Cinderella, Kate McKinnon as Mother Goose, Ellie Goulding, and Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez. Josh Groban, John Legend, Leon Bridges, and Alessia Cara will all debut new songs on the show, while Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi will visit an international food fair taking place on Sesame Street. This season will also introduce a new segment called “Cookie Monster’s Foodie Truck,” in which Cookie Monster and his new friend Gonger prepare orders at their food truck and explain where different ingredients come from by visiting their source. As always, the show will focus on teaching moments and promoting diversity, inclusivity, and a celebration of community. “Compassion and community make up the fabric of every Sesame Street episode,” said Brown Johnson, executive vice president and creative director at Sesame Workshop. “The new season centers around celebrating cultural and individual differences and resolving conflicts in a uniquely Sesame way. We aim to build those skills in young audiences and hope they’ll be a generation of peacemakers.” New episodes of Sesame Street air first on HBO, following months later on former home PBS.