The beloved franchise expands into the UK in association with CBBC, PBS KIDS, TVOkids, and Radio-Canada.

Toronto, Canada (October 4, 2023) – The production of ODD SQUAD UK, a new format of the original series and an official treaty co-production between Sinking Ship Entertainment and BBC Studios Kids & Family Productions in association with CBBC, PBS KIDS, TVOkids, and Radio-Canada, was announced today. Fred Rogers Productions will distribute the series in the U.S. and SSE will take worldwide rights. The original hit multi-Emmy^® Award-winning ODD SQUAD series, produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment and Fred Rogers Productions for PBS KIDS and TVOkids, launched in 2014. The brand has since grown to include more than 114 half-hour episodes, a feature film, digital games, two seasons of a digital shorts series, and a podcast as well as multiple publishing and merchandising partnerships as part of its expanding licensing program. Each season of the popular ODD SQUAD series features kid agents who use math to investigate strange occurrences, with episodes infused with comedy and fun.

ODD SQUAD UK, co-produced by BBC Studios Kids & Family and Sinking Ship Entertainment, features a brand-new world of oddness and group of agents with a predominantly British cast filmed exclusively in the UK. The format is a natural evolution of the brand, leveraging the popularity of the original series in the UK and consistently high ratings for CBBC. Twelve half-hour episodes of ODD SQUAD UK are currently in production and set for release in 2024.

“It’s been a pleasure co-producing this series of ODD SQUAD UK with Sinking Ship Entertainment,” said Cecilia Persson, Managing Director of BBC Studios Kids & Family. “It’s already a winning format, and this UK version has brought another sense of quirkiness and fun which has filtered through from script, to set, to screen.”

“We are thrilled to bring new agents and more oddness to our global fanbase,” said Blair Powers, Co-Founder and Partner at SSE. “The format takes what we love from the original series and finds its own voice thanks to the fantastic cast and capable hands of our co-production partners at BBC Studios Kids & Family.”

“We are excited to see how this new format of ODD SQUAD, the series that so many kids and families have loved since it first premiered nearly ten years ago, takes shape with Sinking Ship Entertainment and BBC Studios Kids & Family,” said Ellen Doherty, Chief Creative Officer for Fred Rogers Productions. “ODD SQUAD UK will take young audiences on delightfully ‘odd-some’ adventures, while helping to reinforce key math skills all along the way.” 

The original ODD SQUAD, a live-action and CG hybrid series aimed at 4-8-year-olds, known for its humor, engaging visual effects, and math-based entertainment was created by Tim McKeon (Helpsters, Adventure Time, Gravity Falls) and Adam Peltzman (Wonder Pets!, Peter Rabbit, Wallykazam!). The series has received a wide range of honors—from 17 Daytime Emmy Awards, including a 2019 win for Outstanding Children’s, Family Viewing Program, to five Parents’ Choice Gold Awards, and a 2019 BAFTA Children’s Award for International Live Action.

ODD SQUAD has been sold in more than 200 countries around the world and is currently available in over 25 languages. With 14 online games, 8 apps available across different territories, as well as the “Odd Squadcast” podcast, and “OddTube” YouTube series, the brand’s digital reach extends to millions of viewers and game players monthly.

About Sinking Ship Entertainment

Named as the number one Kids’ Entertainment Production Company on Kidscreen’s Hot50 list in 2020, Sinking Ship Entertainment is a globally renowned and industry leading Production, Distribution, VFX and Interactive studio specializing in children’s and family content. Since its founding in 2004, Sinking Ship has won 25 Daytime and Children’s and Family Emmy^® Awards, including series wins for Ghostwriter (Apple TV+), Dino Dan: Trek’s Adventures (Nickelodeon), Odd Squad (PBS KIDS), and Giver (ION) and was named the Most Innovative Producer at the 2021 Banff World Media Festival. With a global reputation for quality, groundbreaking original series and companion interactive and live experiences, Sinking Ship has produced more than 24 series and distributed to more than 200 countries across the world. 2023 has seen the launch of the anticipated series Jane, co-produced with the Jane Goodall Institute (Apple TV+), their first fully 3D animated series Builder Brothers Dream Factory, in partnership with Scott Brothers Entertainment (Corus Entertainment), and production of their first family series Beyond Black Beauty (Amazon Freevee). The company is currently in production on Dino Dex (Prime Video, Amazon Kids+, TVOkids), the third series of its hit dinosaur franchise. For more information visit our website, Facebook, X and Instagram.  

About BBC Studios Kids & Family

BBC Studios Kids & Family is an integral part of the BBC Studios content powerhouse – a global company with bold British creativity at its heart. Formed in 2022 with the move of BBC Children’s In-house Production into BBC Studios Productions, combines into one team, the exceptional talent and expertise of BBC Children’s In-House Production alongside the global insight, content sourcing, investment, customer and brand experience within BBC Studios, to seamlessly take content from conception, development and production to investment, franchise management and distribution.  

BBC Studios Kids & Family identifies, secures and nurtures great projects and turns them into global and local hits suitable for the CBeebies branded services and other major broadcast platforms and markets. With specialist knowledge of what makes young audiences tick, BBC Studios Kids & Family understands the market opportunity and provides the conditions that allow ideas to develop and flourish.  

The division’s multi-genre portfolio includes some of the most exciting and successful franchises in the world, with BAFTA and International Emmy winning craft and storytelling, including Blue Peter, Bluey, Get Even, Hey Duggee, JoJo & Gran Gran, The Beaker Girls, Sarah & Duck and Something Special. Its productions air on BBC Children’s in the UK, on the multi-territory CBeebies and BBC Kids branded services and on leading content platforms around the world. 

About Fred Rogers Productions

Fred Rogers Productions was founded by Fred Rogers in 1971 as the non-profit producer of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood for PBS. In the years that followed, it created hundreds of episodes of this much-loved program and extended Fred’s values and approach to other efforts in promoting children’s social, emotional, and behavioral health while supporting parents, caregivers, teachers, and other professionals in their work with children. Fred Rogers Productions continues to build on Fred’s legacy in innovative ways through a wide variety of media and engages new generations of children and families with his timeless wisdom. The company’s highly rated children’s series, including Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Peg + Cat, Odd Squad, and Through the Woods, have earned 30 Emmy^® Awards among other important honors. The company’s latest series are Donkey Hodie, the innovative puppet series inspired by characters from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, and Alma’s Way, an animated series created by Sonia Manzano. Fred Rogers Productions strives to inspire a lifelong enthusiasm for learning through its series as well efforts beyond broadcast including games and digital offerings, community engagement activities, and much more. For more information, visit www.fredrogers.org or follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

#  #  #