Reading Rainbow poster

Reading Rainbow

★ 8.5 6K votes 1983–2006 21 seasons · 155 episodes Ended PBS
Kids & familyGenuinely watchable for and with children.This show: 10/10Family-safeNothing to worry about with anyone in the room.This show: 10/10WholesomeKindness and decency at the core, with barely a trace of cynicism.This show: 9/10NostalgicTrades on longing for a past era, in the story or around it.This show: 8/10EpisodicSelf-contained episodes you can watch in almost any order.This show: 8/10Easy watchingLow-demand television where half your attention is enough.This show: 8/10Long-runnerA show whose sheer longevity shapes how it's watched.This show: 7/10
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Starring
Lee MurphyArnold Stang
Starring
Lee MurphyArnold Stang

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About

"Gentle nostalgia that quietly made reading cool"

Reading Rainbow is a children's literacy show hosted by LeVar Burton, who introduces a theme each episode, takes viewers on a real-world field trip tied to that idea, then hands things over to kids giving their own book reviews. The pace is gentle and warm, built for curiosity rather than excitement, with Burton's calm enthusiasm as the glue holding every segment together. It feels less like entertainment and more like an invitation to go find a book, which is exactly the point. Adults who grew up with it often feel a rush of nostalgia rewatching it.

Watch it for

LeVar Burton's warm, unforced enthusiasm that makes curiosity feel like the coolest thing going.

Maybe skip if

you want fast pacing or plot, since it's a low-key educational format for kids.

Written by our AI editor to help you decide, spoiler-free by design.

All Seasons

▶
Season 11983
8.560157h
▶
Season 21984
—052h 22m
▶
Season 31985
—052h 19m
▶
Season 41986
7.89104h 41m
▶
Season 51987
8.88104h 31m
▶
Season 61988
8.926104h 39m
▶
Season 71989
—0104h 35m
▶
Season 81990
—052h 19m
▶
Season 91991
—0104h 32m
▶
Season 101992
—0104h 30m
▶
Season 111993
8.816104h 31m
▶
Season 121994
—0104h 36m
▶
Season 131995
—052h 14m
▶
Season 141995
—052h 16m
▶
Season 151996
—052h 15m
▶
Season 161997
—052h 19m
▶
Season 171998
—051h 57m
▶
Season 182000
—062h 54m
▶
Season 192002
—041h 51m
▶
Season 202004
—052h 17m
▶
Season 212006
—052h 22m

Full Cast & Crew

Cast

LeVar Burton Self - Host
Stephen Horelick Self - Music Director, Self, Self - Reading Rainbow Music Director
Lee Murphy Announcer, Self, Self - Narration Director
Jennifer Betit Yen Self
Fred Newman Self, Dr. Skull
Ruby Dee Self, Self - Narrator, Various Book Characters
Kenny Blank Self - Book Reviewer, Self
Arnold Stang Alistair, Self, Self - Narrator
Laura Haymann Self, Additional Voices - Conan Segment
James Avery Self

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