Parents of preschoolers across America should be prepared for at least some mild trauma next week. After five years, the popular, educational and downright delightful Nickelodeon series "Blue's Clues" is about to make a major change.
The animated blue dog will still be there. And the show will still reach out to the preschool set (and their older siblings and parents).
But the show's human component — star Steve Burns — is leaving "Blue's Clues" and taking his character, Steve, with him.
"After five years of working with us, he's growing up, similar to our preschool audience, and really feels like it's the next generation right now," said co-creator/executive producer Angela C. Santomero. "So he's moved on to other things and other projects."
And he's being replaced, sort of, by 23-year-old Donovan Patton, who comes aboard as Joe — Steve's younger brother who takes over the show when Steve goes off to college.
"I like to think of it as I'm Patrick Stewart to his William Shatner," Patton said.
The transition shouldn't be too traumatic. Not only is Patton perfectly cast, but Nickelodeon has produced three transitional episodes that air Monday from 6-7:30 p.m. — episodes that introduce Joe and say goodbye to Steve. (The episodes will be repeated Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. on Nick and Saturday, May 4, at 8 a.m. on CBS/Ch. 2.)
Santomero said the goal of the three-episode transition is "to get the preschoolers to be comfortable with the change." In the first episode, they meet Joe. In the second, the kids teach Joe how to play "Blue's Clues."
(In each episode of the show, preschoolers join Blue, Steve and/or Joe in a computer-animated storybook to solve the day's puzzles. The show is designed to entertain while it teaches reading, sign language, geography, emotions and art appreciation.)
And in the third, they help Joe plan a farewell party for Steve as the "big brother" heads off to college.
"We think the audience will take an instant liking to Joe," said Brown Johnson, executive vice president of Nick Jr. "As we began our talent search for this new host, it became really obvious how many people just cannot host the show. From fresh-faced actors to seasoned pros, many just didn't have a clue, so to speak. . . . The role calls for someone who can make kids laugh while helping them learn analytical skills, basic problem-solving and cognitive skills."
And it was kids themselves who chose Patton. He and several other finalists (out of more than 1,500 who auditioned) screen-tested with Burns, those audition tapes were shown to preschoolers and "they picked Joe," Johnson said.
"We know it's obviously such an integral role to the series," Santomero said. "And we wanted someone who had a respect for the audience and who could really talk to them and make sure that they're going to talk back. So the research was really integral in selecting. And the kids, the parents, everybody — really, it was unanimous."
And Patton said that the trick in reaching preschoolers is to personalize his approach.
"Essentially, you just kind of think of one 3-year-old," Patton said. "You don't think about talking to many. And I do have some experience with kids. I have a little sister, who is now 5, so I have that experience playing with her and interacting with her to be responsive and playful without pandering."
Acting in front of a blue screen with characters who aren't there yet — the animation is added afterward — did prove to be a bit of a challenge.
"Well, actually, I spend a lot of time in my room by myself just imagining things, so I've had experience with that for 23 years now," Patton joked.
"At first I was a little daunted by it. I wasn't quite sure how it was going to work — speaking to things that aren't there at the moment. And, actually, Steve helped me with that. I worked with Steve and one of the directors before we ever went to the set and sort of practiced and kind of ramped up. So (Steve) showed me the ropes a little bit, much like the character will be showing Joe the ropes around the show."
"Blue's Clues" will undergo more than just a cast change, however.
"There were also new curriculum in terms of some shapes and colors and basics and really taking a direction where we're actually trying to push the underactivity one level further," Santomero said.
"We really consider our show a classic in that sense and really wanted to give kids the kindergarten-readiness skills, as well as some of the socio-emotional kinds," he said.
And look for new songs ("We're doing a lot more singing," Johnson said) and new characters like Polka-Dots, a love interest for Blue; Baby Bird, who hatches in the back yard; and Boris, who is Donovan's toy dog.
There will even be some wardrobe changes, thanks to input from parents. Unlike Steve, Joe will not always be wearing the same green-striped shirt.
"We got a lot of feedback from mothers that said, 'My child will not change his shirt,' " Johnson said. "So we thought it was a good idea to allow Joe to have lots of different colored shirts."
E-mail: pierce@desnews.com