Sesame Street says sorry for axing Bob, Luis and Gordon

The show’s producers say the beloved characters may return to the screen

Sesame Workshop CEO said he could have done a better job at communicating with the cast (Scott J Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly/Alamy)

The producers of Sesame Street have had second thoughts on dropping three much-loved characters and announced that Bob, Luis and Gordon may all return in future episodes.

The longstanding characters in the puppet show for children, played by actors Bob Mcgrath, 84, Emilio Delgado, 76, and Roscoe Orman, 72, said they had been axed from the show in late July, provoking an outpouring of dismay and anger on social media.

Sesame Workshop chief executive Jeffrey Dunn said in a statement that he was sorry for the misunderstandings around the changing cast, and that he could have communicated better with the actors around their lack of storylines in the upcoming season.

"However, our production team also intentionally left the door open for all actors to continue to appear, based on the story lines that were written in any future season," he said.

A recent Facebook post from Mr Delgado, quoting a joint statement from Mr Orman, hinted that an upcoming meeting with producers might lead to their comeback.

"Due to your overwhelming reaction regarding the status of myself and others on the show, the new producers of Sesame Street have reached out to us with an expressed desire to continue our longstanding relationship, to be initiated with a meeting in September," he wrote.

"Hopefully, this will result in the inclusion of veteran cast members in upcoming productions."

The cast change came as the show was moved from an hour-long slot to just half an hour. The show was also moved from PBS to HBO in 2015.

After the beloved trio was let go, Sesame Street said in a statement that the characters would continue to represent the brand at public events.

"Since the show began, we are constantly evolving our content and curriculum, and hence, our characters, to meet the educational needs of children," the statement read.

"As a result of this, our cast has changed over the years, though you can still expect to see many of them in upcoming productions."