Barney the Dinosaur will once again be returning to the spotlight. Peacock has started production on a three-part documentary about the fictional purple dinosaur. The series will examine the history of the Barney franchise, including how beloved the character was by children, and how disliked he was by older audience members. It will include archival footage, as well as interviews with the show's cast and crew and outspoken critics of the character.
Tommy Avallone will serve as director and executive producer for the documentary that will be produced by Scout Productions, which has previously produced Queer Eye for Netflix, as well as Legendary and The Hype for HBO Max.
Barney was created by Sheryl Leach and was first introduced in the 1988 home-video series Barney and the Backyard Gang. The character was then the star of the television series Barney & Friends that aired on PBS. The series concluded in 2010. In 2019, a Barney live-action movie was announced by producer Daniel Kaluuya in partnership with Mattel. "Barney was a ubiquitous figure in many of our childhoods, then he disappeared into the shadows, left misunderstood,” said Kaluuya at the time of the news. “We're excited to explore this compelling modern-day hero and see if his message of 'I love you, you love me' can stand the test of time."
"Barney the Dinosaur was a ubiquitous character for children and parents alike and we are thrilled to work with the Scout Productions team to bring this three-part series to Peacock," said Rod Aissa, executive vice president of unscripted content for NBCUniversal Television & Streaming. Rob Eric, David Collins, Michael Williams, Amy Goodman Kassm, Joel Chiodi, and Raymond Esposito will be executive producers for the documentary. Wendy Greene will be a co-executive producer and Trent Johnson will be a producer.
The Barney docuseries is slated to be released on Peacock sometime in 2022. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates about this upcoming title, including trailer and a firmer release date on the streamer.