RATING: A

PBS presents a Novel Tails production in association with Loud Pictures. Directed by Joey Stewart. Produced by Larry Brantley, Betty Buckley, Joey Stewart, and Stephanie Simpson. Cinematography by Blake Calhoun, Bert Guthrie, and Gilbert Salas. Edited by Blake Calhoun.

Stars Rick Duffield, Betty Buckley, Larry Brantley, Mary Chris Wall, Jeanne Simpson, Stephanie Simpson, Matt Tompkins, Joey Stewart, and Mo Rocca. 

In 1996, a PBS series would break ground to help expand the imagination of children through reading. This is the story of Wishbone. 

Rick Duffield, inspired by his love of reading, had decided to create a show where a dog would live adventures through the power of reading to attract children to read again. Together with producer Betty Buckley, they were ready to make this dream come true. When on the hunt for a god to play the character, he came across Soccer, a Jack Russell Terrier who was the last one chosen. Searching for a voice actor was not easy but they came across Larry Brantley, an actor who had never done voiceovers before. 

What started as a five-episode order with sets built in North Texas would become a two-season series that would rack up numerous awards and is hailed as a groundbreaking PBS kids series. It wasn’t an easy road at first, especially when the first episodes were done on the fly. After receiving a forty-episode order, the group had attempted to achieve what they thought was impossible and that mentality paid off in a way they never imagined.

This is the story of not only how a show unexpectedly became a hit for PBS Kids and racked up many awards but how an inexperienced cast and crew did the impossible. It is the story of a dog whose experiences in the present-day gives him the imagination of living and experiencing the world of classic literature when dealing with those present-day situations. 

What is amazing about the story of how this show came to be is that everything had been done on the fly as there were quite some insane stories about how the two stars of the series, Soccer the Dog and his voice actor, Larry Brantley, were discovered. Soccer, who sadly passed in 2001, clearly showed why he was a natural on the set. Learning how Larry won the role actually came from his coming for an audition and not realizing that while Soccer was on a break and playing, Larry just came up with the voice on the fly and thought he was doing the audition after his just having fun with it, with creator Rick Duffield and producer Betty Buckley listening in. 

The crew hired on the set were excited to be working, but there were some hardships as well as the head writer wasn’t exactly experienced in screenplays or teleplays. Thankfully, she got some help from some close friends who also learned from her with one in particular becoming a major comedy star and writer in his own right post-show…a guy by the name of Mo Rocca. 

Seeing the immense work that came during production of the show, the cast and crew worked their butts off, and while didn’t have the experience in terms of show business or how creating a show works, their vast experiences, both hands-on and skills they already had, were a major key in making the show the success it became from 1995-1997 and to this day, still loved by many. 

What’s the Story, Wishbone? Is a fantastic look at a groundbreaking PBS Kids show that shows a group of cast and crew members who came together and overcame the odds to make one of the most beloved series of its time. If you’re a fan of the show, this is a must-see to see how it came to life and see the hard work everyone involved endured to make it happen.

You can pre-order the documentary on Apple TV by clicking HERE.