Netflix US Boards PBS Kids Animated Series ‘Carl the Collector’

PBS Kids’ Carl the Collector is making the jump to Netflix, marking one of the streamer’s most notable children’s pickups of the year. Netflix already has a robust library of preschool and early-learning titles, and the arrival of a breakout PBS title only deepens that strategy. For families who’ve been following along on broadcast, this gives Carl the Collector a major new home and introduces the series to millions who may have missed it on linear TV.

The series is set to arrive on Netflix (only in the US for now) beginning December 22nd, 2025. However, we do not yet know how many episodes will be released on the streamer, as the first season is still ongoing as of late October 2025. 23 episodes from season 1 have aired thus far, split across 45 segments, with the initial order from PBS Kids being for 40 episodes.

First airing in December 2024, Carl the Collector stands out and has been well-reviewed and praised by many in the industry for centering an autistic main character and having been produced by numerous neurodivergent staffers. The show follows Carl, an autistic raccoon who loves collecting, sorting, and making sense of the world around him. Episodes revolve around problem-solving, friendship, and celebrating different ways kids experience their environment.

The voice cast includes Kai Barham as Carl the autistic gray raccoon with a passion for collecting, Heather Bambrick as his mother Maude and the voice of the plushies, Peter Laurie as Carl’s supportive best friend, Sheldon, Abigail Oliver as Nico, and Beatrice Schneider as her twin Arugula, Antonina Battrick as the energetic squirrel Forrest, and Maddy McIlwain as Lotta, an autistic red fox with a creative streak.

The series is created by Zachariah OHora with Fuzzytown Production, Spiffy Pictures, and Yowza! Animation behind the series.

Netflix did not respond to a request for comment on this particular pickup and has previously declined to comment on any new PBS arrangement.

Of course, Netflix has recently picked up quite a few PBS shows. It struck a new deal for Sesame Street, under which it shares distribution with the broadcaster in the US and has already been deeply tied to Netflix through collaborations on some of Netflix’s biggest titles, such as Wednesday, One Piece, and Bridgerton.

Beyond that, Netflix has also acquired the licenses to three British period dramas distributed by PBS, including Grantchester, Victoria, and Little Women. The former two are landing on Netflix on December 1st, and Little Women was added on November 1st.

Netflix had streamed many PBS titles throughout the 2010s, although a lot of their titles were pulled away from Netflix, much like with all other distributors, during the height of the streaming wars in the late 2010s and early 2020s.

For more on what’s coming up throughout December 2025, keep it locked here on What’s on Netflix. Elsewhere on the kids slate for December is Man Vs Baby, What’s in the Box, and Elmo and Mark Rober’s Merry Giftmas.