30 minute episodes, weekdays. Check SDPB broadcast times.
Between the Lions is an award-winning PBS television series that premiered in April 2000. It's designed to foster the literacy skills of its viewers, while playfully demonstrating the joys of reading. Each half-hour show aims to give kids three to seven years old some of the experiences they need in order to become successful readers.

Our "mane" characters, lion cubs Lionel (age 7) and Leona (age 4) serve as role models for younger viewers. Cleo and Theo are playful, understanding, and literary parents, who eagerly demonstrate the power and pleasure of literacy.

The lions are joined by a cast of characters who play specific roles in reinforcing the literacy curriculum. The two knights in Gawain's Word rush headlong toward each other to give our viewers a crash course in how sounds are put together to make words. This is just one example of how Between the Lions addresses phonemic awareness. Cliff Hanger, the star of a continuing adventure series, showcases key words and sounds, and his recurring refrain, "Can't hold on much long," provides repeated text. Reading experts tell us that repeated reading helps build fluency; the recurring Cliff Hanger segments are just one example of how we address this literacy goal.