January 21, 2002 – present
Cyberchase is an educational animated sci-fi children's television series that airs on PBS Kids. The series centers around three children from Earth: Jackie, Matt, and Inez, who are brought into Cyberspace, a digital universe, in order to protect the world from the villain Hacker (Christopher Lloyd). They are able to prevent Hacker from taking over Cyberspace by means of problem-solving skills in conjunction with basic math, environmental science, and wellness. In Cyberspace, they meet Digit (Gilbert Gottfried), a "cybird" who helps them on their missions.
Cyberchase was created by WNET New York and premiered on PBS Kids on January 21, 2002. In 2010, after the season 8 finale, Cyberchase went on hiatus, but it returned in 2013 for a ninth season, followed by a tenth season in 2015.The eleventh season premiered on October 23, 2017, and the twelfth season premiered on April 19, 2019.
A thirteenth season was announced on October 19, 2020, and premiered on February 25, 2022. A fourteenth season premiered on April 21, 2023.
Storyline[]
Motherboard is the "brain of the giant computer system that oversees all of Cyberspace". Her technician computer scientist, Dr. Marbles, kept her functioning properly until his assistant, the Hacker, turned against them. Dr. Marbles drained Hacker's battery and banished him to the Northern Frontier, where he formulated a plan to launch a virus that would attack Motherboard.
When Jackie, Matt, and Inez interact with a library map in the real world, they accidentally allow Hacker access to Motherboard, and she becomes infected with the virus. The kids are brought into Cyberspace and join forces with Digit, a creation of the Hacker who escaped his control. Together they protect the world from the Hacker and his clumsy, accident-prone assistants, Buzz and Delete, until they can recover the Encryptor Chip, a device stolen by Hacker that can nullify the virus and bring Motherboard back to full strength.
Cyberspace consists of planet-like bodies called Cybersites, with each site having a theme such as Ancient Egypt, the American Old West, Greek mythology, and amusement parks. These sites represent the diversity of websites on the Internet, and reflect the many ecosystems and neighborhoods of the Earth. The Cybersquad travels to many of these locations in order to protect them from Hacker, and each inhabited Cybersite has a unique type of Cybercitizen they interact with.