> I don’t have kids of my own yet, so I’m out of touch with how the show is being run these days, but if Elmo is the lead now, this definitely sounds like a step back in quality level.

My (at the time 2 year old) referred to Seasame Street as "Elmo."

The shift in content aligns with the shift that has happened in Early Learning Education in the US--mainly less emphasis in academic subjects, and more emphasis on social and emotional skills.

Modern Seasame Street broaches social topics, with a small amount of academics (mainly letter and number of the day).