As of July 2026, Reading Rainbow Season 1 aired in 1983 with 15 episodes — streaming now on PBS Kids Amazon Channel. Full episode guide and where to watch below.
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Reading Rainbow Season 1

1983 15 Episodes Kids ⭐ 8/10

Right now you can watch Reading Rainbow Season 1 on — and it holds up to as much attention as you give it. A single, tightly-focused season means there is plenty to get through without ever feeling padded. 48 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Watch it for LeVar Burton — one of the stronger performances out there right now. Available now — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Reading Rainbow Season 1 earns its spot. The writing in Reading Rainbow Season 1 treats its characters as people first, plot devices second. Season 1 of Reading Rainbow includes 15 episodes. It premiered in June 1983. This season stars LeVar Burton. LeVar Burton leads a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was aired in 1983. What elevates Reading Rainbow Season 1 is a refusal to let any character off the hook too easily. The consistency throughout is what elevates it — not every moment is the best, but none of them are a reason to stop watching.

Reading Rainbow Season 1 is what you recommend to people who say they do not really watch much. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch if your schedule allows. LeVar Burton is the centre of it, and it is one of their strongest performances on record. The patience it asks of you early on is paid back with interest.

📡 Where to Watch Reading Rainbow Season 1

🇺🇸 United States
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🎬 Reading Rainbow Season 1 — Episode Guide

E1
Tight Times
1983-06-06
A young girl's father loses his job.
E2
Miss Nelson Is Back
1983-06-07
As part of his birthday celebration, LeVar gets made-up like a movie monster, and then gets involved in Harry Blackstone's magic act. Ruth Buzzi reads Miss Nelson Is Back, all about a group of rowdy students who try to take advantage of their teacher's absence when she's out sick one day, and how sh...
E3
Bea and Mr. Jones
1983-06-08
LeVar is already worn out after working on several scenes all day long on the production of the series. He feels he needs to take on another identity, segueing into introducing the featured book, Bea and Mr. Jones. Madeline Kahn reads the book about a kindergarten student and her father who get so b...
E4
Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain
1983-06-09
Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain
E5
Louis the Fish
1983-06-10
Louis the Fish
E6
Digging Up Dinosaurs
1983-06-13
Technically not the first science-related show in its history, LeVar seeks a place where archaeologists retrieve dinosaur bones. At the end of the program, LeVar buries a time capsule, containing (among other things) a can of old Coke and his picture. Linda Gilman reads Digging Up Dinosaurs, a story...
E7
Liang and the Magic Paintbrush
1983-06-14
Liang and the Magic Paintbrush
E8
Gila Monsters Meet You at the Airport
1983-06-15
In the featured book, a young boy and his family move from New York City to the Southwest and he has many misconceptions about what his new home is like.
E9
Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe
1983-06-16
Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe
E10
The Gift of the Sacred Dog
1983-06-17
The first of many programs favoring Native Americans. In this instance, a Midwestern legend suggests how horses arrived to the tribe. Later in this episode is the song "Ancient Places, Sacred Lands" which lists several words originating from various locations of the United States and the tribal mean...
E11
Gregory, the Terrible Eater
1983-06-20
Today's subject is goats and what they eat.
E12
Three by the Sea
1983-06-21
Three by the Sea
E13
Arthur's Eyes
1983-06-22
LaVar explores seeing and our other senses, as Bill Cosby tells the story of how the young aardvark, Arthur Read acquired his pair of glasses.
E14
The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash
1983-06-22
The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash
E15
Ty's One Man Band
1983-06-23
LeVar is ready to find music everywhere, and he does. This show includes the animation Onomatopoeia. Lou Rawls reads the story of Ty's One-Man Band, about a man who teaches a boy how to make music using household items.

🎭 Cast of Reading Rainbow Season 1

LeVar Burton
LeVar Burton
Self - Host

📋 All Seasons of Reading Rainbow

Season 2Season 3Season 4Season 5Season 6Season 7Season 8Season 9

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