Mychal Threets, the librarian whose TikTok videos made him a viral star, just landed a new and pretty iconic gig.

“Reading Rainbow is returning with all-new episodes,” Threets said in the teaser for the revamped children’s series, shared on Sept. 29. “That means new friends, new projects and, of course, new books!”

The former librarian announced that the new “Reading Rainbow” has been reimagined as a digital series, set to launch on Oct. 4 on ReadingRainbow.org and the KidZuko YouTube channel.

Hosted by actor LeVar Burton, “Reading Rainbow” originally aired from 1983–2006 and is widely known for its catchy theme song and for promoting literacy among children in grades K-3.

According to the series’ website, more than half a million copies of "Reading Rainbow" episodes have been sold since 1995.

The series has garnered more than 250 awards, including a Peabody Award, 26 Emmy Awards – including 10 for Outstanding Children’s Series – a Teachers’ Choice Award, and 9 Parents’ Choice Awards. The show’s website also notes that at its height, 670,000 people watched per week, and approximately 10 million students viewed the show at school.

This is in no small part due to the magnetic and mission-driven Burton, who not only hosted every episode, he also became a passionate advocate of PBS and literacy. 

"As a Black man who comes from people for whom it would have been illegal to have the facility of literacy, to have grown up and become a symbol of literacy, an acknowledged advocate for literacy, especially childhood literacy in this country, that's no small thing in my view," Burton previously told PEOPLE.

The reboot arrives on the heels of significant federal funding cuts to public broadcasting, marking a bright spot for public media after being caught in conservative crosshairs for several months now.

Viral fame aside, Threets currently serves as the resident librarian for PBS Kids. This iconic hosting opportunity comes more than a year after he announced that he was leaving his post at the Solano County Library — a role he held down for 11 years— back in early 2024.

"My overall message with these videos is just to remind people of one, that the library exists," Threets told KQED in 2023. of his viral videos, "But more importantly, just remind people that they do belong."

The new series is a four-episode short-form run and will premiere weekly on Saturdays, starting Oct. 4 through Oct. 25; each show will be available at 7 a.m.