PBS Retro is a free ad-supported American digital streaming broadcast channel on Amazon Freevee, LG Channels, Plex, Roku and Vizio WatchFree+ which was launched on 23 April 2024. It airs a variety of classic PBS Kids programming, including Thomas & Friends which currently airs Series 8, 9, 10 and 11 in the half-hour airing format. Twenty-five selected episodes from Series 6 and 7 also air as part of the half-hour airings of Series 8 and 9.

Airings

Trivia

• This channel marks the first of a few things:
  • The first time that Thomas & Friends half-hour airings from the model era have aired on TV in the US since 2013 and the first time they've aired on TV anywhere in the world since they last aired on Nick Jr. in the UK around spring 2015.
  • The first time Thomas & Friends has been aired on a PBS-owned channel since the end of 2017.
  • The first time that Mattel has partnered with PBS since 2018.
• Generally, the airings use their original masters from their 2004-2007 PBS Kids and Treehouse TV syndication runs. As such, the airings are presented in the 4:3 fullscreen aspect ratio. However, there are some noteworthy differences:
  • The airings open with the 1971-1984 PBS ID.
  • Two ad breaks are placed during each broadcast; the first appears after the first story, and the second is placed before the last story. Occasionally, there may be another ad break placed after the broadcast ends before starting either the next one or a different program.
  • The end of Series 8 episodes have the CPTV logo shown on a black background with an animated gradient, while the PBS Kids airings used the normal 2004 logo. This may have been an early prototype given the airings were sourced from the master prints. They would use the normal 2004 logo starting with Series 9.
  • The airings are presented in 25fps progressive scan, even though the original airings were in 59.94i fields per second.
  • The airings are presented in mono with only the left channel of the stereo mix playing in both the left and right channels.
  • The airings are presented in a 576p resolution, as opposed to the standard 480i resolution that the airings were initially presented in.
  • What's the Matter with Henry? features a different title card on PBS Retro than the title card used in the initial and updated PBS Kids and Treehouse TV airings.
  • Tuneful Toots and Duncan and the Old Mine both use their redubbed versions where Rusty is referred to as male.
  • Strength, Imagination, and Navigation normally used the 2001-2007 HiT Entertainment logo on original airings plus the PBS Retro print. On post-2009 PBS broadcasts, it was replaced with the animated 2007 HiT Entertainment “Blocks” logo.
  • Nick Jr. UK airings have the 2001-2007 HiT Entertainment logo on all series 8-9 episodes. Series 10 just had the old HiT logo without the Nick Jr. logo.
  • Big and Small uses an early screening master, this master features a blurred out 2007 HiT Entertainment logo on the top corner, as well as featuring the closing segment of Thomas' crew cleaning him up after the day's work after the CPTV logo and credits.
  • The closed captions are different than when originally aired.
• The masters for Series 11 airings are based on the international masters where the full morning and nighttime sequences play out and the HiT Entertainment logo seen during the credits is a still version of the 2007 logo that features the copyright info with it rather than putting the copyright text during the credits and using an animated version of that logo.
• The first Series 9 block, Colors, was originally scheduled to air on 5 May 2024 but was strangely pulled from the schedule on 26 April and replaced with the second Series 9 block, Caring for unknown reasons.
• The Series 9 airings includes the full opening of Thomas' crew getting him ready for the day's work, indicating the masters shown on PBS Retro are from later re-airings after the premiere of Series 10. However, Nick Jr. UK and Treehouse TV airings of Series 9 included these same full openings when they first aired in 2005.
• The original shots from the Series 8 episode Halloween, and the Series 11 episodes Dirty Work, Hector the Horrid!, Thomas and the Spaceship, Don't Be Silly, Billy, and Hide and Peep are used due to the airings associated with them being the original masters.
• As of September 2025, PBS Retro, Hot Wheels Action and Mattel Junior are the only channels which currently air Thomas & Friends live in the US.

Goofs

• On the Roku Channel, Since 27 August 2024, Differences was accidentally listed with the description of the Series 15 episode Edward the Hero.
• Some audio and/or visual errors with the masters are encountered during the broadcasts:
  • Favorite Places has a major audio glitch during the opening segments.
  • In Big and Small, the opening to Topped Off Thomas has four glitches.
  • New Friends has a small visual glitch during the final shot of the Welcome to the Island of Sodor intro.
  • Sights and Sounds, Being on Time, and Fun and Games have the PBS Kids ID cut off too early, suddenly cutting to black.
  • Fun and Games has three minor audio glitches at the beginning of Toby's Triumph when Sir Topham Hatt talks to Toby and Henrietta.
• On Plex:
  • Thomas and the Firework Display is referred to as Thomas and the Fireworks.
  • Strength is listed as only containing the episode Thomas and the Birthday Mail and the title and description contain no mention of Duncan's Bluff.
  • Experience contains the titles Don't Be Silly Billy and Fun & Games, even though the description contains mention of Edward and the Mail.

Videos