**Special Agent Oso ** is an American animated children's television series created by Ford Riley for Playhouse Disney. It features Oso, a panda bear who is a special agent working for the United Network for Investigating Quite Usual Events (U.N.I.Q.U.E.), an agency dedicated to helping children with everyday tasks such as mailing a letter, riding a bike, or making a sandwich. The series debuted on April 4, 2009 and ended on May 17, 2012. The series had a total of 60 episodes over two seasons. The series received generally positive reviews from critics, and was nominated for Outstanding Original Song at the 2010 Daytime Emmy Awards. Both Special Agent Oso along with its spin-off, Special Agent Oso: Three Healthy Steps, which aired during interstitials, are available to stream on Disney+.

Premise

Each episode begins with Oso performing a training exercise given to him by one of his three instructors, Wolfie, Dottie, or Bufo. During the exercise, a Shutterbug drone notices a child struggling to complete a simple task that is related to Oso's assignment. Paw Pilot, Oso's computerized assistant, alerts him about a special assignment, which causes Oso to fail his training exercise. Oso is assigned to the case, and Paw Pilot, along with Mr. Dos, illustrates his client's plight and assigns him a mission to help the child complete the task. To do so, Paw Pilot provides Oso with "three special steps", a simplified step-by-step guide to completing the task, while Mr. Dos gives Oso a briefing on the child's problem. Oso is transported to the child's location and attempts to follow the steps; Paw Pilot also gives further elaborations, including a trick which reveals the mistake he made during the training exercise. During the third and final step, Paw Pilot senses the time limit on the task and begins counting down as the time limit approaches. Oso and the child typically complete the task as the time runs out. The completion of all three steps often involves gadgets, such as a pen that can become a grappling device and a jetpack. After returning from the assignment, the helpful trick given during the assignment turns out to be the same trick Oso needed to complete the training exercise, which he completes and passes, earning a "digi-medal" for the training exercise and the special assignment.

Episodes

Format

Each episode has four components:

Characters

Main

Guest voices

Additional voices

Broadcast

The first season of Special Agent Oso premiered in the United States and United Kingdom on April 4, 2009, and aired through April 17, 2010. The second and final season premiered on July 10, 2010 and the series finale aired May 17, 2012. In season 2, new characters, Professor Buffo and Special Agent Musa, were introduced. The show has a crossover with Handy Manny called "The Manny with the Golden Bear".

Reception

Critical response

Hannah Johnson of Screen Rant found the character of Dotty to be a positive role model, writing, "It is evident that she has worked hard to get where she is, being the only female supervisor in an androcentric career, where all her colleagues are men. The orange cat has a fun and giggly personality, her favorite color is pink, and she likes visiting space as part of her missions. Dotty is a complex character succeeding in a man's world." Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media gave Special Agent Oso a grade of four out of five stars, praised the messaging and role models, citing resourcefulness and perseverance, and complimented the presence of educational value in the show, saying, "Age-appropriate skills like shape recognition, chronology, and spatial relationships are emphasized within the context of the plot, so kids learn while they enjoy the stories. The show's best quality is its positive message about the joy to be found in helping others."

Ratings

During April, Playhouse Disney UK saw its best weekly share among kids at 2.3%, a month that also had its best series launch with the preschool-targeted Special Agent Oso, which premiered on April 4 at 9:50 a.m. and attracted 377,000 viewers, including 181,000 kids aged four to 15.

Accolades

Spin-off

Special Agent Oso: Three Healthy Steps

Special Agent Oso: Three Healthy Steps is a short series that aired in the United States during the Disney Junior programming block. The spin-off premiered on February 14, 2011. It encourages children to use "three healthy steps" regarding eating, being healthy, and exercising. This series combined both animated characters and real life actors. The animated characters that are featured in the short series are Special Agent Oso, Paw Pilot, Special Agent Wolfie, Special Agent Dotty, and Professor Buffo.