Video Interview: ‘What's The Story, Wishbone?' Director Joey Stewart

People of a certain age invariably have fond memories of “Wishbone,” the PBS series that ran for 50 episodes in the 1990s (plus a feature-length finale movie). The show starred Soccer the dog as Wishbone, a Jack Russell Terrier, a tremendously well-read dog with a vivid imagination. As his human friends ran into one conflict or another, their drama would cause Wishbone to imagine himself into a recreation of a classic story, like “Frankenstein,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Don Quixote,” “Great Expectations,” etc.

The series was a hit among children and college students alike, and is still beloved to this day for its child-friendly, but uncompromising, approach to literary classics, interpreting them in a way that could be enjoyed by kids while still offering insight to lit enthusiasts.

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Alas, “Wishbone” ended in 1998 with the release of the made-for-Showtime feature film finale, “Wishbone’s Dog Days of the West.” It was during production of that film that the crew learned the show was cancelled. In the nearly three decades since then, however, the charm and quality of “Wishbone” never diminished.

In celebration of the enduring legacy of “Wishbone,” the show’s original creative team has created a documentary, entitled “What’s the Story, Wishbone?” which chronicles the inception, production, and unceremonious cancellation of the iconic series. The film is directed by Joey Stewart, who got his start as assistant director on the show before moving on to projects like “Walker, Texas Ranger,” “The Client List,” and movies like “The Old Man & the Gun.”

The documentary does an incredible job of articulating the love and care that went into creating “Wishbone,” as well as the advantage that comes with being tasked to make a cinematic TV show on a PBS budget when the entire cast and crew have little to no experience creating a project on this scale.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Joey Stewart, who reflects on the glory days of “Wishbone” and the impetus for the documentary. Our chat can be viewed in its entirety below. As for “What’s the Story, Wishbone?” the film will air on Public Television Stations beginning on May 27, before becoming available on digital platforms on June 10, 2026.

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This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 10:25 AM.