NET first broadcast Mister Rogers' Neighborhood nationally in 1968. The national debut occurred on February 19, 1968, through National Educational Television, or NET.
The program had developed from Fred Rogers's earlier Canadian and regional American television work. Pittsburgh station WQED produced the series, while NET distributed it nationally. Its first season was made in black and white, before later seasons expanded the familiar format in color.
PBS did not yet exist when the national run began. PBS replaced NET as the program's network successor in 1970–71, which is why viewers often remember the show primarily as a PBS program. The distinction matters: NET is the canonical answer for the 1968 national broadcast, while PBS is correct for the later, much longer phase of the series.
The show continued in various production periods until its final original episode aired in 2001. Its enduring format combined Rogers's house, the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, live music, and direct conversations about children's emotional lives.