Blue's Clues Is Coming Back With a New Host, Joshua Dela Cruz, and a New Title

Steve Burns, the original host, had a hand in picking the new Nickelodeon star.

Move over Steve, Blue has a new pal in Blue's Clues & You, Nickelodeon's reboot of the classic kids show. Relative newcomer Joshua Dela Cruz, who recently appeared on stage in Disney's Aladdin and has popped up on Time After Time and Bull, will be the new host of the preschooler-targeted series.

Original host Steve Burns, pictured with Dela Cruz, had a hand in the host search and helped guide the audition process.

"I had the great honor of being a part of the search for the new host, and I give Josh two thumbs up!  He can definitely fill my shoes, and the rugby shirt," Burns said in a statement.

This is Dela Cruz's first series regular gig. In addition to Aladdin, his other theater credits include Here Lies Love and Encores!: Merrily We Roll Along.

"The search for the new host of Blue's Clues & You was no small task, but we knew as soon as we met Josh that he was the perfect choice," Shelly Sumpter Gillyard, executive vice president of talent, music and events at Nickelodeon Group, said in a statement. "From his genuineness to his comedic timing and range, there was no doubt that he could carry the show on for the next generation of preschoolers."

The new 20-episode Blue's Clues & You, the beloved TV dog Blue once again invites viewers to solve a puzzle. Like the original series, the animated dog leaves paw prints to identify clues in the cartoon world. The original series, which launched in September 1996, is available on NOGGIN, Nickelodeon's video subscription service for preschoolers.

"From the moment we decided to make a new version of the series, we knew that so much of the energy and magic of the show comes from the host's ability to bring preschoolers into the colorfully animated world of Blue and her friends," Cathy Galeota, senior vice president of preschool content at Nickelodeon Group, said in a statement. "Josh's wonderful theater background and his natural charisma checked all the boxes for us, and of course Steve's stamp of approval only solidified our decision."

No premiere date for Blue's Clues & You was announced. Production begins in September.