8 Sesame Street parodies of adult-oriented TV shows

There probably isn't much overlap between the audience for Showtime's Homeland and the audience for PBS' Sesame Street — but that didn't stop Sesame Street from offering up "Homelamb," a clever parody of the series packed with references that are sure to delight eagle-eyed Homeland fans. It may seem like an odd choice for a children's show, but it's not the first time Sesame Street has used a distinctly adult-oriented drama as the basis for a skit. Here, 8 Sesame Street parodies of adult-oriented TV shows:

"Homelamb" (Homeland)

Homeland fans will be impressed with the deluge of references to the Showtime series in this video, which begins with a dead-on parody of the show's jazzy opening credits and goes on to introduce characters like Carrie, Saul, and Nicholas Baaaa-rody. Could Baaaa-rody be a traitor? I suspect you'll be able to crack the case before the rest of Homelamb Security catches up with Carrie.

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"Sons of Poetry" (Sons of Anarchy)

What to do if you can't come up with the perfect rhyme to end your poem? Fall back on the Sons of Poetry, a motorcycle gang that defines itself by its ability to "rhyme all the time" — a slight detour from the original Sons of Anarchy, which defines itself by the illegal weapons trade.

"Upside Downton Abbey" (Downton Abbey)

Sesame Street's "Upside Downton Abbey" is built around a stuffy dowager, fancy food and, a boring argument — so it's basically just like a regular Downton Abbey episode, but with Muppets instead of people. But the Abbey's lack of gravity spells trouble for the Dowager Countess and her faithful servant.

"Birdwalk Empire" (Boardwalk Empire)

This riff on HBO's Boardwalk Empire features Nucky Ducky Thompson and Mallard Capone, who square off against their chicken rival Clucky Luciano on the town's "birdwalk." You'll be happy to hear that the birds find a solution that doesn't involve a stack of bodies.

"Mad Men" (Mad Men)

Muppet Don Draper proves every bit the equal to his AMC counterpart as he schools his sycophants on the emotional roller coaster that comes with pitching the Happy Honeybear account. Unfortunately, Muppet Peggy Olsen and Muppet Roger Sterling fail to make an appearance.

"True Mud" (True Blood)

You'll be shocked to hear that this True Blood parody doesn't feature a graphic, Muppet-on-Muppet sex scene. Instead, the Muppet equivalents of Sookie and Bill come up with a list of words that rhyme with "mud." Educational!

"Desperate Houseplants" (Desperate Housewives)

Sesame Street's soapy take on ABC's Desperate Housewives uses a hunky gardener to teach kids about horticulture.

"Twin Beaks" (Twin Peaks)

In recent years, Sesame Street has repeatedly turned to TV parodies that will fly over the heads of its primary audience. But there is precedent for "Homelamb" that stretches all the way back to 20 years ago: "Twin Beaks," a delightfully Lynchian video that casts Cookie Monster as Agent Cookie as he investigates a mysterious town.